Manitoba RCMP is raising awareness of how to safely operate an off road vehicle (ORV) this summer. The reminder comes after Pembina Valley RCMP charged a 29-year-old woman with three offences after her 13-year-old daughter and her six friends were in a collision involving an ORV.
According to RCMP, the seven youths, all aged 13 and under, were riding together on the side-by-side ORV when they lost control on the gravel and the ORV rolled into the ditch, throwing all the riders. One of the occupants was transported to Winnipeg hospital with serious injuries while a second occupant was transported to local hospital with minor physical injuries. RCMP note, none of the female youths was wearing helmets or safety equipment at the time of the incident.
"We totally appreciated that people want to get out there and enjoy the weather when it's not raining, and an ORV is one great way to do that especially in rural areas," said Manitoba RCMP spokesperson, Tara Seel. She reminds users to make smart decisions when heading out on an ORV and to understand that they are powerful machines.
"These machines are not toys, they are not meant for unsupervised children. A very fun excursion can turn bad very quickly, as was the case in this instance," added Seel.
“We take these incidents extremely seriously,” said Staff Sergeant Brent Mattice, Area Commander for Pembina Valley RCMP, in a news release. “This could easily have been a much more tragic outcome...The laws are there to keep people safe, and we are enforcing them.”
Safety tips to keep in mind, according to Manitoba RCMP, include:
· All ORV operators and riders must wear properly fastened safety helmets unless the vehicle is equipped with rollover protection and the occupants are wearing securely fastened seatbelts.
· ORVs are not to be operated on roadways, shoulders, medians of divided roadways, or sidewalks.
· ORVs are permitted to be in the ditch, provided travel is in the same direction as vehicle traffic, the ORV is to the right of the roadway and the shoulder, and the ORV is being operated in an area where ORV use is permitted.
· Always be on the lookout for hazards in the ditch, such as culverts, driveway approaches, and road signs.
· Impaired driving laws apply to ALL motorized vehicles. Only operate an ORV when sober and alert.
In this particular instance, the 29-year-old female was charged with: As the Owner, Permit an Unsupervised Person Under 14 years of age to Operate an ORV; As the Owner of an Unregistered ORV Permit It to Be Operated; Have More Passengers Than Allowed on ORV.
RCMP note, in the last three years (2019-2021) in Manitoba RCMP jurisdiction, there have been 116 serious injury collisions involving all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, and utility-terrain vehicles. Of those, 18 were fatalities. There were more serious injury collisions and fatalities involving those types of vehicles than there were involving motorcycles. ATVs had the highest numbers at 76 serious injury collisions and 16 fatalities.
With the July long weekend around the corner, Seel once again encourages Manitobans to enjoy the outdoors responsibly, eliminate high-risk driving behaviours in order to safely arrive at any destination and to respect that destination upon arrival. As well, the RCMP's Marine Unit will be out in full force ensuring the waterways also remain safe.