[StBernard] Parents could get tickets if kids ride ATVs on St. Bernard streets

[Westley Annis]

Parents could get tickets if kids ride ATVs on St. Bernard streets

05:55 PM CDT on Thursday, June 19, 2008

Hasan Aquil / Eyewitness News 

St. Bernard Parish sheriff's officials say they will crack down on
four-wheel all-terrain vehicles and other off-road vehicles illegally being
driven on parish highways and on streets in neighborhoods. 


There seems to be an increasing number of people, mostly juveniles, who are
disregarding the law and risking their lives, Sheriff Jack Stephen said. 


"All-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes are designed for off-road use and are
illegal on streets and highways,'' said Chief Deputy Sheriff James Pohlmann.



Habitual offenders will have such vehicles impounded by the Sheriff's Office
if driven on public roads, the sheriff said. 


In cases of juveniles their parents can be given citations for permitting
them to drive. 


Prior to Hurricane Katrina there were several serious accidents involving
four-wheelers in St. Bernard, and in other parishes there have been people
killed in crashes, something the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office wants to
avoid, Pohlmann said. 


 "We want parents to be educated about the law,'' Pohlmann said, and know
what can happen to them if their children are caught riding off-road
vehicles on streets and highways.