OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — After months of complaints, law enforcement in Ottawa County is hoping to decrease the amount of golf carts and off-road vehicles driving where they aren't allowed.
It may be convenient and fun, but hopping on your golf cart or other off-road vehicle (ORV) to drive down the street is illegal in Ottawa County.
"The law is that you cannot be on an ORV on a public roadway," said Sergeant Ryan DeVries with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office. "They're not road legal."
"So we're talking about golf carts, side-by-sides, or gators, four-wheelers and even dirt bikes," DeVries added.
Over the past couple of months, Sgt. DeVries said the sheriff's office has had a trend of concern from the public on this issue.
"The concern that we're seeing is our populated, residential neighborhoods where these ORVs are being used in the streets and on the sidewalks," he said.
"Thankfully we haven't had any accidents," DeVries added, "but we have had a few close calls, which will then generate those complaints to the sheriff's office."
Sgt. DeVries said their main focus is on educating residents about the laws, not charging them.
"Let's educate," DeVries said, "we're not looking for enforcement."
He also wants to clarify that putting a slow-moving triangle on the back of your golf cart or ORV does not make it legal to ride on public roads.
According to the sheriff's office, anyone can be cited for operating an ORV on the roadway, including children over the age of 10. Children under the age of 10 riding illegally can result in their parents being charged.
"We don't want it to get to that," said DeVries, "we simply want to educate."
Sgt. DeVries acknowledged that ORVs can be fun and entertaining, but says, "with the amount of traffic we have on the roadways in Ottawa County, we just want to make sure that everybody is safe."
You can read more about the laws regarding ORVs in Michigan here.
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