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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>An Analysis of Crash Data and Safety Trends in ATV's and UTV's in Minnesota</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2762033</link>
      <description><![CDATA[All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility task vehicles (UTVs) continue to remain under the radar as contributors to serious injuries and fatalities. In Minnesota, the number of deaths associated with ATVs averages about twenty annually. However, the number of serious injuries is even greater. Serious injury and fatal crashes have a significant impact not just on the individuals involved in the crashes, but their families and communities who bear the impacts of the aftereffects. Furthermore, these numbers are only those known to be reported in the motor vehicle crash data. There is the potential that the number of ATV- and UTV-involved crashes is greater when considering direct admissions to the hospital. Overall, the crash data trends are not fully understood. MnDOT is seeing an increasing trend in their occurrence, and they do not envision this trend de-escalating anytime soon. The topic of ATV/UTV has also been discussed with frequency in the Minnesota legislature. Therefore, this research seeks to better quantify the number and severity of crashes involving ATVs and UTVs as well as trends in this data. This in-depth analysis will methodically investigate the crash causals and circumstances that could then potentially inform education, policy, and perhaps engineering solutions to eliminate the serious injury and fatal crash occurrence.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:42:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2762033</guid>
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      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 57-20. Practices Related to Offroad Vehicles Sharing the Road, Path, and Trail</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2630494</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Preliminary Scope: In many rural areas, offroad and special purpose vehicles [e.g., all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), utility task vehicles (UTVs), four-wheelers, golf carts, and dirt bikes] share the roadway with cars and trucks. These vehicles also share trails and paths with pedestrians and cyclists. Users of offroad vehicles may be unaware of how they can legally mix with existing traffic on roads, paths, and trails. There is a gap in knowledge about how state departments of transportation (DOTs) manage offroad vehicles and the challenges these vehicles may pose.

The objective of this synthesis is to document state DOT practices for offroad vehicles on roads, paths, and trails. Information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to):
(1) Current state laws or regulations governing the registration and operation of offroad vehicles on different classifications of roadways, paths, and trails; (2) Data utilized by state DOTs to determine ownership/usage rates and safety issues; and (3) State DOT coordination with local jurisdictions.

Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.

Information sources (partial): (1) Utah Street-Legal OHV Requirements, Utah Division of Motor Vehicles website; (2) Off-Highway Vehicles on Roads, Consumer Federation of America website; (3) Case Studies of Communities of Less than 10,000 People with Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure, Western Transportation Institute, 2022; (4)        Development of Strategies for Shared Use of Roadways between ROV/ATV and Typical Highway Vehicles, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Research in Progress; (5)
Documenting the Characteristics of Traffic Crashes for RITI (rural, isolated, tribal, and indigenous) Communities in Idaho, National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology, 2020; (6) Safety Evaluation of Statewide Off-Highway Vehicle Use in Alaska: Crash Review, On- and Off-road System Use, and Conflict Evaluation, Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium, 2018.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:51:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2630494</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Laws, Ordinances, and Practices Related to All-Terrain Vehicles and Utility Task Vehicles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2593923</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Researchers will examine on-road allowances of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility task vehicles (UTVs) in Illinois per county as well as analyze other state’s practices. They will develop a report that may be presented to legislators that provides the risks and potential benefits of allowing ATVs and UTVs on roadways. The research will allow Illinois Department of Transportation to make better policy decisions as well as reduce fatalities and injury crashes associated with ATVs and UTVs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:08:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2593923</guid>
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      <title>Development of Strategies for Shared Use of Roadways between ROV/ATV and Typical Highway Vehicles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512406</link>
      <description><![CDATA[All -Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are a general category of off-road vehicles that include single-rider machines with a straddle seat, handlebar, throttle, hand levers for front and/or back brakes, and a foot peddle. They are ridden or rider-active, meaning, to properly operate an ATV the rider must be able to shift his or her body weight while riding. Recreational Off-Road Vehicles (ROVs), sometimes referred to as side-by-sides or Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs), are motorized off-road vehicles designed to travel on four non-highway tires, with a steering wheel, foot control for acceleration and braking, and may have seats for one or more passengers with safety belts. Except for on the interstate, both ROVs and ATVs are legal to operate on South Dakota public roadways. The vehicles must be licensed by the state and have basic safety components such as a horn, rearview mirrors, headlights, and brake lights before they are considered road-legal. Although ROV/ATVs can legally be operated on South Dakota roadways, they are vehicles designed to traverse trails and bumpy terrains, not public roadways.
Several design elements benefit off-road users however make ROV/ATVs far more dangerous when used on roadways. ROV/ATVs have a narrow wheelbase and a high center of gravity which requires the vehicle to take wider turns than a typical roadway vehicle. Also, ROV/ATVs have low-pressure tires designed for rough terrain which grip tightly on hard surfaces. These vehicle characteristics become even more problematic with larger engines and at higher speeds.
Safety is not only a concern for the ROV/ATV users operating on public roads but also for the typical highway traffic. ROVs and ATVs are both recreational vehicles. Many times, ROV/ATV driver behavior does not interact well with the typical highway vehicles and the rules of public roadways. Users will often travel in slow-moving groups looking for trails, causing congestion and disrupting normal traffic flow. Thus, increasing the risk of crashes. ROV/ATV operators will also travel in the Right of Way (ROW), outside of the highway surface. Safety concerns arise with the ingress and egress of ROV/ATVs on the roadway. Concern is amplified with some operators traveling the ROW as if they were in an off-road environment.  Not only is this a safety issue, but it also produces excess dust and sometimes causes damage and erosion to the ROW which must be repaired and maintained. 
A growing body of scientific research supports the idea that ROV/ATV use on roadways, either paved or unpaved, is more dangerous than riding off-road. Studies show that more than half of all ROV/ATV fatalities occur on public roads. Many manufacturers contain warning tags recommending off-road use only. Even so, the number of ROV/ATVs on South Dakota roads has risen in the past decade. Knowledge about the risk factors involved is limited among the ROV/ATV users and the public. The development of strategies to address the safety concerns arising from the shared use of ROV/ATVs and typical highway vehicles on South Dakota public highways will benefit everyone who travels in South Dakota. It is the first step to improving roadway safety among ROV/ATV users and the public while ensuring South Dakota roads and road ROWs are operational for all users.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:41:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512406</guid>
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      <title>CSX Rail Trestle Conversion to ATV Trail for Hatfield McCoy</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1329306</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Abandoned rail lines are getting a new life as multipurpose rail-trails for activities such as bicycling, hiking, walking, and all terrain vehicle (ATV) use. The safety needs of trail users require engineering planning and maintenance. When a railroad abandons a line, it files an abandonment petition with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). The railroad may abandon a line with as little as 50 days' notice and can make two types of request: Public use condition request; For this type of request, the ICC requires the railroad to retain all real estate along the trail route and keep all suitable structures. This condition allows six months for negotiation of a purchase agreement. A problem that may occur is that owners of adjacent property may have "reversionary" rights to right-of-way properties. The second type of use is an Interim trail use, or rail-banking request; if an "entity" is willing to accept all responsibility for property to be abandoned, the ICC grants a "notice of interim trail use." Six months are allowed for negotiation of trail-use terms. Because this is not a legal abandonment, the property reversion condition is avoided. The purpose of this project is to allow a temporary conversion from rail to trail and engineer the bridge in such a way that CSX may take the bridge back for use at any time they wish. This project will initiate construction and improvement on currently abandoned CSX bridge in the town of Mann, West Virginia. This improvement will re-direct ATV traffic around the town where ATV traffic is currently a safety issue with residents as the users currently pass by their property on any given day close to their property. The implementation and use from a bridge to an ATV trail will create a more direct route to the Hatfield McCoy headquarters for its users, through creating easier access and a happier public. The renovation will include a removable surface and will also have barriers in the engineering design. The bridge design will have the capacity to be able to be converted back to its original integrity at any time]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2014 01:00:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1329306</guid>
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