A Shawano County Sheriff's squad vehicle. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Fox 11 WLUK)
SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — In recent years, the Wisconsin DNR has seen an increase in ATV/UTV deaths across the state. Now, one county is stepping up to try and prevent future incidents.
Wisconsin has been seeing a boom in ATV/UTV popularity, but that has come with some extra baggage. So far this year, the Wisconsin DNR has already reported 18 related deaths.
“Those are some high numbers. We don’t like to see those. It’s pretty much on par with how last year went,” Wisconsin DNR Off-Highway Vehicle Administrator Jake Holsclaw said. “The majority of these fatalities, people are not wearing helmets and they’re not wearing seatbelts.”
The DNR said it started to see a spike in ATV/UTV crashes in 2020. In 2024, 40 people were killed in ATV/UTV incidents in Wisconsin, compared to 2019, when there were 22 deaths.
Alcohol and drugs have also become a contributing factor.
“You can have your driver’s license revoked for six OWIs on your record, but you’re perfectly legal to go get a UTV and drive that from bar to bar,” Shawano County Sheriff George Lenzner said.
Lenzner said in the past year, they’ve had three ATV/UTV fatalities in Shawano County. It’s a lower number, but he is concerned it will only increase as summer continues.
Lenzner wants to be proactive and create a county ordinance, because some riders have found a loophole in the law.
“You can be driving a UTV at 55 miles per hour, intoxicated, holding a beer while you’re driving, and you’re not going to lose your license. You don’t even need a license,” he said.
Lenzner’s ordinance would require riders to be 16 years old in order to take an ATV/UTV on the road, and they must have a driver’s license. He also wants to ban open intoxicants while on roadways and require liability insurance.
Lenzner would also like to see the state step up and create more laws. However, some riders say the bigger issue is not enough off-road options for them.
“As a club, that’s one thing that we’re always striving to do. We’re talking with people trying to get more trails open,” Wisconsin Trail Lake Runners ATV/UTV Club President Terry Hoffman said.
Hoffman said he and many other riders he knows stress safety in their vehicles, including seatbelts and helmets. He doesn’t necessarily think there needs to be a change in law — just a change in behavior.
“You’ve got to be aware of your surroundings when you’re out there, but this sport’s no different than any other sport. Even driving a vehicle, car, you’re always going to have people out there that are impaired,” Hoffman said.
Comments