OHV SALES SPIKE HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR DIRT BIKE TRAINING

New Rider Taking MSF Dirt Bike School Class

OHV Workshop on the Tahoe NF

It’s no secret that families are spending more time recreating on public lands where they can escape for a few days from the COVID-19 chaos.  Data from the Motorcycle Industry Council supports that observation by showing off-highway motorcycle sales shot up 18.9 percent in the first quarter of the year.  Those sales figures and related training information are contained in the NOHVCC news release below.

LINK TO DIRT BIKE SALES FIGURES AND SAFETY TRAINING INFORMATION

https://www.nohvcc.org/as-dirt-bike-sales-jump-motorcycle-safety-foundation-offers-tips-resources/

Land agencies are also noticing a spike in the demand by the public for access to high quality outdoor trail-based recreation and camping both at developed and dispersed sites.

Rider in Youth Class Competition Event Learns about OHV Policies

Shasta Dam GP Tech Station at BLM's Chappie-Shasta OHV Area

QWR believes safety training for youth and new riders is critically important and recommends they should take training classes offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation through its DirtBike School program.

Rider on Youth Model Dirt Bike at Competition Event

Shasta Dam GP at BLM's Chappie Shasta OHV Area

Don Amador, QWR president and CA NOHVCC partner, states, “I believe that safety training for beginning riders of all ages is important.  We always try and incorporate OHV safety training at our annual interagency workshops so that new dirt-bikers can learn proper riding techniques.”

“It appears that COVID-19 has inspired outdoor enthusiasts to purchase dirt-bikes and other OHVs as part of their family strategy to recreate close to home at local or regional recreation sites. I think this new local-based recreation paradigm will be with us for the foreseeable future so it is important for OHV to retain and/or increase its capacity to train beginning riders,” Amador concludes.

LINK TO MSF DIRT BIKE TRAINING BROCHURE

 https://dirtbikeschool.org/Downloads/Parents_Youngsters_OHV.pdf

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2013 CA Helmet Law for SXS Operators

As owners of Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs) get ready to hit many popular OHV riding areas in California, it is important to remember that helmets are required to be worn by the operators and passengers when traveling on public roads, trails, and areas designated for such use.

Effective January 1, 2013, the California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 38601 requires all passengers and the operator to wear a safety helmet while operating an ROV which are also known as Side by Sides, Recreational Utility Vehicle, or Utility Terrain Vehicle.

 

CA OHV Division Info on Side x Side Helmet Law

http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27288

 

Quiet Warrior Racing (QWR) believes it is important for ROV owners to share this information with other ROV operators particularly in rural areas where regulations passed in Sacramento don’t often get shared effectively with users not associated with clubs or organizations.

 

QWR wants to commend federal and state law enforcement personnel and resource protection officers for working hard to help educate ROV owners about this new regulation.  Signing and public outreach are important elements of effective law enforcement.  Those tools will most certainly play a critical role to inform the user community as this new safety regulation gets implemented on public lands in California.