Proposed legislation targets ATV riders

Matthew Barker

Local dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts are used to adrenaline-fueled rides through wooded trails and on motocross trails, but nothing gets their hearts pumping quite like having a state legislator propose taking away their ability to ride.

“I have a problem with the government legislating common sense,” Gerhard Ward of rural Mendota said.

For the second year in a row, state Rep. Mary E. Flowers (D-Chicago) has proposed a piece of legislation (HB-5029) that would require instruction on laws regarding ATVs and off-highway motorcycles to students in kindergarten through twelfth-grade, prohibit the use of these vehicles on roads, require information relating to these vehicles be included in publications of the “Rules of the Road” by the Secretary of State and “Laws for Youth” by the Legislative Research Unit, and most aggravating to local riders, make it illegal to ride these vehicles for anyone under 16 years of age, without a valid driver’s license and without a helmet.

“I look at is as being a wake-up call. I look at it as being a reminder for parents, for young people to take care of themselves,” Flowers said.

For local families, whose children often begin riding at young ages, it’s an attempt to take away a beloved pastime through overzealous legislation.

During the prime riding season of March through late-November, hundreds of area families will spend countless hours in riding parks and on tracks.

“Pretty much every Sunday during the season we’re racing and on Saturday we’re at the park practice riding or we’re working on the bike,” said Eugene Bodmer of Mendota, whose son Grant, 15, has been riding for the past two years.

Ward, who is also the American Motorcyclist Association district 17 director and owner of Fox Valley Off Road riding park in Wedron, has two sons, Travis, 14, and Garrett, 8. The boys have been riding since they were 4 years old.

While the boys have the option to participate in any sport or activity they’d wish – all of which, Ward points out, carry the risk of injury — riding is their preferred activity.

“That’s all they’ve ever asked us to do,” their mother Patty Ward said.

While Flowers still believes these vehicles are dangerous for small children, she sounds like she may be willing to compromise.

“I’m sure I’ll be more than happy to try to work on that part of the bill, but, again, I think there should be age and weight factors involved,” Flowers said.

For many riders, it’s more than just a family hobby, though.

Duane Buffo has been riding dirt bikes for nearly 40 years. In that time, he’s passed his passion down to his children and grandchildren. He is also the owner of Riders Choice Racing in Oglesby.

“If this goes through it would really hurt the industry and our business,” Buffo said.

Buffo and Ward both said they do a lot of business with families that have young children.

“If this lady’s bill goes through my business would be gone,” Ward said. “We’ve put everything into it.”

When asked what he would do if he had to stop riding until he turned 16, Travis Ward said he’d move out of state.

While picking up and moving might be a stretch, the business owners think it’s very likely that people would travel out of state to ride rather than give up their hobby, which would mean a lot of dollars to riding-related businesses and other businesses going out of state.

While this piece of legislation irks riders, they do agree with Flowers’ general motivation of increasing safety.

“I understand that she wants to make things safe, but she’s getting a little overboard,” Buffo said.

Flowers said she was inspired to craft the bill after hearing of an 18-year-old woman who lived in a town north of Springfield, who was injured in an ATV accident, in which she wasn’t wearing a helmet, about two years ago.

“As a mother, it just hurt my heart to see this young beautiful, otherwise healthy, lady laying in (a hospital) bed and her head is all messed up,” Flowers said.

The local riders, who support increased safety training and equipment usage, don’t see this as a reason for limiting their ability to participate in riding.

“Evidently she thinks the best way to attack an issue like this is to take it away from everyone,” Ward said.

Buffo pointed out that there’s a wide range of safety equipment available and serious accidents are most likely to occur when people attempt to just hop on a dirt bike or ATV that might not be the correct size for them or without the proper equipment or basic safety training.

Ward’s children, for example, can easily rattle off each piece of equipment they need to be wearing before they ride: helmet, chest protector, goggles, gloves and boots.

“We think properly supervised the ATV and dirt bike vehicles are acceptable ways for young children to enjoy the outdoors and have very positive vehicle experiences,” said George Tinkham, the state legislative coordinator for motorcycling advocacy group ABATE of Illinois.

The point of controversy appears to be who gets to control the issue.

At riding parks, such as Ward’s, helmets and liability waivers for minors are required. What they don’t like is the idea of letting the state mandate the issue. Flowers sees it from the other perspective.

“Everyone else can say it, everyone else can do it, but if I want to put it into law, there’s something wrong with it? There’s something wrong with that theory,” Flowers said.

Still, she’ll be facing a battle against those who love to ride.

The riding community is a close-knit group, according to Ward. When Flowers proposed a similar bill last year, he said, about 150 riders showed up at a legislative education committee meeting in Springfield in March to voice their disapproval. The bill died 17-3.

On that occasion, riders only caught wind of the bill at the last minute. This year he expects even more will make the trip, although it’s not something he hopes will become an annual outing.

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Source: http://www.newstrib.com/articles/news/local/default.asp?article=12172B8B5DE8E2BAC85C0FA1AA15ECA121F1B0DFE8D987B5

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