Timely reminder about off-road driving

13/12/2010

The Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) is reminding people that vehicles being driven off-road on reserved land must be registered and the drivers must hold a valid driver’s licence, after a West Coast man appeared in court recently on related offences.

A man was fined $1000, given six months suspended imprisonment and disqualified from driving for six months when he appeared at the Queenstown Court on 23 November 2010.  Raymond Trevor Pattinson of Zeehan was charged with driving whilst disqualified, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and breaching a suspended sentence after crashing his all terrain vehicle (ATV) at Four Mile Beach on the West Coast in December 2009.  The court heard from witnesses that although the man believed he was not doing anything wrong by riding the ATV, he had passed signs warning of the need for vehicles to be registered.

Parks and Wildlife Service general manager Peter Mooney said riders of ATVs on public land need to ensure their vehicle is registered, hold a valid driver’s licence and for certain lands, a permit from the Parks and Wildlife Service to drive in that area.

“It’s a timely reminder to others who ride ATVs to ensure they are doing so lawfully on reserved land in Tasmania,” Mr Mooney said.

Mr Pattinson was ordered to pay court costs and told the court he has a bill totalling $17,000 for the cost of the rescue helicopter and ambulance treatment following the accident.

Anyone needing information about ATV registration and use on public land can contact Service Tasmania on 1300 135 513 or the Parks and Wildlife Service on 1300 368 550.