6-year-olds on OHVs — seriously?

For further definitive proof that no state code is above tweaking when the legislature is in session, there's HB237.

HB237 proposes lowering the minimum age a person can operate an off-highway vehicle on public land from 8 to 6.

The bill is the brainchild of Aaron Tilton, a Republican House member from Springville who apparently introduced his legislation with a straight face.

Exactly what Tilton's agenda is I don't know. He didn't include it in the bill. Maybe he has a frustrated 6-year-old who wants to race dirt bikes. Maybe he has a neighbor who has a 6-year-old who wants to race dirt bikes. Maybe he's a four-wheeler enthusiast who doesn't want to pack the kids along when he rides. Maybe he's got a soft spot for personal injury attorneys. Maybe he wants to see if anyone's paying attention.

Not being much of an OHVer or ATVer myself, I was frankly surprised to learn that the current legal minimum age is 8.

We let 8-year-olds drive?

Does that include the ones still working on tying their shoes and putting their pants on the right way?

But now, with a nod to the formidable kindergarten lobby, Tilton wants the age lowered to 6.

I heard about HB237 during a legislative newscast on the radio where someone made the observation that most 6-year-olds can't read and that could be a problem.

Excellent point.

By the time he (or she) figures out what that sign back there said — CLIFF AHEAD — he'll be pulling eight G's.

And what about teaching hand signals to kids that age? NOT THAT LEFT. YOUR OTHER LEFT.

To be fair, the law says that anyone under 18 who wants to operate an off-highway vehicle must first complete the state's Know Before You Go! training course.

Which means that, if Tilton's bill passes, 6-year-olds could go straight from finger-painting to recess to story-time to OHV training.

But they get to skip the part about if you're 6 years old you shouldn't go.

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To add to the irony of HB237, its sponsor is the same Aaron Tilton who also introduced HB322 in this year's legislative session.