Police crack down on kids riding dirt bikes

After a few kids have gotten into some bad accidents locally, Rio Rancho Police Department is issuing citations to kids riding dirt bikes on city roads.

According to Rio Rancho Police Capt. Jacquelynn Reedy, it is a citywide problem that they are trying to remedy.

“Kids on dirt bikes and motor vehicles should not coexist, and it is a dangerous combination,” said Reedy.

The unsafe problem has been an issue for some time. In April, RRPD was just giving verbal warnings to kids on dirt bikes. However, the need for stricter punishment arose after kids got seriously hurt.

In June, a child crashed into a minivan in Northern Meadows, and Reedy says there were two similar accidents in July.

“Unfortunately, worst-case scenario has recently happened in July on two different occasions where we have had children and motor vehicles collide at a high rate of speed,” Reedy said.

Most riding happens in subdivisions near dirt roads.

“Where the dirt roads are perceivably close, that is what we keep hearing, ‘Oh, you know, but they are so close to home.’ It doesn’t change the result in what we are seeing with these tragic incidences,” Reedy said.

To combat the issue, RRPD will be issuing citations and proactively targeting the areas with more illegal riding, like Northern Meadows.

“We are doing everything we can to keep kids safe, but we really need the parents buy in on this one,” Reedy added.