Hundreds of warnings were issued last month to educate on ATV and UTV safety on Wisconsin trails.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has shared that their Labor Day weekend Think Smart Before You Start education and enforcement campaign last month was highly successful.
Throughout the weekend, over 1,600 interactions were made between officers and operators and riders.
During those interactions, hundreds of warnings were issued while numerous ATV and UTV users were arrested for OWI.
The numbers behind the amount of citations handed out on Labor Day weekend matched that of the entire year, with operating without a helmet, not wearing seatbelts, and illegal highway operations leading the way.
On why this is a problem, Lieutenant Jake Holsclaw with the DNR, said, “Crash and injury data show all riders need to wear helmets and seatbelts. They truly do save lives.”
To that point, as of today (October 3rd), there have been 34 fatal ATV or UTV crashes in Wisconsin this year.
Of those 34 fatalities, only two were wearing a helmet, and only seven were using their seatbelts.
More information on how to protect yourself and others while using an ATV or UTV can be found online by visiting dnr.wisconsin.gov.
