Tragedy raises questions about 'off-road' vehicles

Frontiersman editorial board

Our community experienced a tragedy this week, one we've suffered before, and one we often dread as parents and motorists. A car collided with a four-wheeler on one of our roads, and a 13-year-old boy died from head injuries sustained in the crash. There are no sufficient words of solace when a family loses a child, and our hearts, as well as the hearts of the community go out to the family and friends of the young boy, and to the loved ones of the other boy who was also injured on the four-wheeler and the teen-age girl who was driving the car.

As a community, we always struggle for a reaction when these things happen. On the one hand, we grasp for someone, or something, to blame. A tragedy of this magnitude must be avoidable in our ordered world, we think. On the other hand, we strive for caution, not wanting to scold the wrong person, and not wanting to infringe upon people's rights to make their own choices. Often, we vacillate while emotions are still running high, and then do nothing to address the situation once the dust has settled.

While this tragedy is still so much with us, perhaps we should examine the issue and consider if we've done as much as we can to make our roads safe. Anyone who has spent any reasonable amount of time driving in the Valley has seen people on four-wheelers zooming along the trails that parallel most roads. Some of those riders wear helmets and some do not. Some of them ride responsibly, and some do not. Riding along those trails means crossing roadways, and that brings small recreational vehicles into conflict with automobiles. Last week, a young boy waited at the intersection of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and the Seward Meridian. He was facing into oncoming traffic. He wore no helmet. When his patience ran out, he darted across the road against the light when he thought there was a break in traffic. He was nearly struck by an SUV zooming through the intersection.

One of the things many people like about living in the Valley is that it has a rural feel, and children can do things here that they can't do in larger cities. It may be time, however, to take a closer look at that. Given the increased volume of traffic and the growing danger at many intersections, it may be time to consider more strict regulations for off-road, recreational vehicles. We aren't simply sending children out to ride trails and explore the woods. Now those explorations are punctuated with several dangerous road crossings. Even when children are educated about how to handle a recreational vehicle off-road, they are rarely equipped to make the best decisions in heavy traffic. It's why we don't license young children to drive automobiles.

As painful as it is to consider this topic at this time, it's a subject we can't afford to ignore much longer.