Illinois

Recent Legislative Action

2009

HB3914: Requires grades K-12 to teach ORV safety, bans riders under 16, bans riding on paved roads, requires drivers license and helmets. Allows suspension of drivers license for 6 months for illegal ORV use. (3/13/09: Referred to House Rules Committee)

2008

HB1768: Imposes fines of up to $500 for failing to acquire state ORV stickers. (7/1/08: Passed House and Senate, re-referred to House Rules Committee)

Community Voices Demand Action in Illinois

Illinoisans 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.

• "Jefferson County Sheriff Roger Mulch has seen enough. The sheriff said late last week he is troubled by a rising number of all-terrain vehicle accidents within the county and will step up his department's effort to deter them...And people have been hurt, especially this summer in Jefferson County. Those who are not operating the ATVs as part of farm tasks are not allowed to operate them on county roads. And the sheriff has placed them on notice." -- Mt. Vernon Register-News Editorial Board, "Targeting illegal ATV use in Jefferson County", Mt. Vernon Register-News (8/11/08)

• "The police department doesn't have the resources to respond to the large number of calls about ATVs. The complaint calls about ATVs cost the department $4,900 and amount to 5 percent of all of our calls. The calls direct the limited resources of the department away from criminal matters." -- Acting police Chief Brandon Myers, "Braidwood ATV fans battle ordinance", The Herald-News (3/11/10)

• "Well of course you have to be respectable about it. You can't just be an idiot, you can't go and do whatever you want. You gotta respect everyone's property." -- rider Ryan Leombruni, "Rockford Council Seeks Stricter ATV Regulations", WIFR-TV (10/19/09)

• "It is difficult to apprehend them without the same type of (vehicle)...Unless someone is able to identify who it is on the vehicle, I can't arrest them...I have got to be able to identify the person." -- Amboy Police Sgt. Jeff Blake, "ATV riders given final warning in Amboy", Sauk Valley News-Gazette (5/20/08)

• "These are right through people's yards. I mean here's my yard and you can see where they come right through, they have no respect for anybody's property... It's getting to the point where I'm concerned for the safety and well-being of my constituents" -- Rockford 6th Ward Alderman Lenny Jacobson, "Rockford Council Seeks Stricter ATV Regulations", WIFR-TV (10/19/09)

• "I love ATVs, but like everything, they have a time and a place. Personally, I'm 73 years old and love to hike and hunt." -- Bob Humphrey, rider, "Speaking Up", Eastman's Hunting Journal (Feb.-Mar. '10)

• "Unfortunately we see a lot of these kids move through here...The best way to avoid injuries is for children under 16 not to ride these at all." -- Dr. John Hafner, "Doctor: ATV accidents can seriously injure a child", Peoria Journal Star (7/19/04)

• "It's not just the noise. It's the wanton disregard for riding those on private property. It's the reckless manner in which they're riding. And they're also using them as a mode of transportation to further criminal activity." -- Deputy Police Chief Mike Booker, "ATV attack leads aldermen to push stricter ATV laws", WREX-TV (10/19/09)

Recent ORV-Related Media Coverage