Dear Editor:
My family have been riding ATV, snow machines, etc. for over 45 years without injury or occurrence. Not everyone is careless.
As owners of these machines, we are required to licence and insure them just like other vehicles using the roads, except bicycles. We are also required to show proof of Ownership. So why can we not use the shoulder of the roads we are taxed on.
To be clear, we do not want to be on paved roads, but on gravel and gravel shoulders where our tires are more than safe.
I have been a Class A driver for over 50 years and the thing I fear most on the paved road is a bicycle. And yes, there will be injuries just like all other sports in the world but we can’t live life in bubble wrap.
I have perfect confidence in the fact that the OPP will weed out the unsafe operators like they do in all other modes of transportation.
All of these machines are safer than they ever been, better brakes, tires, lights, the list goes on.
Even with COVID-19, it’s a great way to get out with family for exercise. Maybe what we should be doing is opening ATV trails here so we don’t have to travel hundreds of miles to get to ATV trails like in Quebec. Watch some of the videos, showing a family, out in the woods, cooking hot dogs over an open fire instead of sitting in the basement doing video games.
We must watch out Canada, that our freedom to live is not being suppressed by the nay sayers.
There are different ways to teach safety on the machines. I would also like to mention the jobs these machines create: sales, service, manufacturing, on and on, plus all the taxes that come from the machines.
Anyway, we are going out four-wheeling now. So if you see us, just wave or stop and say hello. Learn more about this sport, and for sure we will move over for you.
Please remember, we don’t all knit or play bingo.
Jim Machan,
Guelph-Eramosa