News release
RCMP Traffic Services West stops ATV driver operating without a helmet
April 29, 2026
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Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador
From: Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP
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A 60-year-old man was stopped by RCMP Traffic Services West Tuesday afternoon for not wearing a helmet while operating a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
Shortly after 2:00 p.m. on April 28, police observed an ATV traveling on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway near the exit to Baie Verte. The operator was stopped because he was not wearing a helmet, and police subsequently learned that his driver’s licence was suspended. He was ticketed for the violations.
With the expected increased use of off-road vehicles weather gets nicer and days get longer, RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador is reminding all operators to be safe, stay sober and abide by the province’s Highway Traffic and Off-Road Vehicles Act. Off-road vehicles include dirt bikes, quads, side-by-sides and snowmobiles.
All occupants of off-road vehicles are required by law to wear helmets. Seat belts are also required when they’re available in the vehicle. Children who are required to use a child seat restraint system, such as a booster seat, under the Highway Traffic Act are required to follow that same legislation as a passenger of an off-road vehicle.
It is illegal to operate an ATV on a roadway, except to cross from one side to the other, and the operator must have registration, insurance, a driver’s licence and not less than one hundred and fifty metres of visibility to do so. To access a trail, an ATV can be operated on the shoulder of a roadway for a maximum distance of 1 kilometre and at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres an hour, all while yielding to motor vehicle traffic.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has created an Off-Road Vehicles Handbook, which outlines legislation, safe riding strategies, skills, hazards and much more.
If you plan on operating an off-road vehicle this season, review this handbook before you go: https://www.gov.nl.ca/motorregistration/files/Off-Road-Vehicle-Training-Manual-24173.pdf.