It happened to an 11 year-old boy riding with his uncle. It happened to a 12 year-old boy wearing a helmet. It happened to a two year-old boy riding with his dad. It happened to a 16 year-old boy riding with a 13 year-old girl. And it happened to a six year-old girl riding with her stepsister. And they aren’t the only ones.
All of these children were killed in the past few weeks in ATV accidents. ATVs, or all terrain vehicles, are popular with adults and kids alike. But according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, 135,000 injuries and 700 deaths occur on ATV’s each year. One third of these happen to kids 16 years of age an under.
In many ATV accidents, participants are violating one of two primary safety rules regarding ATV use. First, nearly all ATVs are designed for a single rider only. The reason? The CPSC says, “ATVs are designed for interactive riding – drivers must be able to shift their weight freely in all directions, depending on the situation and terrain. Interactive riding is critical to maintaining safe control of an ATV especially on varying terrain. Passengers can make it very difficult for drivers to control the ATV.”
Second, kids under 16 should never be permitted to drive or ride on adult ATVs. Period. It’s not what they were designed for. Kids don’t have the necessary reflexes, judgment, physical ability, or ability to apply safety rules. Allowing them to drive a vehicle that weighs several hundred pounds and can go in excess of 70 miles per hour is just not a great idea.
ATVsafety.gov recommends that kids under 6 never ride or drive an ATV at all. Y-6 models are appropriate for kids age 6-11 and Y-12 models for kids age 12-15. Youth, especially very young children, should ride at extremely low speeds. Both of these youth models are equipped with devices that can limit the speeds to 10 mph and 15 mph, respectively.
All ATV riders should use helmets and other protective gear, avoid using alcohol or drugs while operating the ATV, and avoid riding on paved roads due to the risk of collision with a motor vehicle. The CPSC also recommends riders participate in a hand-on safety training course.
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