Southern Utah has long been known for its outdoor recreation. Many locals and tourists enjoy exploring the area on OHVs. What many people are not aware of is that children under the age of eight are prohibited from operating OHVs on public lands in Utah. Any person over the age of eight who wishes to do so is required to have a valid OHV safety certificate or driver license in their immediate possession. Through cooperation with the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation, we have been able to create a course to locally issue state-required OHV safety certificates.
OHV Education Course:
The four hour course is designed to give riders the basic skills necessary to safely operate an OHV. Some of the topics included are OHV nomenclature, OHV laws in Utah, proper safety equipment, riding techniques, and much more. At the conclusion of the course, students will take a written test on the material covered during the course. After successfully passing the test, the students will be sent a valid OHV safety certificate for the State of Utah.
OHV Skills Course:
Many students who are granted OHV safety certificates have very little riding experience. During the skills course, students bring their own OHV and are allowed to practice the techniques taught during the classroom portion. Topics include conducting a pre-ride inspection of the machine, starting, stopping, turning, climbing, descending, avoiding and crossing obstacles, and much more. The class is limited to ten students per session for safety reasons and is taught by a certified OHV instructor.
The Sheriff’s Office will be presenting the first certification course on June 30th 2012 at the Washington County Sheriffs Office at 09:00 am. There are no associated costs to the students, but class size is limited.
Those wishing to attend an OHV course can register online via the below form. All accepted students will receive registration confirmation via letter, email, or phone. Students unable to attend due to class size will be contacted for the next available course.
Alternatively, students are still able to obtain an OHV safety certificate through an online course located on the State Parks webpage.