Date: 07/20/2015
Final
Presentation and Q&A with Colorado State Patrol
OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES
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02:52 PM -- Presentation and Q&A with Colorado State Patrol
Sergeant Dave Hall, legislative liaison for the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), came to the table and distributed a copy of his presentation to the committee (Attachment D). He stated that one-third of the CSP's workload takes place on county roads. CSP's primary OHV concerns are: children operating OHVs, OHVs on paved roads, enforcement mechanisms, and OHV design issues. He discussed CSP's opinion that public safety should trump issues of local control. He discussed the lack of safety mechanisms in OHVs and that OHVs are not designed for use on paved surfaces. He showed photos of fatal OHV injuries. Sergeant Hall responded to a question from the committee regarding terminology related to roads, and how it differs from county to county. The committee asked for specifics on OHV crashes, where they are happening, and where they result in fatalities. Sergeant Hall stated that those statistics are not available because DR2447 crash reports cannot be filled out for OHV accidents, since OHVs are not treated as motor vehicles.
Attachment D.pdf
03:03 PM
Sergeant Hall discussed enforcement mechanisms that the CSP would like to see, including: clearly legible license plates, the requirement of driver's licenses for OHV operators, and insurance. He discussed the OHV designs that made them unsuitable for use on roads, including: tires designed for off-road use, a high center of gravity, lack of a rear differential in some vehicles, and other varying vehicle dynamics. He stated his department's concern that there is no proficiency test for OHV riders as there is for motorcyclists. He requested that committee members keep public safety on the top of their minds while crafting legislation. Sergeant Hall responded to questions from the committee related to concessions his department is willing to make to appeal to local control issues.
03:13 PM
Committee members asked if there are other categories of usage to limit OHV operation on paved roads. He responded that pavement is the problem, and said that finding a way to build a trail that connects one end of loop to other end is much more feasible. Committee dialogue with the witness continued on solutions for a compromise. The chair encouraged stakeholders to talk offline before the next meeting to work out some compromises.
03:23 PM
Committee discussion continued on issues related to public safety. Sergeant Hall said that CSP did compromise last year on HB 15-1054 at driver's licenses and no OHV operation on paved roads. The committee discussed possible data collection solutions.