After 15 'alarming' deaths so far this year, RCMP launches ATV safety campaign

In the midst of a deadly year on ATV trails across Newfoundland and Labrador,the RCMPhas launched a bigger push to curb what it says is reckless behaviour, a move being met with acclaim from some ATV riders in the province.

Fifteen people have diedwhile operating ATVs and snowmobiles in areas policed by the RCMPacross the province since Jan. 1. There were 12 ATV-related deaths in 2019 and 10 in 2018.

In 11 of the deaths this year, safety equipment, such as helmets and seatbelts, were either not worn or improperly used. Alcohol use was a suspected factor in 10 of the deaths, according to an RCMP media release.

"I find these numbers personally alarming,"Assistant Commissioner Ches Parsons, commanding officer of the RCMPin Newfoundland and Labrador, told reporters Monday. He calledthe casualty rate "extreme."

Dean Layman of Avalon ATV said it's about one in 10 riders who don't follow the rules, and with his group the rules are plain and simple:no helmet, no ride.

"Enforcement is good if they get the, I call them idiots, off the road," Layman said Monday evening, shortly after the RCMP launched its enforcement andsocial media campaign in response to the high number ATV-related deaths across the province this year.

"People who go out and plan to destroy stuff and hurt people, and don't care that's the issue I have."

Laymen said he often rides with RCMP and RNC officers, and there's never an issue when they're on the trail.

Covert surveillance

The RCMP's campaign, launched Monday, plansto increase enforcement ofexisting ATV laws.Officers will targetspeeding, use of safety equipment, underagedrivers and alcohol use.

The RCMPplanto use special tactics, including plainclothesofficersand vehicles that are hard to identify as police,to allow covert surveillance and to gatherevidence, in collaboration with its varyingdetachments, to support anychargeslaid.

"The undeniable fact of death and tragedy is there. In my personal experience I've had ATVs flee from me, and in many cases the operator saw it as a joke," said RCMP Sgt.Matthew Christie, the commander of the force'straffic services east unit.

"I can assure you when I knock on a door and tell someone their loved one has been killed, it's no joke."

WATCH | Find out why the RCMP in N.L. are aiming for the heart in a new safety campaign:

Spike in ATV-related deaths is 'alarming,' Mounties say

4 years ago

Duration 2:43

Jeremy Eaton reports on a new RCMP campaign aimed at halting what a senior officer calls a disturbing casualty rate

On top of thoseefforts,the RCMP is also launching a social media campaign calledATV Safety Can Save More Than One Life.

The campaign will run for three months. It'sdesigned to make an emotional impact by focusing on the devastation to the loved ones left behind in the wake of ATV deaths, as well as the causes of those deaths, according to the RCMP.

The campaign will usevisuals and simple messages in an effort to get more people talking about safe recreational vehicle use.

As he headedout riding with his group,Layman said he wants to see officers on the trails themselves, and stricter fines for those caught breaking the law.

"The [RCMP] or the RNC need to get on the trails and just get out and take a look," he said.

"Put a bigger fine out. No helmet, take a picture, then you got proof. Then give them a fine, take his bike from him for 24 to 48 hours and you can't get it back until you pay the fine."

Under theMotorized Snow Vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles Act:

• It is illegal to operate an ATV on a highway except to cross from one side of the road to another, and in that case the operator must have a valid drivers licence, insurance and registration to do so and100yards of visibility.
• All occupants of an ATV must be wearing an approved helmet.
• It is illegal to operate an ATV while under the influence or alcohol or narcotics.
• A person must be16years old to operate an adult-sized ATVof over 90 cubic centimetres.
• A person who is14-15years old can operate an ATV under90 cubic centimetres but only when being supervised by a person who is19years old or older.
• A person under 14 years oldis not permitted to operate an ATV of any size.
• A person who permits an underagechild to operate an ATV without supervision can be charged for doing so.

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