DNR, Local Officers Urge ATV and UTV Safety as Riding Season Opens

Wisconsin recorded 40 ATV and UTV deaths in 2024, and roughly half of those fatalities were tied to alcohol. Of the people killed in UTV crashes that year, 80 percent were not wearing a seatbelt. Those figures, compiled by the DNR and presented to the state board by warden Lt. Jacob Holsclaw, frame the enforcement push that opened this spring's riding season across Menominee County's more than 407 miles of tribal, county and forest roads.

The Wisconsin DNR and regional law enforcement agencies renewed calls for compliance this week, urging riders to carry ATV safety certification, wear helmets, stay sober and know the route designations before heading out. For Menominee County, where riders travel road segments through Keshena, Neopit, Zoar, Middle Village and South Branch on a 235,523-acre reservation, the guidance intersects with both state law and tribal road rules.

Enforcement is direct. "So if you get stopped by me, another warden, deputy or a local cop, they're going to ask you for that in addition to your regular driver's license," a DNR warden said, referring to ATV safety certification documentation. Under Wisconsin law, any operator born on or after January 1, 1988 must carry proof of an approved safety course when riding on public trails or roads.

The 2024 data shows where compliance breaks down in fatal ways. Alcohol figured in at least half the year's deaths. Helmets were absent in 85 percent of fatalities. Crashes concentrated heavily on weekends: 21 percent occurred on Fridays, 28 percent on Saturdays. UTVs, which have proliferated on rural roads, accounted for the majority of deaths in both 2024 and the early months of 2025, with only four of 25 victims in early 2025 confirmed to have been wearing a seatbelt.

On Menominee County's mix of paved county roads, unimproved reservation tracks and forest route crossings, extended emergency response distances mean the margin for error is smaller than on a trail near an urban trailhead. A crash that might produce a survivable injury close to a hospital can turn fatal when extraction and transport times stretch.

Youth riders compound the concern. The DNR confirmed at least four 2024 deaths in Wisconsin involved children and teenagers under 18. Parents of younger riders are specifically encouraged to ensure youth complete certified training before the season progresses and to enforce helmet use on every ride.

Specific safety course listings are available through the Wisconsin DNR's ATV page. Riders on the Menominee Indian Reservation should consult tribal communications for current route maps and any reservation-specific closures or restrictions before heading out.

Menominee County has not published a standalone tally of local ATV crashes or citations from the 2024 riding season. What the statewide record shows is a consistent pattern: 40 deaths, most of them on public roads, most of the victims unprotected, and alcohol a factor in half.