A. A properly registered ATV may be operated on a public way only the distance necessary, but in no case to exceed 300 500 yards, on the extreme right of the traveled way for the purpose of crossing, as directly as possible, a public way, bridge, overpass, underpass, sidewalk or culvert as long as that operation can be made safely and does not interfere with traffic approaching from either direction on the public way.

Sec. 7. 12 MRSA §13157-A, sub-§6, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 655, Pt. B, §414 and affected by §422, is repealed.

SUMMARY

This bill implements certain recommendations of the ATV Trail Advisory Council report as follows.

1. It sets the ATV registration fee at $60 for both residents and nonresidents, except that the fee is $30 if the applicant belongs to a Maine nonprofit organization that is recognized by the Department of Conservation as an organization that maintains ATV trails. The current ATV registration fee is $33 for residents and $68 for nonresidents.

2. It provides the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife with the discretion to suspend all licenses and permits issued by the department for at least one year for certain violations of ATV laws. Current law mandates the suspension of licenses and permits for such violations.

3. It raises the age limit for a person who must take an ATV safety course before operating an ATV from 16 to 19 years of age and requires a person under 14 years of age to be accompanied by an adult even after the completion of the training course.

4. It lowers the age at which a person may cross a public way with an ATV from 16 to 14 years of age to make this provision consistent with snowmobile laws.