Wisconsin residents who ride or share roads with all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility-terrain vehicles (UTVs) may face changes to impaired-driving rules after a spate of crashes and deaths this year prompted lawmakers from both parties to press for tougher OWI penalties.
What is changing — and why it matters
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports an increase in off-road vehicle use and a corresponding rise in crashes and fatalities. So far in 2026, the DNR has recorded 18 deaths in crashes involving ATVs or UTVs; toxicology remains pending in many cases, and alcohol has been confirmed in at least four of those fatalities.
Legislators argue that strengthening operating-while-intoxicated laws for off-road vehicles could reduce fatalities and serious injuries. The effort comes after several high-profile crashes, including an April rollover in Green Lake County in which a 26-year-old driver with a blood alcohol concentration about three times the legal limit drove a UTV that rolled into a tree, killing one passenger at the scene and another days later.
“In a lot of those cases, if the folks had not been drinking and driving, they may even still be alive today,”
— Jacob Holsclaw, the DNR’s off-highway vehicle administrator.
Rising use and rising harm
The DNR also reports a roughly 20% increase in registrations for ATVs and UTVs since 2020 as more municipalities open roads to off-road vehicles. Crashes rose as well: there were 300 reported crashes in 2025, a nearly 45% increase from 10 years earlier, and 42 deaths in 2025 — a 90% increase since 2015.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Off-road vehicle registrations change since 2020 | +20% |
| Fatalities so far in 2026 | 18 |
| Fatalities in 2025 | 42 |
| Crashes reported in 2025 | 300 |
| Share of 2025 fatalities involving alcohol or THC | ~30% |
Where the debate stands
Proponents of tougher OWI rules say they would close a gap in enforcement and penalties that currently treats off-road vehicles differently from passenger cars. Opponents, including trade and hospitality groups cited in the legislative debate, have argued against sweeping changes; they caution about unintended effects on rural recreation and businesses that support riding communities.
Officials at the DNR and public safety advocates stress that drugs and alcohol are implicated in roughly half of off-road vehicle crashes, based on agency data, and that better enforcement of impaired-driving laws could prevent deaths.
- Riders should assume increased enforcement and consider safety steps like wearing seat belts and helmets where required.
- Communities opening roads to ATVs and UTVs may see higher traffic and should weigh safety measures and education campaigns.
- Drivers involved in crashes may still await toxicology results; many recent fatalities remain under investigation.
As the Legislature considers proposals, officials say the combination of rising vehicle registrations, more public road access, and substance involvement in crashes creates a pressing public-safety issue for many Wisconsin communities.
Brooke Steiner, Wisconsin correspondent
