Factsheet 19 – June 2008

All-terrain vehicles: ATV registration, licensing and safety

This factsheet explains the registration and licensing requirements for ATVs, and provides some guidelines on using ATVs safely.

What is an ATV?

All terrain vehicles (ATVs) are special purpose vehicles that are principally designed for off-road use.

They have three or more wheels, an engine capacity exceeding 50 ml and a gross weight of less than 1,000 kilograms*. They're also known as farm bikes, three-wheelers or four-wheelers.

There are around 70,000 ATVs in New Zealand, mostly used on farms.

Apart from road crashes, ATVs are the single most common cause of work-related fatalities in New Zealand.

* gross weight - the entire weight of the ATV, plus the load it is carrying, including any accessories or equipment attached.

Do ATVs have to be registered and licensed?

Before we look at the options for ATV registration and licensing, we need to be clear about what motor vehicle licensing and registration are.

• What is motor vehicle licensing?
• What is registration?
• What is a 'road'?

An ATV used in any of these places must be properly registered and licensed.

Do ATVs have to be licensed continuously?

No. All vehicles, including ATVs, must be licensed while in use on roads. However, unlike most vehicles, ATVs aren't required to be licensed continuously. Their vehicle licences date from the day the fee is paid, not the date due.

If you don't pay your ATV's licence fee for two years, its registration will be cancelled. If there's any chance you'll want to use the ATV on the road again, we recommend you request an exemption from licensing before this happens. (Getting a vehicle registered again after its registration has been cancelled is expensive.) (See Factsheet 49, Vehicle licensing, for more information on vehicle licensing.)

Options for registering and licensing ATVs

You should first consider how you will use your ATV. The way you will use it will fall into one of the five categories below. Each category has different registration and licensing requirements, and different rules governing the ATV's use. (The registration and licensing requirements will depend largely on how much you expect to use your ATV on public roads and whether you intend to use it commercially.)

Read the five categories for registering and licensing ATVs.

What type of driver licence do I need to ride an ATV on the road?

The minimum class of driver licence you must have to ride an ATV on the road (again using the broad definition of road) is a class 1 (car) or class 6 (motorcycle) learner licence. If you don't have a driver licence, you can't drive on land that could be called a road.

Riding safely on an ATV

Helmets and other safety equipment

About a quarter of all injuries sustained in ATV crashes are to the head, yet very few riders wear helmets. Wearing an approved helmet is the best way to prevent serious head injury.

There's a design standard specifically for ATV helmets (NZS 8600:2002) and purpose-built ATV helmets are available.

In general, if an ATV is being used on a road, the rider or driver has to wear an approved helmet. The only exception is farmers if they're travelling slower than 30 km/h, from one part of their farm to another or to an adjoining farm.

There's no law requiring ATV riders to wear helmets when riding off the road, but the NZ Transport Agency strongly recommends that you do wear one. An ATV helmet should provide enough protection if you're travelling under 30 km/h. If you're going to be riding faster than this, you need a more substantial helmet (eg, a motorcycle helmet).

The NZ Transport Agency also strongly recommends that you wear other safety equipment, such as strong footwear, gloves, protective pants and eye protection.

Roll-over protection structures

Many ATVs have a high centre of gravity, and are prone to tipping over when cornering or being driven on a slope. Rollover is the leading cause of injury associated with ATVs – riders can be crushed or trapped under an overturned machine.

If you attach a rollover protection structure (ROPS) to your ATV, make sure it's securely fastened, doesn't interfere with rider mobility and doesn't raise the ATV's centre of gravity. Contact OSH for guidelines on how to fit ROPS safely, and make sure the ROPS is strong enough to protect you.

ATVs on the highway

ATVs behave very differently on sealed roads from other vehicles. They're off-road vehicles, and aren't designed to be ridden on hard surfaces. Most ATVs have wide, low-pressure tyres - ideal for minimising damage to crops, but not good for road handling.

Many ATVs are four-wheel-drive vehicles. 4WDs have different steering characteristics on and off the road. Unless they undergo major modification, it is strongly recommended that you don't travel faster than 30 km/h on sealed roads.

Driver training

While you can ride an ATV on the road if you have a learner's motorcycle licence, many motorcycle techniques are unsafe when used on an ATV. Most ATV accidents are caused by driver error. The best way to learn the skills necessary to drive an ATV safely and avoid accidents is to attend a specialised training course. These courses are offered by a number of organisations, including motorcycle clubs.

The ACC website has excellent information on ATVs, including a booklet called Managing and riding ATVs (PDF, 337 KB).

Make sure you read the owner's manual of your ATV before attempting to ride it.

Children and ATVs

Full size ATVs are heavy, powerful machines, and many injuries occur when child drivers lose control. Fatal ATV accidents in New Zealand have involved riders as young as six years old.

Several factors prevent a child from driving an ATV with the same control as an adult. ATVs demand an active riding technique, where rider movement, strength and weight shifting are necessary to ensure stability and control. Children often lack the strength or weight to effectively handle an ATV. Some have trouble reaching the controls. In addition, children don't have the motor skills, co-ordination and perception necessary to safely operate an ATV of any size.

It isn't safe for any child under 12 years of age to drive an ATV.

ATVs usually carry labels from the manufacturer recommending that no one under 16 years of age drives the ATV. If you insist on letting a young person between 12 and 15 years old drive an ATV, they won't have a driver licence and must stay off any area that could be called a road. We strongly recommend you impose some limits, for example:

•  The young person must have the size and strength to safely operate the ATV.

•  They must be trained in using the ATV.

•  They must wear a helmet and sturdy boots at all times.

•  They can't carry passengers, implements or loads.

•  They must obey set speed limits.

•  Areas of difficult terrain must be 'no go' areas.

•  They must be supervised, to ensure they stay within their limits.

Carrying passengers on ATVs

Most ATVs are not designed to carry passengers. Many victims of ATV accidents are passengers – often young children riding behind a parent.

ATVs are equipped with large seats to allow the driver to shift weight to control the vehicle – not to carry other people. Passengers restrict the driver's mobility and add weight to an ATV, making it harder to control and more prone to tipping over.

The only way to safely carry passengers is to have approved passenger seats fitted to the ATV.

Towing with an ATV

You need to take special care when towing trailers and other equipment with ATVs. Refer to the owner's manual to find the safe ratio between the maximum weight of a load and the unladen weight of the ATV.

As a general guide, on level ground an ATV can safely tow twice its unladen weight, or four times its unladen weight if the trailer or towed equipment is fitted with brakes. Tow less than this if you're towing on a slope or on uneven ground.

Fitting brakes to trailers or towed equipment can prevent jack-knifing when braking or travelling downhill. A manually operated parking brake, operable from the driving position, can provide control when climbing hills.

Towing an ATV

You must not tow an ATV unless it is mechanically disabled (unable to be driven).

Where you can find out more

Contact NZ Transport Agency:

• Email us: info@nzta.govt.nz.
• Phone our motor registration contact centre: 0800 108 809.
• Write to us: NZ Transport Agency, Private Bag 6995, Wellington 6141.