TYRE program targets unsafe ATV use by youth
A new police safety program is targeting young ATV drivers.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Boyd Merrill says TYRE — Teaching Youth Responsibility through Education — a pilot project in Holyrood, is a response to what he said is the No. 1 complaint in municipalities across the province: unsafe ATV use by youths.
"We had to find a way to tackle this program differently than we were doing," Merrill told the St. John's Morning Show. "Trying to take and catch the young people on the roads, seize the bikes and give them large fines just wasn't working."
The RCMP consulted the town, emergency medical services workers and schools.
They also consulted the 12-to-17-year-old drivers — resulting in the TYRE program's first session Sunday night in Holyrood.
A "huge success" is how Merrill described the free two-hour ATV safety session.
"We thought we might get between six and 10 local youth from the Holyrood detachment area," he said. "More than two-dozen people came with their parents, community leaders, fire department, EMS officials, Safety NL."
'Nobody wants to be hurt'
The session educated drivers on laws, safety, courtesy and noise. Merrill said when it was done, youths wanted to know if it would be held again so their friends could come.
"They thought it was the best way they've seen to tackle the problem of ATV use," he said.
Merrill said the session focused more on safety than legal issues.
"Nobody wants to be hurt or killed, and the TYRE program just opens young people's eyes to the actual reality of what could happen," he said.
"And then they were given a path they could go forward with, that would allow them to continue to drive their bikes but do it in a more safe, more legal manner."
Merrill said the RCMP plan to offer the program again in November.
