The Washington County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the citizens and youth of Washington County for making our first OHV Education Courses a great success. The joint effort between the Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Safe Kids, the health department, and the Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation made for a well attended event. The first of its kind, the WCSO OHV Education Course is currently the only state approved curriculum where youth can obtain their required safety certificate in a classroom setting.
We hosted our first OHV Safety Certification Course on June 30th here at the Sheriff’s Office. Our class included 41 Washington County youth between the ages of eight and fifteen who were eager to earn their safety certificate. Each student who attended was entered into a raffle for a chance to win one of many safety related prizes which included helmets, goggles, gloves, safety flags and a family day pass to any Utah State Park. Two grand prizes of chest protectors and riding boots were also raffled off.
During the event the students were educated about a variety of topics related the safe and ethical Off Highway Vehicle use. The Sheriff’s Office had both Type I (ATV) and Type II (side by side) vehicles on display for teaching pre-ride inspections and starting procedures. In the classroom, students viewed videos showing proper riding technique. In addition to riding technique, the students learned the common nomenclature associated with OHV’s, the increased dangers of using drugs and alcohol with ATV’s and state and local law related to on road operation of ATV’s.
The Sheriff plans to host at least two safety certification courses annually. The optional Skills Course will be scheduled in the future and updates will be available on our website. Our office is pleased to have helped 71 youth earn their OHV safety certificates as well as a variety of safety equipment. We look forward to continuing our work with the Washington County youth towards safe and ethical OHV operation in our county and thank those who have assisted and supported the development of this program.