(a) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall establish and oversee a program of examination and certification of all-terrain vehicle operators. In order for an operator to be awarded a safety education certificate, he or she must submit evidence of successful completion of an all-terrain vehicle safety education course approved by the Commissioner and must successfully pass a written examination which shall test the applicant's knowledge of safe all-terrain vehicle operating practices and the applicable laws of the State of Vermont.

(b) The Commissioner may approve any appropriate all-terrain vehicle safety education course, regardless of whether or not it includes hands-on instruction in operating the vehicle, if the course meets minimum standards established by the Commissioner. An approved course shall include information about the appropriate use of helmets and the dangers of carrying a passenger. Such courses offered by the manufacturers or distributors of all-terrain vehicles, by community organizations such as 4-H, or by others, may be approved.

(c) The Commissioner shall develop and make available a written examination appropriate for certification of all-terrain vehicle operators as required by this section. In the discretion of the Commissioner, the examination may be administered by employees of the Department of Public Safety or by the persons who offer any approved all-terrain vehicle safety education course.

(d) No all-terrain vehicle safety education course which includes actual operation of the vehicle shall be approved unless adequate insurance coverage is provided.

(e) The instructors and persons providing an all-terrain vehicle safety education course approved by the Commissioner are exempt from compliance with the State's driver training laws. (Added 1991, No. 123 (Adj. Sess.), § 4.)