Sask. All Terrain Vehicle Association calling for mandatory safety training for ATVs

Unlike snowmobiles, no special training is required to operate an ATVin Saskatchewan. You just need a driver's license.

You have to take a courseto operate a snowmobile on public land. You also have to register the vehicle.

You don't have to register ATVs, but you do need liability insurance to drive one on public land.

These discrepancies are once again in the spotlight as ATVSafety Week begins.

John Meed, general manager of the Saskatchewan All Terrain Vehicle Association (SATVA) said he thinks there needs to be more mandatory training.

"ATVshave a specific dynamic to them on how they operate," he said on CBCRadio's Saskatoon Morning.

"Everybody can benefit from training, but because it's not mandatory, we don't see a lot of people taking advantage."

Meed said the organization has asked for mandatory training before, to no avail.

"As much as we can tell, there's just no willingness right now. It might be perceived as another tax, it could be that SGIis just not really interested in going down that road," Meed said.

"We're the only province in Canada that doesn't register ATVs."

SGI responds

Shannon Ell, director of Traffic Safety Promotion at SGI, said there are currently some limitations to operation of an ATV. For instance,those over the age of 12 and under the age of 16 have to be supervised by someone who's operated with a valid driver's license for a year.

The other distinguishing factor between snowmobiles and ATVsis that the snowmobile association maintains several trailsin which drivers may come across othersnowmobiles. ATV riders, in comparison, operate more often on private land. This is just one of the reasons specialized training may be more necessary for snowmobile use, Ell said.

The snowmobile association also maintains a lot of internal infrastructure, offeringonline training and instructors all over province to offer training, she said.

"I don't know that the all-terrain vehicle association has that kind of infrastructure in place, to be able to do that," she said."And if [training] is mandatory, it definitely has to be available all over the province."

She said SGI's prevailing message is for people to wear helmets, as injuries often take place, even with experienced riders, when they do not wear one.

Registering ATVs for theft

Meedsaid that the fact that people don't have to register their ATVscan be problematic because it makes it harder for law enforcement to identify vehicles. This can be a problem when ATVs are involved in crimes or when the police are looking for an uninsured vehicle. With snowmobiles, the liability insurance is included in their plates.

"With ATV, there's no way for the police or anybody from simply viewing the machine, say in the ditch of a highway, that the person has the required insurance unless they physically stop him," Meed said.