Georgia

Recent Legislative Action

2009

HB207 Bans ORV riding in rivers and streams. (3/5/09: passed House; 3/30/09: Passed Senate Committee)

2008

HB1070: Bans motorized vehicles from operating in rivers and streams (3/4/08: Reported favorably out of House committee)

Community Voices Demand Action in Georgia

Georgians are increasingly voicing their concerns about a growing contingent of reckless riders who break the law, damage public and private land, injure themselves and others, and ruin hunting, fishing and hiking experiences for the rest of us.

• "Some, but not all, ATV drivers demonstrate their lack of respect for someone else's property and our roads and bridges personnel often find themselves repairing damaged and eroding rights of way caused by inconsiderate ATV operators." -- Capt. Steve Morris, Columbia County Sheriff's Office, "Bumpy Ride is ahead for bill", The Augusta Chronicle (2/9/09)

• "In times of drought when the water levels are really, really low, these drivers of ATVs just jump down in the river and ride right up the river." -- State Representative Chuck Sims, R-Ambrose, "Proposal targets off-road driving", The Florida Times-Union (2/4/09)

• "Rehabilitating these damaged areas is not cheap. We want to emphasize to individuals who choose to ride ATVs illegally on public land, that they may have to pay for the damage that they cause." -- George Bain, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Supervisor, "Cracking down on illegal ATV use in national forests", Access North Georgia (7/29/08)

• "It's a big trespassing and liability issue for property owners. The river corridor is just like a highway to them. It's amazing what people think their rights are." -- Bill Miller, Satilla Riverkeeper, "Perdue signs bill to outlaw riding off road vehicles in stream beds", Rome News-Tribune (5/22/10)

• "I've heard a bunch of complaints...Way too many. Laws are made for everybody to abide by, not just a few, but everybody. People have to obey the laws." -- Robert Johns, candidate for Sheriff of Brantley, "Wild misuse of ATVs enters race for sheriff", The Florida Times-Union (7/23/2008)

• "We provide an opportunity within the national forest for off road vehicle enthusiasts to ride on designated trails designed specifically to withstand that type of use. However, we are seeing more and more illegal riding taking place on the national forests and it is causing unacceptable resource damage." -- George Bain, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Supervisor, "ILLEGAL ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE USE DAMAGING NATIONAL FOREST LANDS IN GEORGIA", US Fed News (7/22/08)

• "It's frustrating...We see reckless behavior and generally people know, 'Hey, I wouldn't be doing this if that guy with the gun on and in the green uniform was here. Congress needs to put their foot down and serve notice that when it comes to off-road vehicles, we're watching you. Do you think the American public as a whole wants to hear that we have all these areas that are trashed due to [off-road vehicles] because the Forest Service didn't do its job in a timely fashion or woke up late? They expected stewardship." -- Retired USFS Ranger Jack Gregory, "Ex-Forest Service cop fights off-road abuse", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/27/08)

• "As fast as we put up a gate or cable, they go around it and make another trail...They are versatile machines, and they are lots of fun. But people need to use them in the appropriate way." -- Allen Dean, Chief Ranger of the Army Corps of Engineers, "Bad track record Unruly ATV drivers often ruin land, disturb wildlife", Augusta Chronicle (10/15/07)

• "In one section, they were running the trail so much, hikers were following the ATV trail rather than the official trail...They want to run anywhere they want." -- Greg Owen, oversaw the hiking trail's construction in the 1980s, "Unhappy Trails: Forests Beset by Rebel ATV Riders," The Washington Post (6/17/08)

• "We've got eight officers -- that's almost a million acres we're covering...There's no way they can be everywhere at once." -- Stewart Delugach, Patrol Captain of the sprawling Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, "Unhappy Trails: Forests Beset by Rebel ATV Riders", The Washington Post (6/17/08)

Examples of Recent ORV-Related Law Enforcement Activity

Source: United States Forest Service

2008

• Chattahoochee-Oconee NF’s - On 9/26, an LEO stopped a vehicle in an area where OHV’s had been illegally operating on the Oconee RD. The three occupants all gave consent to search. An initial search found marijuana, a pipe, and a hypodermic needle. An SD K9 unit responded to assist and the K9 alerted to methamphetamine. All three occupants were arrested.

Recent ORV-Related Media Coverage