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Most of the 29 people killed in ATV/UTV crashes so far this year had never completed an off-highway vehicle safety course, according to the latest data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
And DNR officials say that 15 of those who died were over the age of 60 — meaning they were among those who are not required to take safety courses under state law.
DNR data shows most of the people killed in off-highway vehicle incidents were not wearing seat belts or helmets, and frequently alcohol was a factor in the crashes. Those are all aspects the state’s safety courses try to explain to riders.
Jacob Holsclaw, the DNR’s off-highway vehicle administrator, said that’s a notable trend and one the state is starting to look at.
“Many of the crashes could be prevented simply by adopting a safety code of conduct,” Holsclaw said. The DNR offers tips and class information on its ATV/UTV page.
The DNR recommends all operators to take a safety class, no matter their age.
The data for 2026 shows most people killed in ATV/UTV incidents were born before Jan. 1, 1988.
“What we’re seeing is a majority of the folks involved in these fatal or serious injury crashes were born before that date,” Holsclaw said. “So the class would have been optional.”
Under the law, riders over 38 are not required to take courses.
Only five people killed in OHV incidents were younger than 38, according to state data.
Three UTV/ATV operators were confirmed by state officials to be safety-certified at the time of the crash, according to DNR’s data for 2026.
There are still five cases with unclear safety certification, but the DNR said their status is pending at this time.
Randy Harden, the president of the Wisconsin ATV/UTV Association, said his group has been working with the DNR to improve safety in the state’s riding population.
He says it’s often difficult to get older Wisconsinites to take protective gear seriously.
“That’s our challenge,” he said. “How do we keep communicating effectively to get the message over?”
Only three women died in UTV/ATV incidents this year. Two were over 65; the youngest was 40. All three women died on public roadways in Wisconsin.
Most of the fatalities were men, with a total of 25. The oldest was 83. One child died at 10 years old.
And while 29 deaths this year were directly tied to crashes that happened this year, DNR officials said an additional OHV-connected fatality occured when a person died this year from injuries in a crash that occurred years ago, Holsclaw said. The medical examiner listed that death as a result of an ATV crash.
The top three kinds of fatal crashes were: rollovers, with 15 crashes; motor vehicle collisions with six; and people being ejected from the vehicle in four crashes, according to DNR data.
Harden says many riders mislead themselves into thinking they’re safe enough to ride in a machine without a helmet.
In reality, Harden says the vehicle doesn’t have air bags and riders have a real risk of being thrown out of the vehicle in a crash.
“Even if you have your seat belt on, then your noggin is taking a beating in that roll cage,” he said.
It’s not clear how many fatalities reflected in 2026 crash report data had alcohol in their system — but Holsclaw said it’s common in many OHV crashes.
As of Aug. 14, the DNR webpage for crash reports shows, out of 29 fatalities, 21 incidents where the BAC level is listed as “Pending.”
“It can take months for us to get alcohol or drug results back, and so that’s why we leave those open until we get that confirmation,” he said.
But, Holsclaw said in a typical year, the department finds alcohol is a factor in between 40% and 50% of fatal crashes.
“That’s a pretty big percentage,” he said.
Five fatal crashes were confirmed to have involved alcohol, according to the DNR data.
For comparison, Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources says that state has had only seven fatal crashes so far this year. In 2025, MDNR recorded 22.
This story was originally published by WPR.
More than half of people killed this year in Wisconsin off-road vehicle crashes were over 60 is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
