The Hidalgo County Precinct 3 constable is asking parents to watch their kids closely if they use ATVs and UTVs.

Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Constable Larry Gallardo said there’s an increase in reports of reckless ATV and UTV drivers during the holidays.

Gallardo said it’s mostly people driving through farms and on canal banks, which are private property and dangerous for off-road driving.

Gallardo’s office announced those caught trespassing on private property on an ATV or a UTV face a fine of up to $500, and will have their ATV or UTV impounded.

“Anything we can do to save a human life, we're gonna do,” Gallardo said.  “Don't go on somebody's property just because it's open. Just in a split second, something can happen, and we wanna keep that from happening."

The crackdown comes nearly a month after two teenage girls died in a UTV crash near Edinburg.

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Both teens were 2023 graduates of Edinburg North High School, and they died after the UTV they were on crashed into a canal.