JEFFERSON SHERIFF SAYS "LAWMAKERS OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALTY" - ATV Free-For-All

(03/17/2004)

Jefferson County Sheriff Ed Boober says West Virginia's first all-terrain vehicle law is "absolutely useless" and is asking his county commission to consider tougher regulations. Boober says the bill, other than helmet and training provisions, is now a legal free-for-all on state highways, indicating the measure has little safety concern mixing of ATVs and registered vehicles. ATVs can travel on all state roads that do not have a center line, but they can also travel on the shoulders of roads with center lines, where they can travel at speeds of 25 miles per hour for up to ten miles. That's a provision Sheriff Boober says has angered many motorists. Boober says the lawmakers who drafted the regulations are -- quote -- "out of touch with reality." Opponents of the bill, who say the vehicles were never intended for hard roads, say deaths and injuries will increase. About 150,000 West Virginians ride or own ATVs, and the state has one of the highest accident fatality rates in the nation. Boober wants to see ATVs banned from all county roads, and officials in both Jefferson and Berkeley counties have indicated they will study the problem.

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