mini trucks, sxs, atv, etc

[D&D]

In another thread, we touched on using any/all of these at home. What about when you (or others) ride them on public roads? In my neck of the woods, they're not allowed but people frequently do. The local PD has a "no pursuit" policy with the veil of not wanting to catch a lawsuit in an accident.

Not to start an argument, just thinking out loud (because we own some) What happens in the worst case scenarios of someone driving one on a public road and causing a major accident? Covered by homeowners/personal policy? Covered by ________? Or does it become a civil court issue?

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Before we lived in an area that allowed UTVs on county roads we used to travel to WV a lot to ride. WV is very accommodating to UTVs, ATVs, and dirt bikes on the roads. We bought liability insurance since I want insurance on anything that will be on a public road. Now we live in a county that allows them and we still carry the insurance.

 

[D&D]

Not to be gruesome, just to illustrate that things can go horribly wrong.
Four killed in Hardin County UTV crash with truck, woman drives into scene causing second crash

16-year-old rear-ends, kills golf cart driver with no lights in Brevard County crash: Troopers

A 16-year-old pickup truck driver rear-ended and killed a 68-year-old golf cart driver who was allegedly riding with no lights Monday night in Brevard County, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) says.

www.fox35orlando.com

Fatal Port Tobacco UTV Accident: One Dead, One Hospitalized - The BayNet

One person died in a fatal Port Tobacco UTV accident on Sept. 5, 2025. Emergency crews found one victim with no pulse during 20-minute rescue.

thebaynet.com

 

[D&D]

Before we lived in an area that allowed UTVs on county roads we used to travel to WV a lot to ride. WV is very accommodating to UTVs, ATVs, and dirt bikes on the roads. We bought liability insurance since I want insurance on anything that will be on a public road. Now we live in a county that allows them and we still carry the insurance.

And that provides an "umbrella type" coverage?

 

[fatjay]

Non-cars are no match for modern cars in an accident. My mini truck would be folded like a pancake and I'd be most certainly killed. I keep my road driving to a minimum and on 25mph roads.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

And that provides an "umbrella type" coverage?

It's not an umbrella policy, it's strictly a liability policy. I believe the limits are similar to what we've got on our vehicles. A couple years after getting the UTV we got an umbrella policy and one of the requirements was that we had to have a separate liability policy on anything with wheels and an engine, whether it would go on the road or not. For example, we were required to get one for our golf cart which we don't take on the road. We've since dropped the umbrella because the cost got out of hand. The final straw is they wanted $45/month policies to cover our pedal-only e-bikes in order to keep the umbrella in effect. I pay less than that for full replacement value coverage on my motorcycles.

It does raise the question about insurance on the tractor. When we bought it my wife added it as a rider to our homeowners insurance. But that's for theft or fire - similar to a rider you'd get for jewelry or things that go pew-pew. We do take the tractor on the road occasionally to deliver logs to a neighbor who has a firewood business so I probably should get liability coverage.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Non-cars are no match for modern cars in an accident. My mini truck would be folded like a pancake and I'd be most certainly killed. I keep my road driving to a minimum and on 25mph roads.

What keeps me going slow in my UTV is the locked rear axle. It gets super squirrely if you try to take a corner at speed on pavement. But going slow also means someone going faster could get me from behind on a blind corner.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I drive my SxS 1 mile from my house to my property and that is about it. A head on definitely worries me, as I know I would lose that battle.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Non-cars are no match for modern cars in an accident. My mini truck would be folded like a pancake and I'd be most certainly killed. I keep my road driving to a minimum and on 25mph roads.

The driver position in those mini trucks is very sketchy. Any sort of collision to the front end of those things and your legs would be toast. I used to have one of those old toyota mini vans that looked like a space ship, same thing. Very exposed position for driver and passenger.

 

[bigtiller]

If your mini truck, sxs, atv, utv, etc. is not licenced and insured, keep it off the road.

I will probably not be in a forgiving mood if an uninsured motorist causes an accident with me. And if you and/or your ride is not licenced for the road, the cops will solve that problem.