Norristown Police To Crack Down On Illegal ATVs, Dirt Bikes

NORRISTOWN, PA — The scourge of illegal dirt bikes and ATVs in Norristown has reached a breaking point, authorities said, placing lives in danger. Local police announced this week that they plan to crack down on the activity, and have launched in investigation into a group of suspected offenders.

With the warmer months arriving, municipal officials said that they had seen an increase in activity among the riders.

"We have witnessed adults driving small children with no helmets, teens riding recklessly, and both ATVs and dirt bikes operating on properties such as school grounds, causing damage to fields," Norristown officials said in a public statement Wednesday. "Operators will also pop wheelies while in traffic on major roadways, causing operators of other vehicles to slow or stop in order to prevent striking them."

The situation places police in Norristown, and other nearby communities where similar incidents occur, in a tricky situation. Police say plainly they will not attempt to chase the riders, "as the risk to the public safety outweighs the risks presented by the driving habits of the operators." But they're looking to enforce the law in other ways: investigators are circulating pictures of the vehicles and their drivers through the community and plan to issue summary violations and related charges when they identify suspects.

Often, riders drive without insurance and registration, and some of them have suspended licenses. They frequently disregard stop signs and weave through traffic, causing danger to others, police said.

Most offenses incurred by this behavior are summary violations.