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posted by martyb on Monday March 23 2020, @06:07PM   Printer-friendly
from the Live-to-ride,-ride-to-be-fined dept.

Off-Road Riders Fined while Riding on their Own Property:

Four teens in Hampden, Massachusetts, were fined $750 each by the Massachusetts Environmental Police while riding on their own property. The teens were riding on land owned by the parents of one of the boys, with the parents' permission, when the environmental police arrived and questioned them for two and a half hours. In the end, each teen received a $250 fine for operating an unregistered recreational vehicle, and a $500 fine for the operation of a recreational vehicle without a safety certification.

Speaking to 22News, Melanie Beck said her son and three friends were riding around her wooded yard, with her permission, when Massachusetts Environmental Police arrived and questioned the boys before handing out the fines. Beck wondered why the boys were not given a warning instead of a fine, considering the laws that they broke are apparently not well known in the area. She says other parents in the area have taken to social media to express their displeasure with the fines.

One of the teens told 22News that they were just trying to have fun, in contrast to other teens "doing drugs and vaping" instead of participating in outdoor activities.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Environmental Police, Craig Gilvarg, told 22News that safety education requirements for young riders have been in place since 2010. Additionally, the state of Massachusetts requires all recreational vehicles operated on public and private lands to be registered through the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

Earlier in February, 22News reported that ATV and dirt bike riders riding on city streets have been an ongoing issue in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, saying that they had received multiple viewer complaints about the illegal activity. Police there have used undercover cars, motorcycles, and cameras to attempt to stop the problem, and have asked the public to keep an eye out for where the riders might be storing their vehicles.

See also: Four teens fined $750 for violating dirt bike laws in Hampden; What are the rules?

Environmental police? Huh? They're just jealous because they can't get it up, let alone up on two!


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:16PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 23 2020, @07:16PM (#974540)

    So now the family registers the vehicles and get the boys certified. They'll be free to burn gas and rip up the terrain 24-7 until the end of time. All the while fragrantly obeying the state law.

    Stop tilting at windmills and put this situation in perspective.

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  • (Score: 2) by canopic jug on Monday March 23 2020, @08:18PM

    by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 23 2020, @08:18PM (#974578) Journal

    Wrong again. Once licensed they be able to burn gas, spew exhaust, and rip up the terrain 24-7 until they turn 17 or 18 and ideally because their parents signed an age waiver to pack their sorry asses off to the Middle East for a fillup. The damage they leave on the land will last for centuries, and the damage they leave on society will last for decades.

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