To the editor:
Recently my son, along with his wife and five children returned to Maine for a visit after being gone from here for eight years. The trip was a grueling 1,500 miles through construction and high temperatures. Part of the first afternoon was spent getting used to the ATV’s in our yard. In the evening of their arrival we did what we had been waiting to do and took a trip into the wonderful Maine woods on the ATV’s. We drove two side-by-side units with the oldest grandson (18) driving one and carrying grandma, grandpa, mom and little sister as passengers. The next oldest (16) driving the second one carried dad and two younger brothers as passengers. Upon heading home after short ride north of Washburn we were stopped by a game warden about one mile from our destination. We were driving 12-15 miles per hour so speed was not an issue.
After shining his light around our group the game warden asked the younger grandson his age and he replied that he was 16. He was asked where his helmet was (he didn’t have one) and was informed that being 16 he was required to wear one. I was of the misunderstanding that children under the age of 16 required helmets and had complied with that as the three children under 16 were in fact wearing helmets. I now know that it is under 18 that requires a helmet. While we were trying to comply with the rules we made an honest mistake.
To make a long story short, the game warden, after explaining how a 15-year-old had been riding his motorcycle (recklessly) down the trail and had lost control, crashed and had broken his arm, asked our grandson for his ID. He took one look at it and said, “you’re not from Maine, this will just take a minute,” walked back to his vehicle and proceeded to issue him a ticket. Now I know that it was a legal ticket, the warden was polite and had every right to issue that ticket but I wonder if a warning may have been sufficient under the circumstances.
Perhaps warnings are never given by the warden service, but maybe they should be. I’m quite sure that upon return to Michigan the ticket issue will be one of the things most remembered of the trip to Maine, especially when the 16-year-old or his family are required to cough up $100 plus fees to pay for the fine here.
Being a very responsible young man he feels that he is the one that should pay and will probably do so. The grandson would have walked the last mile if he had been told to do so as he has been taught to respect the law and those enforcing it and was not arguing the fact that he was (though unknowingly) in violation of the helmet law in this case. My son asked if he should take over and drive and the final remark from the warden was “let him finish the drive home.” While it was not okay to be in the ATV and/or driving it without a helmet before the ticket it was okay to do the same after the ticket?
Perhaps it doesn’t pay to be from “out of State” and come to Maine to vacation? I am not an expert in the field of tourism but it would not seem that issuing a ticket for a “minor infraction” (words of the warden) would be the recommended way to make visitors want to return to our area. Money from fines for “minor infractions” will not cover what return visitors might spend here. I am not condoning breaking the laws in any way but come on Maine – show some heart.
Washburn
