Helmets now required for ATVs
SANTA FE (AP) - All-terrain vehicle riders under 18 will be required to wear helmets, goggles and complete a safety training course under a new law taking effect next year.
Gov. Bill Richardson signed the ATV measure into law Thursday, saying the safety requirements will protect children who ride the off-road vehicles.
Among those at the signing ceremony was Lydia Carbajal of Belen. Her grandson, Andy, whom she raised, was killed in an ATV accident last year.
"He was so special in my life. I miss him terribly," Carbajal said at the ceremony, pulling a photo of the smiling boy from her purse.
"I hope that (the law) saves lives - other little boys' lives, little girls' lives," she said.
The law will require ATV riders under 18 to have an off-road motor vehicle safety permit, which is obtained by completing an approved safety training course, and to wear a helmet and goggles.
In addition, ATV riders under 18 must be supervised by adults unless they are at least 13 with a motorcycle license or at least 15 with a driver's license, instructional permit or provisional driver's license.
Riders under 10 will be restricted to appropriately sized ATVs and must be supervised by a parent, guardian or safety course instructor.
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2006. Owners of off-road vehicles, including ATVs, snowmobiles and motorcycles, must pay a new fee of up to $30 when they register their vehicles with the state.
Money from the new fee will help pay for the development and maintenance of off-road trails around the state as well as promote ATV safety.
The law's requirements will not apply to people riding ATVs on private property or ATVs used for agricultural operations.
Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored the bill, said she expected that federal agencies would adopt rules to apply the new state law's requirements to ATV riders using federal lands.