License your quad bikes...
By Cherisse M. Sutton- Jeffers
Reporter SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St Kitts: With an upsurge in the number of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) on the streets of St. Kitts, Inspector Vynetta Wyatt of the Traffic Department is advising that drivers license these vehicles.
Commonly referred to as quad bikes, ATVs are considered vehicles under the federation’s motor vehicle laws and though initially used for recreation or off-road riding, are required to be licensed, registered and insured.
Many persons have complained about the noisy bikes roaring around their villages as young men perform dangerous stunts along the public streets and voiced their exasperation to SKNVibes.com. Some also related seeing these vehicles weaving through traffic with little regard for other motorists, pedestrians and the traffic laws of the federation.
The top traffic cop said that operators of ATVs must abide by the same traffic rules as any other vehicle. She did say however, that the ATVs only require licensing if they are going to be driven on the public streets.
She also said that as is the case with motorcycles, helmets and other protective gear is supposed to be worn when driving ATVs adding that not doing so would increase their risk of injury or death in the event of an accident. ~~Adz:Right~~
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, if passengers get in the way or shift their weight improperly while driving an ATV, the driver may not be able to safely control the vehicle. ATV manufacturers also apply warning labels to the vehicles which state that they should never be used to carry children under 12 or to carry more than one passenger.
US national safety data shows that in 2006, there were 555 ATV-related deaths and 146,600 emergency-room treated injuries.
