(Beaver Dam) The Beaver Dam Common Council recently passed an ordinance permitting the use of all-terrain vehicles and utility terrain vehicles on city streets. Operators will be held to the same law enforcement, expectations, and penalties as motor vehicles. Beaver Dam Police Lieutenant Jeremiah Johnson says that includes driving under the influence.
“Regardless of how you’re operating, if you’re on a motorcycle, if you’re on a moped, if you’re in a car, or ATV, UTV, you cannot drive drunk in the city of Beaver Dam or anywhere in the state of Wisconsin,” says Johnson. “The OWI is probably one of our biggest concerns.”
Johnson says that accidents happen every day in the city of Beaver Dam, with most of them being non-alcohol related. However, he says statistics say otherwise when it comes to ATV or UTV accidents.
“There’s lots of factors that create that number,” Johnson says. “But regardless, when the bad ones happen, and I know there’s several that have happened in Dodge County, with ATVs [flipping] over and alcohol has always been a factor, not always, but is most likely a factor in that sort of thing.”
The lieutenant says the department will be taking this issue very seriously and is asking the public to be aware of these rules when operating an ATV or UTV.
While the ordinance has been approved by the council, residents will not be able to drive their ATV or UTV on Beaver Dam streets until signage has been put up. City leaders say they will be communicating with the public when that will happen.
