BAGLEY — Department of Natural Resources conservation officers across the Northland reported all-terrain vehicle violations in their most recent weekly reports, shared on June 4.
Violations included illegal operation, registration issues and youth not wearing helmets. A Thief River Falls CO reported stopping five ATVs over two days for not having helmets on kids as young as 2 months old.
Brady Manteuful, a Bemidji-area CO based in Bagley, said common safety violations he sees are kids under 15 operating side-by-sides, no registration and no helmets, which are required for anyone under 18.
Another big one is lights, Manteuful said. Whenever an ATV is in operation, state statute requires the lights to be on.
“Even on the brightest of July days or June days like now, you got to have the lights on,” he said.
Even if people are only riding a mile from their house, Manteuful said it’s important to think safe. You may be an experienced rider, but you never what you could encounter or what other people might do.
The start of summer may be a big reason COs are reporting so many violations.
“People getting excited, the weather is nice and just want to get out and enjoy a ride in the side-by-side," Manteuful said. "And maybe they’re not going far, and they think they’ll be alright, and in the end, they may be. But like I said, you’ve got to take that defensive route, just like driving an automobile.”