House approves off-road safety bill.

Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard

SALEM - New safety standards will apply to young all-terrain vehicle riders, and operators of all ages will have to undergo training under a bill the House approved Friday.

The measure was a modest version of some of the more far-reaching proposals brought to the Legislature when it convened in January. Lawmakers refused to require adults to wear helmets, to ban young children from riding solo on ATVs or to require that all such vehicles be registered with the state.

But even in its scaled-down version, the final ATV proposal divided the House along party lines, with all 31 Democrats supporting it.

"I think this is overregulating it to the point where families get burdened," said Rep. Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg.

Rep. Terry Beyer, a Springfield Democrat who carried Senate Bill 101 in the House floor debate, said she considered the proposal to be a "modest compromise" between those concerned by a growing number of ATV-related injuries and deaths and those who feared that increased restrictions would undermine personal freedoms and hinder a recreational outlet that brings thousands of families to coastal dunes and forested trails.

The bill next goes to the Senate, which is expected to sign off on House amendments and send it to the governor for his signature.

The bill phases in new requirements for ATV and off-road motorcycle users to take a training course and acquire a permit.

When the requirement kicks in, starting in 2009, the training and permit would be required only for those younger than 16. It would apply to operators of all ages starting in 2014.

Those 16 and older would be exempt from the training and permit requirement if they have ridden for at least five years and can pass an equivalency exam.

The bill also would require that young riders:

Ride while supervised by an adult with an operator's permit if an operator is younger than 16. A parent or guardian who violates this would be subject to a Class C traffic violation.

Use "appropriately sized" ATVs that meet the state Department of Parks and Recreation's "rider-fit" guidelines, which have yet to be written.

Use chin straps on helmets if younger than 18. Helmets already are required for riders of this age, but the chin-strap requirement is new.

The bill's restrictions apply to ATV and off-road motorcycle users while on public lands, including private lands that are open to the public as a result of funding from the state's ATV account.

The requirements in SB 101 would not apply to ATVs used exclusively in agricultural and forestry work on land owned or leased by the all-terrain vehicle's owner.

Avery Duman, president of Torex ATV Rentals south of Florence, said his business and its customers wouldn't be affected by the new restrictions. His business puts clients through a training session, provides helmets, ensures that children remain seated at all times on ATVs and sends out employees to supervise customers while they ride on the dunes.

"It's common sense," he said of the bill's provisions. "This is what we're doing right now."

Beyer noted that SB 101 garnered letters of support from representatives of both the American Motorcycle and All-Terrain Vehicle associations and from the trade association for ATV makers and distributors, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America.

Ryan Young, a longtime ATV enthusiast from Oakland, said he's been riding since age 12 and has passed on his love of the sport to his children, who are 9, 11 and 14. He said he was dead-set against the more far-reaching restrictions proposed earlier this session. And he questioned the need for those in SB 101.

If the state government and politicians trusted parents enough to ensure their children ride safely and responsibly, it wouldn't pursue the added regulations, Young said.

Young was critical of the proposed "right-fit" guidelines and the idea that adults would have to get permits to use ATVs, but he said some provisions were OK, such as the required training for youngsters since it was consistent with state requirements for hunter safety classes and driver's education.

"It's better than their first proposals, but it's still not totally necessary," Young said of the bill. "I'm not crazy about any new regulations."