Joanne Butts of Payson said her young son should be able to use OHVs on public land. "I can take my son to a motocross race or even a desert race," she said. "But I can't take my son to public land and practice.

"You can monitor your 6-year-old just like any other sport," she said.

Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, saw a parallel with teaching his children rodeo skills while they were young. "I wouldn't want someone coming into my corral, telling me what I could do with my kids," he said.

The sole critic of the bill was Fred Hayes, the OHV coordinator for the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. He is worried that the lowered age limit would put more children at risk.

"Our experience has shown that 8 is at the bottom end of the scale where we are comfortable with putting kids on motor vehicles," he told the committee.

Still, the committee advanced the bill to the full House on a 12-1 vote.

In an interview, Hayes said he was a bit surprised by the committee's vote. Only Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Salt Lake, opposed the bill. "We had kind of hoped for a little better support from the committee," Hayes said.

Dr. Chuck Norlin, past president of the Intermountain Pediatrics Society, isn't sure it is wise for a 6- or 7-year-old to drive a four-wheeler. "It would be hard to find a pediatrician that would think it was a good idea," Norlin told the Deseret Morning News.

Norlin said the society doesn't have an official position on the bill, though.

Dr. Jeff Schmidt, the current society president, said he doesn't think having children younger than 16 operating an OHV makes for sound policy. He said lack of strength, coordination and judgment play a major role in all-terrain vehicle accidents involving young drivers.

Schmidt said that since 1985 more than a third of ATV accidents involved riders under age 16.

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E-mail: smansell@desnews.com