State Senator Bingham is sponsoring a bill to create an “Off-Road Vehicle Trust Fund” by requiring all ATV’s whether used on public or private land they must be registered with the state.
State Sen. Stan Bingham, R-Davidson, introduced House Bill 45 Tuesday to bring oversight and tracking of all-terrain vehicles through the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. The legislation would require all-terrain vehicles or motorcycles for off-road use be registered in a manner similar to the way motorists annually register passenger cars or street motorcycles. All-terrain vehicle owners would be issued a license plate that would have to be put on the vehicle. The annual base fee for an off-road vehicle would be $15. Bingham proposes that the revenue go into an off-road vehicle trust fund to provide all-terrain vehicle safety training, acquisition and management of public lands through the state and development of off-road vehicle parks, trails and facilities.
Bingham, a legislator from Denton who represents Davidson County and parts of High Point, said the idea for the bill came out of a study committee on child fatalities.
“We’ve had a lot of kids killed on ATVs,” he said.
Also, law enforcement officials believe that registering ATVs will help them track or identify stolen vehicles, Bingham said.
While I can see requiring some type of registration for use on public land how can you require this for those who solely use their ATV’s on private property? I don’t know about anyone else but the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles does not strike me as the most efficiently run operation. Does anyone think that the proposed fee of $15 will even cover the costs the Division of Motor Vehicles will have in overseeing this operation? I doubt they’ll be much money left to develop a trust fund to purchase land and provide safety classes. Either the fee will be even higher or the trust fund is just some more governmental smoke and mirrors.
If I’m using an ATV on my land or land I lease why should I be compelled to pay a fee for those who want the government to provide them land to ride on? I can buy an old beater truck and not register it and run it on my own land but if this passes I’ll have to register my ATV? Makes no sense. How about Golf Carts? I see them on public ways all the time. What about my lawn tractor? Will I need tags for that?
At a time when the economy is down its sad to see politicians pushing additional taxes especially when the politician is a Republican that you’d hope would know better.
