Tragedy at Off-Road Race Results in Governmental Intervention

By: Jason Giacchino

Sadly it’s human nature to wait until tragedy strikes before action is taken and in the off-road world, it appears as though that very situation is unfolding. Federal officials are promising tighter scrutiny of off-road racing nationwide after a deadly accident in Lucerne Valley made headlines.

The California crash, in which an off-road truck went airborne and hurtled into a crowd, initially prompted a review of racing permits in the California desert district of the Bureau of Land Management.

BLM Director Bob Abbey announced that the agency will not only review the permits surrounding the tragic incident (which have since been suspended) but also its permits throughout the country.

Abbey said the agency has also launched an internal investigation into the Mojave Desert race.

“When we permit any activity on the public lands, our first priority is public and employee safety and health,” Abbey said. “We will look at these requests carefully and consider the safety record of the individual or organization requesting a permit.”

Additionally the agency plans to have increased presence at all future events.

Of course the downside to this announcement comes in the form of small race promoters who have never had such incidents fearing increased red tape. The consensus is that increased governmental intervention comes at a financial premium and that increased cost would be passed on to spectators and participants.

For more information on the Bureau of Land Management, visit their official site at: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html