News portrayal of ATVers vary
Feb. 11, 2004 – When ATVers are mentioned in news stories, it's not always pretty.
Take the example of a Marseilles, Illinois, city Planning Commission hearing on a proposal to rezone 340 acres to allow for an ATV park.
News reports quote Mel Hoffman, a lawyer representing landowners near the proposed park, as saying about ATV riders: "A lot of them" are "alcoholics" with suspended drivers licenses.
"I don't know what problems you're going to have with your police going out there with regard to fights and drinking and everything else," a news report quotes Hoffman as saying. "I don't think that you are going to find this is just a nice friendly group of people out there that's just having a good time."
At the end of the hearing, the commission voted 4-3 to recommend that the City Council reject the park proposal.
You may find Hoffman's comments appalling. So did ATVA Director Doug Morris.
"These outrageous comments do a disservice to ATV enthusiasts nationwide," Morris said. "Unfortunately, the Marseilles Planning Commission voted based in disinformation.
"We encourage ATVers faced with issues like this one to contact us for advice and assistance," Morris adds. "It's important for local enthusiasts to get involved early, to help avoid the outcome we saw in Marseilles."
Meanwhile, in a New Hampshire news story dealing with illegal ATV riding on public land and attempts to create legal riding areas, a sympathetic state parks official said:
"The quad riders have a real reputation for being yahoos, and nobody wants them around. The illegal riders queer the deal for everybody."
A look at other news stories around the nation shows that usually when ATVers make the news it's because of trespassing or accidents. One of the most disastrous accounts of ATV riders ignoring basic safety concerns, which made the press, involved the death of five children.
In that instance, six children were riding on one ATV on a public road in Georgia when they were hit by an alleged drunk driver.
Not all the news reports portray quadders in a bad way, however, even though the bad press far outnumbers the good.
We all know that ATV riders come from all walks of life and are respectable, despite what lawyer Mel Hoffman told the Marseilles Planning Commission. Readers of the Dominion Post learned recently that one of the state Supreme Court justices, Warren McGraw, is an experienced ATV rider, and rides with his son sometimes, former House of Delegates member Randolph McGraw. Unfortunately, the story involved Warren McGraw getting into an ATV accident. He was unhurt.
In West Virginia, a news story described a group of state lawmakers riding on the Hatfield-McCoy Trail to learn about ATVing. They seemed to enjoy themselves.
"I thought this was fun," Delegate Cindy Frich (R-Monongalia) told the Charleston Daily Mail. "I'd like to come back some time."
ATVers should write thoughtful letters to the editor when they see negative portrayals of quadders in the press, and attend public hearings related to ATV issues to show that quadders are regular folks.
Also, join a local ATV club, and have friends and family join the ATVA to help fight the negative portrayals we face. Joining is easy. Just call (866) ATVA-JOIN or join online, just click here.