It’s time for government and the public to take all-terrain vehicles seriously, said Chris Fox-Decent, president of the ATV Association of Manitoba.
“There were 24,000 ATVs registered in Manitoba last year,” he said.
In response to the vehicles’ continued popularity, Fox-Decent said the ATV Association of Manitoba is developing a plan to properly train young riders in the province.
By next spring, the association hopes to deliver a safety course based on a program developed by the All-Terrain Quad Council of Canada.
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The new course is an improvement on existing ATV training in Canada, Fox-Decent said.
“There are safety programs out there developed by the Canadian Safety Council, but they’re not current. They were developed for workplace ATV use and haven’t been updated … for a long time,” he said.
The Manitoba association is modelling its structure after New Brunswick, where riders pay an additional fee with their annual registration.
The extra money goes to the New Brunswick ATV Association, which uses the cash to provide safety training and other programs.
“Right now (in Manitoba), we have an annual registration fee that is $15. But none of that comes back to ATVs or the trails or safety or anything,” Fox-Decent said, adding the association is proposing a fee of $60 per machine.
“(The) $45 would come back to the association, with guidelines as to how that money would be spent.”
Under Manitoba regulations, young riders or their parents aren’t required to get ATV safety training.
Fox-Decent said that type of legislation is a good idea.
“(That’s) reasonable … Kids should have some instruction and if their parents can’t provide it…. There should be something in place that can.”
