I was in lots and lots of chases with ORV's in the same general area that is depicted in the video. I also chose not to chase lots and lots of ORV's due to various safety factors during that time. I wound up catching the offender about 25% of the time. The unusual thing about this chase was how long the rider chose to stay on the pavement before taking it off road. I think he was having fun.
It is illegal everywhere in Michigan to ride an ATV on the main travelled portion of the roadway. Counties can declare the shoulder and right-of-way open for ATV's. The deal was, if you never chased anybody, nobody would stop for you. If you did chase and caught people now and then, the word would get around and most people would stop when you tried to pull them over.
I wouldn't chase kids and wouldn't chase in a densely populated area or on roads that had blind curves or other similar hazards. The chase in the video was much longer than a typical chase but not particularly dangerous due to the open roads, low traffic, and the fact that the officer didn't crowd the ATV while the chase was in progress.
Nobody got hurt in any chase I was involved in. Normally the chase was won or lost in the first half mile or so and backing off never made us feel bad.
One time I chased a dirt bike for a short distance, until the rider left the pavement and disappeared into the woods. I got out of my car and couldn't hear him. Then I saw him running through the woods on foot and noticed that he had tried to hide his bike in a brush pile...he was kind enough to leave the key in the ignition, so I wound up chasing him down on his own bike.
Last edited by wildhobbybobby; 07/05/12.
Life is like a purple antelope on a field of tuna fish...
