Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that a new state law that takes effect July 1 requires anyone under 16 who operates an off-highway vehicle (OHV) on public lands to complete an approved OHV safety course in Florida or another jurisdiction, and have the certificate in their possession. 

"This is a very important piece of legislation and is geared for the protection of our young people," Bronson said.  "The popularity of riding ATVs and off-highway motorcycles has steadily grown among our youth in Florida, and hopefully this law will reduce the number of accidents and fatalities that occur each year." 

A study conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that in 2006, there were 555 fatalities in the United States from ATV riding alone.  The number of fatalities of children under the age of 16 was 111 (20 percent). 

The law was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2007, but it gave young riders a year to get into compliance with the training requirement. 

The state has adopted two nationwide programs, the ATV Safety Institute and The Dirt Bike School, as the premier training curriculum for youth under the age of 16 to take in order to legally ride on public lands, Bronson said. 

To find out more about OHV riding in Florida, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has implemented a new web page at http://www.FloridaOHV.org.  At this site citizens can find updated information on where to legally ride in Florida and how youths can register to take the required OHV training.