PHIPPSBURG

A teenage all-terain-vehicle operator was following a vehicle too closely while operating without taillights Wednesday night on Route 209, Police Chief John Skroski said Thursday.

“With no lighting on, a car from the rear could come from behind with a serious crash resulting,” he said. “It is extremely dangerous. ATVs are not designed to be operating in a public roadway. They do not offer the protection.”

Skroski summonsed the 16- year-old Bath resident on charges of operating an ATV in a public way and operating an unregistered ATV. He also warned the boy for operating an ATV without proper lighting, and for imprudent speed.

At 5:23 p.m. Thursday, Skroski said he turned into the Phippsburg Elementary School yard to conduct a routine check. He heard a vehicle drive by on Route 209, and heard the noise of a fourwheeler behind it.

The four-wheeler was traveling at same speed as the car, in the southbound lane, Skroski said. The speed limit near the school is 45 mph.

After pulling the boy over, Skroski said it was the same person he had warned earlier for buzzing down the side of the road. By state law, people on ATVs can enter a roadway at the far right when going from trail to trail, he said.

“There a lot of good riders, but a few just push the envelope,” he said. “This is an important issue down here.”

lgrard@timesrecord.com