ATV crashes are up
As are Keweenaw Co. injuries
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EAGLE RIVER - ATV and UTV riding is experiencing a major surge in popularity across the western Upper Peninsula, particularly in Keweenaw County. However, with that increase comes more accidents and crash-related injuries.
Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala said that while overall, crashes and injuries are increasing, the statistics vary year by year. "Just like the winter snowmobile season, some years we have a lot, some years not so much," he said, "but overall, with the ORV Program, we have seen an increase the past five years or so."
The Michigan Off-Road Vehicle Program is a state-managed initiative by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to oversee, fund, and regulate all ORV recreation. The program is a “user-pay, user-benefit” system, meaning the money riders spend on permits goes directly into a dedicated fund. This money is used to build trails, repair environmental damage, and fund safety programs.
"As different types of ORVs became more popular, like the side-by-sides, we've seen more crashes than we have in the past."
Pennala said the types of injuries and their severity depend on the type of vehicle is involved. Crashes on open machines, like ATVs (designed for a single rider who straddles the vehicle and steers with handlebars), often result in more limb injuries, where as crashed involving UTVs (also referred to as side-by-sides), tend to me more severe.
Pennala said most crashes do not occur on paved or gravel roads.
"We primarily see ours (accidents) on the state-recognized trails systems," he said.
Pennala added that a lot of ORV crashes primarily occur due to rapidly changing trail conditions. "Whether it's a blind corner coming up, or sometimes trail conditions might change from dirt to loose gravel to mud. Sometimes wet leaves make a difference" he said."But usually, there are some kinds of unexpected obstacles drivers are finding."
Pennala said another contributor to crashes is operators not being familiar with the terrain, as well as not considering unexpected debris in the trail. "It could be something as simple as a tree that fell overnight just around the corner," he said.
Pennala encourages operators to drive at a safe speed to allow time to react to unexpected changes in trail conditions.
According to data from Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, licensed drivers aged 18 have the highest crash rate of any speciific age in Michigan. When grouped together, young drivers, aged 16-20 years old, disproportionately account for the highest volume of total crashes relative to their small share of the driving population.
"I think the main thing is making sure the youth are safe. The machines they're riding are becoming more powerful and harder to control,” he said. "Some ORVs have engines of 1,000 CCs," he said. "That might be manageable for an experienced adult, but not necessarily for younger, inexperienced drivers.," adding that in many cases, the machines far outweigh the youth riding it, making it still more difficult to control.
In Michigan, riders under the age of 16 must complete an approved safety course and carry the physical Michigan ORV Safety Certificate with them on both public and private land, and they must be accompanied by an adult. But many children under the age of 16 still operate ORVs unsupervised.
Pennala said he attributes part of that to a lack of public education.
"That's typically the enforcement arm that you'll see," he said. "We're not out patrolling trying to ticket people, but just to educate them on what the laws are in order to make sure everybody remains safe and uninjured."
Pennala said as the county features 140 miles of state-designated and recognized ATV/ORV trails, it isn't possible to patrol all of them.
"With limited personnel, most of the time, we respond to complaints and injury calls, versus being proactive," he said.
The key to reducing crashes and injuries is for riders to complete an ATV/ORV safety course, many of which area available through the DNR.