Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Urges ATV Safety Following Spike in Fatal October Crashes

(KNSI) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is pleading with ATV and side-by-side riders to put safety first after seven people have died in crashes in October alone.

The most recent fatality happened near Swanville in Morrison County on the 25th. Officials say 44-year-old Eric Spaeth of Little Falls died when the Polaris Ranger side-by-side he was driving left the road while making a left turn on Highway 28. He was ejected and died at the scene. His passenger, 45-year-old Nicole Spaeth of Long Prairie, suffered life-threatening injuries. Neither was wearing a seatbelt.

Corey Wiebusch, the Recreational Vehicle Coordinator for the DNR, tells KNSI, ATVs are not manufactured to highway standards. “What people don’t understand is when you drive these things on the highway on hard surfaces at highway speeds, and then you dip off into the shoulder, hit some soft ground, these tires are so aggressive, they just grab, and the next thing you know, you’re rolled, and you’re ejected.”

He says many of the crashes are preventable, and a big factor is speed. Most of the crashes aren’t happening on state trails or forest lands, but in the road right-of-way for highways and in ditches.

Wiebusch says another contributing factor is riders not taking the required DNR safety course. Anyone born after July 1st, 1987 must take it, but he recommends it for all riders. “It’s designed to preach the fundamentals of safety, riding, and training. Why do I need to wear a helmet? Why should I wear a seatbelt? Why should I drive sober? Why should I not have a passenger, or when is it allowed?”

Of the 20 fatalities this year, Wiebusch says the majority had not taken the operator safety course. “Some, obviously, they were born before 1987, didn’t need it, but there are several that did need it, who didn’t have it.”

He calls an ATV a great tool to have out in the woods, but cautions that its usefulness puts more people on the machines, so it’s best to practice safety every time you ride.

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