WINNIPEG - The number of all-terrain vehicles tearing around Manitoba's vast wilderness is "exploding," prompting the province to look at how to control the sometimes unruly sport.
Manitoba's plan? Leaving it to ATV riders to police themselves.
"ATV sales are outstripping snowmobiles. It's like an explosion across North America. We need to have in place an infrastructure that can accommodate that," Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said in an interview.
"It's high time we get some buy-in from ATVers to help us with many of the problems that we come across."
The number of ATVs registered in Manitoba has doubled in the last five years -- from 11,000 in 2004 to 21,000 in 2008.
The government did an internal review of ATVs last summer following several multimillion-dollar forest fires blamed on hot debris from an ATV muffler. One of the key recommendations involved establishing an ATV association that would educate drivers about safety and rules for using Crown land, Struthers said.
Despite the skyrocketing popularity of the off-road vehicles, Manitoba is the only province in Canada without such an association.
While some say the province should bring in mandatory training for drivers and curb the modification of ATVs, Struthers said many of the problems caused by the vehicles can be solved by having a self-policing association.
"We want to work with those ATVers who want to go out and have some fun -- some safe fun -- where they are not destroying anything or setting a forest ablaze," said Struthers.
"We think many of the problems associated with ATVing can be solved through education."
The province is currently looking for a consultant to set up such an organization so it likely won't be up and running for the summer season, Struthers said.
Still, some experts say having an ATV association is only part of the solution. George Smith, manager of traffic safety and training for the Canada Safety League, said provinces should be looking at some form of mandatory training as well.
Youngsters who drive ATVs that are too big for them without proper supervision is a leading cause of injuries and fatalities, he said. Older drivers often run into trouble when they aren't properly dressed, are going too fast or have been drinking, he added.
Other problems arise when people modify their ATVs, removing some of the safety features that prevent forest fires, he said.
"You're not going to stop the machine," said Smith. "But can we stop death and injury with these machines?"
ATV enthusiasts say that's entirely possible.
Andrew Ryeland, with ATV Ontario, said there are a few "bad apples" but most people are smart about the sport. Safety is ingrained in most drivers and reinforced through their local associations, he said.
Most people wear helmets, get training and don't soup up their vehicles by removing safety features, he said. But Ryeland said provinces have to balance the risks of the sport with the potential windfall in tourism and recreation.
"I don't know if it's any safer to ride an ATV than it is to sit on your couch and eat potato chips," he said. "There are inherent risks ... You are going to die one way or the other."
