SALEM — "Take kids off drugs - not ATVs" was one of several messages nearly 150 people brought to the Capitol Tuesday during a rally against Senate Bill 49.

The bill would make it illegal for children under the age of 12 to ride an all-terrain vehicle. Children from ages 12 to 15 would be restricted to ATVs with engine displacements of less than 90 cubic centimeters.

The bill would effectively kill their favorite form of family recreation, people at the rally said.

“Banning children from riding doesn’t help us, it takes away another opportunity for parents to spend time with their kids,” said Matt Hector of Lebanon, who was at the rally with his wife, Carrie; their sons, Jason, 8, and Joshua, 9; and their grandmother, Donna Blades.

“Not just time in the car driving to school or baseball practice, but real time, checking their machinery, loading their equipment and riding together for hours at a time,” he said. “How many other activities can you name where grandparents, parents and children participate side-by-side and enjoy it?”

Hector said his sons have ridden ATVs since they were 3 and 4.

“It has helped give them confidence, awareness of their surroundings, respect for the outdoors and respect for themselves,” Hector said. “With the skills they are learning, our children will be safer drivers when that time comes.”

Linda Minten, of Scio, has found herself thrust into a leadership role among groups that hope to derail the bill.

Minten, her husband, Jay, and their children, Jacob, 13, and Jennifer, 11, have enjoyed riding ATVs as a family for several years. Like many others at the rally, they make regular camping trips to the Oregon dunes to ride their ATVs.

Minten led the rally, which included representatives from the general public as well as ATV and motorcycle dealerships and associations, Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, and Don Schellenberg of the Oregon Farm Bureau.

Parents, not the government, should be responsible for teaching their children about riding safely, Minten said.

Often, when a young person is involved in a serious ATV accident, he or she hasn’t been properly supervised or wearing protective gear.

Youngsters, many of whom were wearing riding gear, were brought often to the podium to remind the group why they were in Salem.

Although it’s a sensitive question, Minten said the media should ask parents, “‘Where were you when your child died?’

Rep. Smith said his family have ridden ATVs for many years and Senate Bill 49, “does not make sense.”

“When you ride together as a family, you teach your kids to operate ATVs in a safe manner, to wear helmets and to keep their speed down,” Smith said. “It’s a matter of common sense. I love my children, I’m not going to put them in danger.”

Although the number of ATVs in Oregon (nearly 600,000) and nationwide (7.6 million) continues to increase, the number of serious injuries among riders has consistently fallen in the last five years, said Terry Wilmeth of Amity.

“We’re barely on the radar screen in terms of deaths of ATV riders compared to other common sports, even things like riding a bicycle,” Wilmeth said. “Rider safety is continually getting better.”

Schellenberg of the Farm Bureau said ATVs are an important part of family farm operations, used for everything from hauling feed to checking fences and pulling equipment.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin, has been referred to the Senate Business and Workforce Development Committee. It has had no hearing.

Alex Paul can be reached at alex.paul@lee.net or 812-6076.