After trying and failing for the past six years, the South Carolina House has passed “Chandler’s Law,” a new bill that would regulate ATV use across the state. The bill, which will now go to the state senate for approval, was named after a Columbia boy who died in an ATV accident in 2003.
The new legislation would instate a minimum age requirement for ATV use of nine years. In addition, the bill lists equipment restrictions for all-terrain vehicles and requires completion of a safety course. Currently, ATV use is mostly unregulated in South Carolina, a problem that many people believe leads to a large number of ATV accidents, ATV injuries and ATV deaths.
The bill also comes with exceptions to the rules: those who are farming, ranching, hunting, or trapping are exempt from following the new laws.
Chandler Saylor, a 13-year-old boy from Swansea, was riding an ATV at a friend’s birthday party on May 10, 2003, when a four-wheeler accident left him with fatal injuries.
The sponsors of the bill include representatives Nelson Hardwick of Surfside Beach, Ted Vick of Chesterfield, Ronnie Sabb of Greeleyville, Carl Anderson of Georgetown, Jim Battle of Marion, and David Weeks of Sumter. The House passed the bill on Thursday with a vote of 65-42. While Chandler’s Law has cleared both the House and Senate twice in past years, Gov. Mark Sanford has vetoed it on both occasions.