Wisconsin recorded 27 ATV/UTV fatalities in 2024 — the highest in a decade. A new seatbelt law took effect in 2025, but compliance in Price County is estimated below 30%.
Quick Answer: Wisconsin’s ATV seatbelt law (2025) requires restraints on public lands. 2024 saw 27 fatalities statewide. Price County has 83 miles of trails and 30% compliance.
Wisconsin recorded 27 ATV/UTV fatalities in 2024 — the highest in a decade. A new seatbelt law took effect in 2025, but 6 months in, compliance in Price County is estimated below 30%. Here’s the corrected data, the law’s requirements, and what’s still going wrong.
Quick Answer: Wisconsin’s ATV seatbelt law (2025) requires restraints on all ATVs/UTVs operating on public lands. 2024 saw 27 fatalities statewide — a record. Price County has 83 miles of ATV trails and an estimated 30% compliance rate.
This article has been corrected and moved. Read the updated version here.
Editor’s note, June 6, 2026: An earlier version of this article included an unverified claim about a specific ATV fatality in Price County. The Price County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed it has no report of the incident described. That version has been removed. The corrected article relies exclusively on verified DNR statewide statistics. We regret the error Ripsaw Saloon in Prentice is right on the ATV trail — gas, food, and drinks.
See also: our ATV trail guide for Price County, our guide to free camping in Wisconsin and our guide to Price County public records
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