New law requires driver’s license to offroad

Gov. Katie Hobbs Friday signed a bill that will blur the legal lines between a recreational offroad vehicle and your average soccer mom van.

SB 1567 states all “off-highway” motorists must have a driver’s license and take an online safety course administered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department by Jan. 1. That includes ATVs, UTVs, side-by-sides and the like.

Hidden Valley resident Sonny Hawkins, owner of the Hidden Valley UTV & ATV Facebook group with nearly 400 members, says the bill will “unfortunately impact a lot of people.”

“I’d say 50 to 60 percent of people [in Hidden Valley and Thunderbird Farms] have some form of an offroad vehicle,” Hawkins said.

The bill describes an “off-highway vehicle” as one that has track or wheels, is a utility vehicle, all-terrain vehicle, motorcycle, four-wheel drive vehicle, dune buggy, sand rail, amphibious vehicle, ground effects or air cushion vehicle.

“There are a lot of off-roaders out here that go out on trails,” Hawkins said. “The majority of them already know how to ride them properly and don’t have any issues.”

“There are several hundred miles worth of UTV trails around Maricopa,” he added.

He would know — he also helps map them as a trail guide for the OnX Offroad app.

Hawkins acknowledged during his time riding he finds some “bad apples,” but could only recall ever seeing one man “blasting through the weeds” and “hot dogging, bulldozing over everything.”

Any other time he has encountered people off trail, they were lost. He said concerns about wildlife destruction from OHVs upstate might have inspired the new law.

“I hear [riding off trail is] pretty prevalent up in the forested areas, in the northern part of the state,” Hawkins said. “But out here in the desert, there’s not as much draw to do that because you can see what’s all around.”

Hawkins said he thinks the safety class could be helpful for quad or three-wheeler users, but it might be overkill to require it for enclosed vehicles ridden on trails.

The new law also states the parents or legal guardians of children under 12 will be issued a citation if their child drives an OHV. If the child is between 12 and 15, the citation may be issued to either the guardians or the child, but not to both.

Amendments to the bill included prohibition on drinking or possessing an open container of alcohol, like any other vehicle, and a mandate on helmets for passengers under 18 unless they are secured in a child restraint, or the vehicle has a roll cage.

Despite all the concern, Hawkins said the true scope of impact will be realized when law enforcement officers demonstrate how strictly they will enforce the new law.

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