Whitbourne RCMP responds to off-road vehicle complaint, youths ticketed

May 28, 2026 - Whitbourne, Newfoundland and Labrador
From: Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP

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Two youths were ticketed and had their dirt bikes seized by police last week after they were stopped by Whitbourne RCMP while operating on a roadway. 

Around 5:45 p.m. on May 19, Whitbourne RCMP received a report from a concerned citizen about two dirt bikes on Route 201. Officers located the described vehicles, neither of which had valid licence plates, and conducted a traffic stop. 

The drivers, both youths, were not able to provide insurance documentation. As the vehicles were operating on a roadway at the time, they were ticketed under the Highway Traffic Act, and the dirt bikes were seized and impounded.

As the warmer weather arrives in province, RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador is reminding operators of dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other off-road vehicles to drive safety and obey the province’s Off-Road Vehicles and Highway Traffic Acts. 

• All occupants of off-road vehicles are required to wear helmets, as well as seat belts where available. 
• 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.
• Operating an off-road vehicle while impaired is a criminal offence. Impaired operation of any motor vehicle is a choice that unnecessarily places the driver and all others who share the roadway at an increased level of risk of serious injury or death.
• Supervision saves lives. Proper supervision of off-road operators under the age of 16 is not optional. Supervisors must be at least 18 years old, hold a valid driver’s licence and be able to see, been seen and provide immediate directions to the youth rider at all times.

If you witness dangerous or illegal off-road vehicle use, especially by unsupervised youth, please contact your local police detachment.

More information about the Off-Road Vehicles Act and Highway Traffic Act can be found here:

https://www.assembly.nl.ca/Legislation/sr/statutes/o05-1.htm

https://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/h03.htm

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