"the operator lost control of his ATV"

[George K]

@Jolly said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

This is a tough call.

Exactly. I'm sure there's a lot of missing context. In the comments someone mentions potential risk to the pedestrians, but there's no indication that in a mostly empty road the ATV would pose a danger.

But, is it legal to have an ATV on a road like that? My guess is no.

[Jolly]

@George-K said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

@Jolly said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

This is a tough call.

Exactly. I'm sure there's a lot of missing context. In the comments someone mentions potential risk to the pedestrians, but there's no indication that in a mostly empty road the ATV would pose a danger.

But, is it legal to have an ATV on a road like that? My guess is no.

It's not legal in my state.

But...States do pass bad laws.

For ATVs, you may ride on the shoulders of all public roads or highways, except interstate highways and those located in Orleans Parish, during daylight hours starting thirty minutes after sunrise and ending thirty minutes before sunset. You may also cross public roads or highways as needed.

For UTVs, Louisiana has the following set of regulations:

You may only operate a UTV upon a parish road or municipal street that has been designated by a municipality for use by a utility terrain vehicle.
You may cross any divided highway, roadway or street with a posted speed limit in excess of thirty-five miles per hour only at an intersection.
Any UTV operated on a public street must be equipped with the following:
headlamps;
front and rear turn signal lamps;
tail lamps;
stop lamps;
reflex reflectors on each side of the UTV as far to the rear as practicable;
a red reflector on the rear of the UTV;
an exterior mirror mounted on the driver’s side of the UTV or an interior mirror;
a parking brake;
an adequate windshield;
a windshield wiper;
a speedometer;
an odometer;
A braking system that brakes each wheel;
a seat belt assembly installed at each designated seating position; and
a vehicle identification or serial number.
The UTV should be registered as an off-road vehicle and shall display a decal issued by the office of motor vehicles.
You must be at least twenty-one years of age to ride a UTV on a public street.
You must possess a valid driver’s license to operate a UTV on a public street.
You must have liability insurance with the same minimum limits as required by the provisions of R.S. 32:900(B) to operate a UTV on a public street.
Passengers may not ride in a UTV’s open bed unless there is an emergency situation.
You may not have more passengers than the number of available seat belts.

[Jolly]

That's bad law. A UTV should not be on a public road.

[89th]

I did some research. That road is open to vehicles, but I also read it's only open to emergency vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. That looks like "English Drive" on the map.

Anyway, even IF the road is open to public vehicles, he's riding an illegal ATV on it... he's also going more than the 25 mph speed limit (10mph on curves)... and doesn't slow down despite a police car coming towards him, and yes... that would've been extremely risky to the folks walking/biking a hundred yards in front of this crash.

I have no problem with the outcome. FAFO.

[89th]

@George-K said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

@Jolly said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

But, is it legal to have an ATV on a road like that? My guess is no.

Correct, it is not legal. Not to mention his excess speed. He's also wearing something that hides his face. Not his first rodeo...

[Doctor Phibes]

FAFO

[George K]

@89th said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

He's also wearing something that hides his face.

Not defending this guy, but, why is that a problem? There are lots of motorcycle helmets that have a darkened face shield.

https://helmetupgrades.com/best-full-face-motorcycle-helmets-100/

[Mik]

Yeah, that doesn't confront me. You can do that to keep debris out of your face too. I question the cop's decision to pull into the other lane at that rate of speed. It was certain to result in a crash. He could have just flipped his lights on. The rider had no chance.

[Jolly]

@Mik said in "the operator lost control of his ATV":

Yeah, that doesn't confront me. You can do that to keep debris out of your face too. I question the cop's decision to pull into the other lane at that rate of speed. It was certain to result in a crash. He could have just flipped his lights on. The rider had no chance.

And there lies the rub.

Do you let the guy continue at that speed towards the pedestrians and bike riders? I don't know how fast he was going, but back in the day I had a Honda that would do 62mph. I do know he was going waaay faster than 25.

[Mik]

I think he would have seen the riders, and I'd like to think he would slow down.

[Horace]

The cop didn’t mean to cause that calamity, but as with most dash cam videos, it’s easy to calibrate as a viewer and not so easy as a cop in the moment.

[Copper]

I think there is a good chance the move prevented injury to several people.

Of course you can't say for sure.