A lot has been said in recent days about the Putnam County Commissioners and their decision to allow ATV's on county roads, so I did some checking.

Putnam County, according to the Department of Natural Resources website, is not alone in making such allowances. Nearby Parke and Vermillion counties allow ATV use their roads, as do a large number of counties in northeastern and southern Indiana.

Let me say right up front that I am an ATV owner and fully support safe, responsible riding on any and all LEGAL areas.

My biggest concern with this new ordinance is - like a lot of people who have written to the newspaper in Speak Out and letters to the editor - that ATV drivers need to act responsibly. I think I heard it said, and I agree, that no one without a legal driver's license should be allowed to operate an ATV on the road.

I suppose there are exceptions - mainly if children are supervised by a licensed driver, that I could see allowing them on the roads too.

What I don't support is children with absolutely no knowledge of driving a car, sharing the road with other vehicles. This is a recipe for disaster!

Yes, many children grow up driving ATV's and are quite knowledgeable. But I go back to what I said earlier. If the law doesn't allow them to get behind the wheel of a car, then they have no business being out there where they'll meet cars and be forced to make judgements that they're not prepared to make.

From a purely recreational standpoint, I think being able to explore the winding gravel roads of Putnam County on an ATV would be great fun. I recently returned from a vacation in northeast Minnesota and northern Wisconsin where everywhere you drive, you see signs marking ATV routes. Some roads were gravel and led into remote forest areas, but others were paved and striped and well-traveled by cars and trucks.

ATV use is continuing to grow across the country and Indiana is far behind other states in developing safe and responsible management practices. If everyone, including the ATV drivers, car drivers and law enforcement all do their part, I hope the commissioner's decision will have been a responsible one.