habanero

What about progressively more negative punishments....a ticket....a fine....a big fine....possible impounding+fine?

rezrunner92

Yeah, progressive fines like DWI. For trespassing on private land for off road vehicle use.

Article #____ shall be read as to classify the charge of trespassing for off roading recreation purposes as misdemeanor criminal trespass under the #insert state name# code of criminal conduct. Article #____shall be read as to set specific penalties for the unauthorized trespassing upon private lands for the purposes of engaging in recreational off roading activity. Article #____ shall empower state authorities to enforce legal code against trespass on private property without testimony from said landowner. Article # ____ shall include provisions creating severe penalties including property forfeiture for trespassing while in the control of any motorized vehicle including, but not limited to the use of motorized vehicles such as cars, trucks, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, quad bikes, three wheelers, live animals such as horses, cows, donkeys. Article # ____ shall establish that reimbursement for lost crops should also come with an accompanying reimbursement for labor and expenses towards re planting said crops.

But on the one where you get the vehicle impounded, they should auction it off and split the proceeds between the three people whom you trespassed against previously.

On public land ESPECIALLY in archeologically sensitive areas, going off trail should always include exacting every last penny of environmental reconstruction costs necessary to return the damaged area to it's previous condition, from the offending parties. 3rd strike on public land should include mandatory vehicle forfeiture and the proceeds from sale should go directly into a fund for creating and maintaining new trails on public land.

GV27

Really, for private property the protections are already there and pretty fair. If you go on somebody's land, you're trespassing. Pay a fine. If you trash somebody else's land, now it's criminal trespassing. Big fines, restitution, possible jail time, etc. Unless the landowner just bypasses all that and shoots ya.

But on public land, it needs to be a big-a$$ fine. Around here most of the land is national forest. The rangers are for the most part pretty cool and will leave you alone as long as you're not messin' up the forest or threatening to mess it up (they get pretty pissed about camp fires during fire bans). You can wheel the trails to your heart's content. But the problem is you get morons who just can't seem to stick to the trails, want to make their own and ruin it for everyone. Usually it's idiots on ATVs but trucks sometimes do it to. A couple years back we had a radio station invite all their listeners up to an "off-road jamboree" up in the mountains. Well, I guess like 500 trucks showed up and they utterly destroyed a pristine wetlands area where people had wheeled onsie-twosie for years without screwing it up. Ug - it was like something that would happen in California.

1989toy4wd

Yeah I think the fine is a good thing. I have freinds that like to go mudding and they tear the ground up! It kind of makes me mad, sometimes i enjoy just driving through a field in 4wd, going through ditches flexing out my suspension, and stuff like that. I hate when people tear stuff up!

Lysmachia

Where is the big fine & a ticket choice? Because I think it should go against your driving record, and the fine goes towards land restoration. Frankly I think the current fines are only a slap on the wrist. A few years back when I was up in Steamboat Colorado during the summer time - I came across 2 trucks stuck way out in the middle of a mountain marsh. They had totally ripped up at least 3 acres of wetland. They tried to get me to pull them out. No way I said - And took a picture for the cops in case they did not get there in time. Well the cop arrived an hour later and I saw him in town later and asked what became of it. I guess these 2 guys had to pay for a tow truck to get both of them out $500 each - and then have to go to court. The cop said the max fine would be 2000K for the both of them. I could hardly belive it. they TORE UP 3 acres! The cost to restore that alone would be at least 10K. So A do belive the fine should fit the punishment! Oh and they didn't get any tickets either... WTF?

glenyoshida

Actually I'd be up for some long duration community service. Most people aren't liquid for more than $200 bucks and the community service could help with the restitution.