By admin 
FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — Arizona’s backcountry has seen a rash of serious and deadly accidents involving off-road vehicles.
Read more Rescue pups adopted by Arizona DPS to train as therapy dogs
Now, heading into the busy long holiday weekend, rural law enforcement agencies are stepping up patrols on Arizona back roads to make sure drivers are operating their off-road vehicles safely.
The long holiday weekend will draw people from across the state to cooler areas like Flagstaff.
Jon Paxton with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said they are adding extra patrols as a precaution.
“We have extra staffing out at this time,” Paxton said. “We have within our larger area just to be out and be more visible.”
He said their deputies are focused on search and rescue, fire prevention, and general safety.
They will also be patrolling for off-highway vehicle violations, which can be deadly.
“Over the years, we’ve had some tragic incidents up in Northern Arizona and around the state,” Paxton said. “These right now can reach up to 70, 80mph, so people need to understand that and be as safe as possible.”
Last summer, a 19-month-old toddler was killed when his grandfather flipped an OHV outside of Flagstaff.
However, these crashes are common. Two weeks ago, nine people were seriously injured in a head-on collision between a pickup truck and an OHV near Lake Pleasant.
Read more Suspected DUI driver crashes into Tempe police K-9 patrol car
Paxton adds that his office sees fatalities almost every year, and many people don’t know the off-road safety laws, which makes it even more dangerous.
“It’s unfortunate it’s something we see often,” Paxton said. “People need to understand those rules.”
All OHV drivers must have helmets, a driver’s license, and take a 10-minute online safety course.
Paxton said Coconino County will also have DUI checkpoints this holiday weekend to catch people drinking and driving, which goes for OHVs, too.
“There’s a lot more people out on those roads now,” he said. “There’s children, there’s dogs, there’s pets. So it is something that you know don’t drink and drink. Don’t do it in an OHV either. It’s just dangerous, and we’ve got the statistics to prove it.”
More information about all of the rules and requirements around OHV can be found here.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more Tucson Now: Pima County Public Library holds youth poetry showcase