Ride Right, Ride Safe and Ride Sober on ORV Trails this Summer

The Upper Peninsula is getting into the heart of summer, and all of those fun outdoor hobbies. One of the most fun activities, and a common hobby of many residents, includes traveling around the region’s vast network of o-r-v and motorized trails. Just like in winter during snowmobile season the department of natural resources wants riders to ride right and travel safe.

“Now we are extending that into the ORV arena as well. And basically the whole idea is to think about safety messages when you ride right. And means literally in one sense riding on the right hand side of the trail, so you are watching for oncoming traffic. Watching your speed, staying within your limitations, and driving sober.” – John Pepin, Communications and Information Officer, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Years ago the state began the ride right campaign with snowmobilers in an attempt to curb the number of fatalities. And many of the same principles apply to ORV season as well. While studying the factors that led to fatalities on trails, the DNR determined many were a result of travelers riding beyond their ability to check up with their group.

“We’ve found that leaders in a group say a group of snowmobiles, is riding at a more advanced level than someone in the group. So they were riding out ahead, and a lot of people in the back, were going faster than their ability in order to keep up with the leader. And that’s when we’ve found several of these fatalities accidents occured that way this winter. So this ORV season, and next snowmobile season we will look to extend  to day riding right, means leading right too.” – John Pepin, Communications and Information Officer, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Ride right means riding on the right side of the trail, riding sober, and being aware of your surroundings. For those planning trail trips this summer, you can find more safety resources, trail maps and destinations on the Michigan DNR’s wbsite