Roads yes, but highways neverNo, an ATV is not a motorcycle.
Yes, an ATV MAY be operated on a road. Granted, for limited purposes, but it's still allowed. As such, it seems to me that the code section may very well apply.
Refer to http://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByChapter/Chapter_20.html (see the definitions and see Part 10C)
Under G.S. 20-4.01(49), a vehicle is “[e]very device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway,” including bicycles but not other human-powered devices, and generally not including mobility devices for the disabled