ATVs allowed for use on Clark County roads 'Pilot Program' (Indiana) June 14, 2007
By JENNIFER RIGG, The News and Tribune
A Clark County ordinance goes into effect Friday morning which will allow all-terrain vehicle owners to drive on county roads, but police say the change might only be temporary.
The Clark County commissioners are calling the new ordinance merely “a pilot program” and will revoke it if county police say the number of ATV-related accidents or citations increases. Clark County will become one of 32 Indiana counties that allow the use of ATVs on public roads, including the surrounding counties of Jefferson, Scott, Washington and Harrison.
Floyd County, however, has no specific ATV ordinance. Sheriff Darrell Mills said Floyd County, like many other Indiana counties, follows guidelines set by the state, which prohibit ATVs from driving on any public road.
“Obviously, we’re worried about everyone’s safety,” said Clark County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Maj. Chuck Adams. “I think our biggest concern is getting the general public educated and letting them know that there are going to be ATVs on the county roadways. People must be even more aware of their surroundings now that these vehicles will be accompanying them on county roads.”
ATV owners will be required to obtain a registration from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, then must take that registration to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department where they will be issued a permit. Beginning in 2008, a $25 fee will be charged for that permit, but Sheriff Danny Rodden has waived that fee for the rest of 2007 since the ordinance is being enacted on a trial basis.
Restrictions on the ordinance prohibit operating an ATV within 100 feet of a dwelling between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. — except on the individual’s own property — and it requires all ATVs to have a proper muffler to prevent noise complaints. ATVs also must have working headlights during nighttime hours. All operators must have a valid driver’s license.
Chris McCarty, owner of S&S Power Sports in Clarksville, said he thought the pilot ordinance was “great,” but that he didn’t anticipate business would increase as a result of it.
“Obviously, it’s not going to hurt business,” he said, “but I would imagine that people in the rural communities will enjoy it.”
McCarty said ATV manufacturers prohibit him from selling ATVs to anyone under the age of 16, and he attempts to match the size of the ATV to the person as best as possible. He said he also encourages anyone who purchases an ATV to also buy a helmet and the proper safety equipment.
“I would just encourage all ATV riders to be safe, wear helmets, drive cautiously and obey the speed limits,” McCarty said.
Adams said the sheriff’s department would — for the rest of 2007 — closely monitor the amount of citations given to ATV operators as well as the number of injuries reported. That report, Adams said, will have a large impact on whether or not the commissioners decide to keep the ordinance in effect.
Article Reference: The News and Tribune - ATVs OK’d for use on Clark County roads
By JENNIFER RIGG, The News and Tribune
A Clark County ordinance goes into effect Friday morning which will allow all-terrain vehicle owners to drive on county roads, but police say the change might only be temporary.
The Clark County commissioners are calling the new ordinance merely “a pilot program” and will revoke it if county police say the number of ATV-related accidents or citations increases. Clark County will become one of 32 Indiana counties that allow the use of ATVs on public roads, including the surrounding counties of Jefferson, Scott, Washington and Harrison.
Floyd County, however, has no specific ATV ordinance. Sheriff Darrell Mills said Floyd County, like many other Indiana counties, follows guidelines set by the state, which prohibit ATVs from driving on any public road.
“Obviously, we’re worried about everyone’s safety,” said Clark County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Maj. Chuck Adams. “I think our biggest concern is getting the general public educated and letting them know that there are going to be ATVs on the county roadways. People must be even more aware of their surroundings now that these vehicles will be accompanying them on county roads.”
ATV owners will be required to obtain a registration from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, then must take that registration to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department where they will be issued a permit. Beginning in 2008, a $25 fee will be charged for that permit, but Sheriff Danny Rodden has waived that fee for the rest of 2007 since the ordinance is being enacted on a trial basis.
Restrictions on the ordinance prohibit operating an ATV within 100 feet of a dwelling between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. — except on the individual’s own property — and it requires all ATVs to have a proper muffler to prevent noise complaints. ATVs also must have working headlights during nighttime hours. All operators must have a valid driver’s license.
Chris McCarty, owner of S&S Power Sports in Clarksville, said he thought the pilot ordinance was “great,” but that he didn’t anticipate business would increase as a result of it.
“Obviously, it’s not going to hurt business,” he said, “but I would imagine that people in the rural communities will enjoy it.”
McCarty said ATV manufacturers prohibit him from selling ATVs to anyone under the age of 16, and he attempts to match the size of the ATV to the person as best as possible. He said he also encourages anyone who purchases an ATV to also buy a helmet and the proper safety equipment.
“I would just encourage all ATV riders to be safe, wear helmets, drive cautiously and obey the speed limits,” McCarty said.
Adams said the sheriff’s department would — for the rest of 2007 — closely monitor the amount of citations given to ATV operators as well as the number of injuries reported. That report, Adams said, will have a large impact on whether or not the commissioners decide to keep the ordinance in effect.
Article Reference: The News and Tribune - ATVs OK’d for use on Clark County roads
