Unfortunately, a handful of irresponsible users have lost sight of the fact that their rights end when they infringe on the rights of others. Drinking often exacerbates safety problems. Michigan recorded 40 snowmobile deaths last year and Wisconsin reported 38, and many were alcohol-related. While conflicts with people produce the most heated debates about off-road travel, threats to the environment and wildlife are a growing concern. Dune buggies and dirt bikes are leaving gapping scars on the landscape.
Critics say the machines give off far more air pollution than automobiles.
Trails created by four-wheelers through national forests are responsible for erosion that's raising water quality concerns. As a result, lawmakers, sportsmen, nature lovers, private landowners and environmental watchdogs have been taking steps to restrict the use of off-road machines. How far these measures go will ultimately be determined by the folks who use the equipment. If snowmobiler's insist on racing through people's back yards, if dirt bikers keep defacing the landscape, if dune buggies continue to tear up the desert and jet skis keep racing across the lake with no regard for the rights of others, those restrictions could be severe. Hopefully the various organizations of owners and users will be successful in policing their ranks.