Oklahoma

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it plans to hold a "listening session" to gather public input as the agency mulls development of a policy for the allowable use of on-road and off-road vehicles -- including golf carts -- at lakes managed by the Corps' Tulsa District.

The session is set for Saturday morning at the Enos Community Center near Lake Texoma in southern Oklahoma. The Corps says the site for the session was chosen because of the interest of the topic to those in the region.

Chris Casteel

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Coburn on Monday criticized a U.S. Forest Service decision to ban most cross-country travel by off-road vehicles in the Ouachita National Forest.

Coburn, R-Muskogee, said the decision, which will take effect this spring, would have "a devastating impact on the economy in Southeast Oklahoma.”

Jay F. Marks

Two men — one 87 years old and the other 74 — are facing felony charges in connection with shootings sparked by intruders. The cases are unrelated, and on different sides of the state.
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Billy Easter Willis, 74, is facing the most serious charge in Marshall County.

I read with interest the Dec. 29 article regarding the damages done at the Camp Gruber ATV site. This damage will not stop until the area is completely destroyed or closed.

A few years ago I lived near Yellowstone National Park. At that time the Park Service was in the process of banning snowmobiles because the snowmobile crowd ran the wildlife to death. Elk, buffalo, deer, whatever were chased to exhaustion then left to cope with the bitter temperatures. This was in addition to the habitat destruction. The outrage over their "rights" from the snowmobile people was tremendous — no plan to stop the actions, just outrage over their loss of rights.

Keith Purtell

Officials say the rapid rise in popularity of off-road vehicles has begun to place a strain on the Gruber Off-Road Vehicle Park east of Muskogee.

Mike Ward, chairman of the Gruber Recreational Trust Authority Board, said that in addition to the all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and mountain bikes brought to the park, there has been a surge in the use of four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Mark A. Brandenburg

Once again, certain Oklahoma lawmakers are pushing for legislation that would weaken all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety laws on the books. Having conducted/published research in this area and having worked with medical and public health officials throughout Oklahoma on the ATV issue, I am appalled. Our representatives can find better things to do with our taxpayer money than write legislation that will result in more deaths and injuries to Oklahomans, many of whom will be children.

Here are some headlines that have appeared in The Oklahoman in recent months:

"McAlester man dies after ATV rollover”

"ATV wreck kills two”

"Man dies in ATV accident”

"ATV accident kills driver from Texas”

And, last week, there was this one:

"ATVs bound for streets? State legislator defends vehicle’s safety, gasoline savings”

The first four headlines are self-explanatory. The last involves a story about state Rep. Wallace Collins’ misguided effort to allow all-terrain vehicles on state roads. Collins, D-Norman, said he is likely to draft legislation next session to make ATVs street legal, as a way to help folks offset high gas prices. "I don’t really see a downside to this,” he said.

Perhaps the state Health Department could enlighten him. Two years ago, 19 people died in ATV accidents in Oklahoma. Last year, the number was 16. Of course those totals pale in comparison with the number of people killed annually in auto and motorcycle accidents, but ATVs presently aren’t exposed to the traffic found on city and state roads, either.

Collins isn’t the only lawmaker kicking around the idea. Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, wants to allow ATVs on roads with speed limits below 40 mph, and would let cities and towns decide whether to allow them on their streets. That approach is more palatable, but we’re uneasy with these off-road vehicles making their way onto streets and highways.

ATV enthusiasts argue that the vehicles are safe. We’re inclined to agree with the sentiments of ATV salesman Don Maxey. His take: "They weren’t designed to be on the interstate — period.”

Source: http://newsok.com/atv-trouble-lets-keep-off-road-vehicles-off-roads/article/3313680

OKLAHOMA CITY A bill to require children under the age of 18 to wear crash helmets while operating or riding on all-terrain vehicles on public land clears a Senate panel today.

The House-passed measure now goes to the Senate floor for consideration.
Senate author Andrew Rice says six children died in A-T-V accidents in Oklahoma last year.
The Oklahoma City Democrat says that number could be reduced by passing his bill into law.
He says Oklahoma currently has no safety requirements for A-T-V riders, other than they are not allowed to operate the vehicles on paved roads.

New legislation will require children who ride all terrain vehicles to wear helmets has passed the Oklahoma House.

Legislation to require children under 18 years old to wear helmets while riding all-terrain vehicles on public lands and trails received strong bipartisan support in the Oklahoma House.