Navigating the intersection of dirt bike culture, safety and law enforcement in D.C.
- Hermes Falcon
- Jul 11
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 19
Madeleine Voth and Winnie Chan
July 11, 2025
Youthcast Media Group®
Reginald Bynum was riding his dirt bike to his mother’s house in Southeast DC in 2021 after a memorial ride for a friend who had died in a motorcycle accident when the 24-year-old himself was killed in a car crash.
His mother, Fatima Lewis, has been reeling from the loss since, and accepts the fact that riding his dirt bikes was “what took him away from us,” in spite of his deep love for the activity. “He loved motorcycles and dirt bikes. He loved riding,” she said.
Bynum’s death is one of many stories that highlight a dangerous disconnect on the streets of Washington, D.C. and other urban areas: a deeply ingrained culture that embraces the use of dirt bikes and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) despite laws that forbid their use on all public roadways, sidewalks, and trails.
“Most of the bikers … communicate that riding their bikes is a source of freedom for them. It's a way for them to address their mental health issues. It's a way for them to de-stress,” said NPR photojournalist Dee Dwyer, who explored the D.C. dirt bike culture in a 2021 photo essay.
However, many local residents worry about the dangers to pedestrians and motorists when dirt bike riders use public roads.
“They cause a lot of trouble for drivers and pedestrians. Something should be done about them,” said Carolyn, a Ward 8 resident who asked that her last name not be used. “Young people definitely need a different place to ride if they’re going to use those things—not right in the city like they do.”
The term “off-highway vehicle” typically refers to a range of vehicles designed for off-road terrains, which include dirt bikes (two-wheeled lightweight motorcycles); all-terrain vehicles (three- or four-wheeled motorized vehicles) and utility terrain vehicles (four-wheeled vehicles for two- to-four people with roll bars and windshields).
There were 2,384 off-highway vehicle-related incidents that occurred during the 3-year period between 2018 and 2020, which resulted in 2,448 deaths, according to a 2023 report by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) fatalities disproportionately occur on roads, according to the Consumer Federation of America. In fact, road crashes accounted for 67% of deaths on these vehicles in 2022 alone. The study also notes that roadway crashes involving these vehicles are more likely to involve multiple fatalities, collisions, and head injuries because the off-road vehicles are not designed, manufactured, or intended for use on public streets, roads, or highways.
So, why do those who ride these vehicles on public roadways choose to do so?
“In their communities, a lot of times, there are not any recreational centers, or if there are…it's limited programming. That's their way of enjoying life,” Dwyer said. “Also, it's their way to combat violence. They have a saying, ‘Bikes up, guns down.’ It's their way of putting bikes in people’s hands and giving them a creative outlet rather than picking up guns and shooting up the neighborhood.”
Chris, a Ward 8 resident and longtime observer of bike life culture who asked not to use a last name, echoed this sentiment: “At the end of the day, they just want to be seen. Not judged. Not criminalized. Just… seen.”
In spite of the cultural importance and popularity of dirt bike riding, no legal places exist where dirt bikes can be used in Washington, D.C. So riders often ride illegally on city streets, putting themselves, pedestrians, and other drivers and cyclists at risk.
Living in one of the neighborhoods where dirt bikes are most common, high school junior Toluwani Adebisi sees both sides of the issue every day. A resident of Ward 8, she regularly hears the noise of engines and sees bikes speeding through her street.
"One time I was walking my dog and a group of dirt bikers flew around the corner so fast I had to yank my dog out of the street,” she said. “It’s scary because I know some of these guys just want to have fun, but it feels like they forget there are people out here just trying to live. I shouldn’t have to worry about getting hit when I’m just going on a walk."
Longtime Ward 8 resident Michael Grant also expressed frustration with recent changes to the neighborhood’s streets. Despite the city’s efforts to improve safety by adding bike lanes, Grant argued that the changes have actually made driving more difficult and traffic worse.
“They say it’s safer—but it’s not. They took away parking, added bike lanes nobody uses, and now there’s more traffic than ever,” he said.
“When it comes to dirt bikes and ATVs, they’re absolutely illegal to operate on D.C. streets,” said Carlos Heraud, Assistant Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homeland Security Bureau. “I do believe it could be a fun activity when done safely and within the law…[but] they’re not legal to ride anywhere in D.C.”
Brett Robinson, executive director of the State Motorcycle Safety Association, says that many major cities wrestle with the problem of illegal use of dirt bikes and ATVs on urban roads, paths, and sidewalks. Unlike rural areas, cities typically do not have undeveloped private or park land where the vehicles can be used, he said.
Robinson said that the problem lies not with just young teens who use the vehicles, but also older individuals whose intent may be “to go out and stir the pot.” Also, many jurisdictions have a no-pursuit policy for motorcyclists that keeps police officers from chasing them because of the risk of collisions with other motorists.
Jermaine Franks, a local resident and delivery worker, acknowledges the cultural significance of dirt bike riding in DC, but stresses the need for safer and more regulated alternatives. He believes that legalizing and regulating dirt bike riding, rather than outright banning it, could reduce dangers and provide a controlled environment for riders and the community alike.
“I think they should make some sort of facility, like an off-road place where bikers can ride freely and safely,” said Franks. “Then they should enforce licensing and legalize it — regulate it properly.”
The conflict between individuals who want to ride dirt bikes and ATVs in urban areas and the strict laws forbidding their use on city roads has led to the formation of some groups pursuing creative solutions. Brittany Young, a Baltimore native and retired engineer and professor, founded the Baltimore organization B-360 to address this challenge. The group aims to promote and support dirt bike culture by providing training on how to ride and care for the vehicles, identifying trails where the bikes can be used legally and connecting dirt bike riding to STEM education.
B-360's workshops include lessons on the engineering design process for these vehicles, safety skills for operating them, and mechanics for repairing and maintaining them.
In 2024, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott applauded the mission of B-360 in a statement last year to a local TV station that was reporting on what appeared to be lax enforcement of dirt bike bans. Scott emphasized the importance of getting dirt bike riders “off of our streets into programming, safe places, and opportunities that leverage their love of dirt bikes and allow [riders] to develop skills that will benefit them later in life.”
The mayor pledged to “continue to partner with (B-360) while also ensuring those who break the law are held accountable and public safety hazards are limited.”
Young said she hopes the D.C. government will work directly with B-360 so the organization can expand into D.C. “as we already have a proven program and success record.” She said a partnership with D.C.’s public libraries has been delayed due to city budget challenges.
“As a Black woman, I do not need people trying to figure out what we do, but instead we need the funding and support to expand and deliver our services,” she said.
B-360 was awarded $3 million in federal grants in 2023 to build a dirt bike campus so Baltimore youth would have a legal place to ride. Young said she is actively raising more money for the campus.
Assistant Chief Heraud agrees that at least part of the answer involves identifying designated areas where dirt bikes can be ridden safely, away from motorists.
“I’m not opposed to an area [being] designated,” Heraud said. “I’m not sure if we have the land or footprint to do it within the District of Columbia. But I believe it’s a fun activity as long as you do it safely and you do it legally.”
Robinson points out that driver education is also important and can, among other things, involve teaching young motorists “how to look for, respond, and interact when [one] encounter[s] these types of vehicles and operators.”
Robinson said dirt bike and ATV riders also need training to learn the difference between driving on pavement versus on dirt paths or open fields.
But, Robinson said, the most important way for pedestrians and motorists to coexist with these riders is to have designated places for ATVs and dirt bikes. “That's really what it comes down to: is it safe? When you bring a mix of roadway users together that have very different characteristics…It really impacts the dynamic of that environment,” he said.
Bill Kitzes, a product safety management expert and former safety analyst at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, has acted as an expert witness in product liability litigation, sometimes dealing with cases involving ATVs and dirt bikes.
In his experience, Kitzes says, ATV crashes are more serious than crashes involving dirt bikes because of their heavier weight and the danger posed when ATVs land on riders. Older ATVs with lower tire pressure are also more susceptible to flip over on city streets, he adds.
Kitzes urged riders to consider the risks before they ride: “These are all issues that you need to consider if you're going to [ride ATVs]. You can do it safer. Not safely, but safer…You can do things to make it safer, or you can do things to make it more dangerous. We can talk about the things that you can do to try to make them safer. (But) I'll never say that it's safe.”
Safety measures include the use of helmets and training in riding the vehicles on different surfaces.
Nearly four years after the death of her son, Fatima Lewis urges other dirt bike riders to use helmets when they ride, a precaution her son Reginald did not take. “The helmet is very important,” she warned. “If you do decide that you want to ride, please wear a helmet. If you love yourself enough, put a helmet on. I know y'all kids don't want to not look cool or think that it's not fashionable, but it saves lives, and [Reginald would] be here today, I think, if he had one.”
Madeleine Voth is a Youthcast Media Group alumna and a recent graduate of Reed College. She is a freelance investigative journalist and worked with YMG mentor-editor Carol Stevens on this story. Winnie Chan is a rising senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. and was recently the D.C. representative at the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference.
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