Young riders long have made up a big share of the people killed in all-terrain vehicle crashes. As FairWarning reported in March, 2010, children under 16 accounted for more than 2,500 of the 10,000-plus fatalities recorded in ATV accidents since federal authorities started keeping track in the 1980s.
But the reason why so many kids are killed or badly hurt has been fuzzy. For instance, is it because young riders take too many chances?
Now a team of emergency room doctors and medical researchers from Illinois has pointed to a cause. In a study published in Neurosurg Focus, the team concluded that size matters: young riders all too often aren’t big enough or strong enough to control an ATV designed for an adult.
The researchers performed tests with two ATVs, a Polaris Trailblazer 250 sport model and a Honda FourTrax 250 utility model. They studied riders of varying heights, weights and arm lengths during three maneuvers linked to crashes.
The researchers’ concluded that lighter riders often are more easily ejected, and that riders with shorter arms are less able to maintain an ATV’s stability to prevent rollovers.
The study concluded that lighter riders with “small wingspans” — in other words, children and others of small stature — “are under considerable risk of injury when operating an ATV due to lateral, longitudinal, and vertical operational instability.”
ATVs, as the study said, typically weigh 300 to 600 pounds and can travel up to 75 miles per hour.
However, as motor vehicle safety specialists Safety Research & Strategies Inc. noted in their review of the study, regulations for child ATV riders are limited. The company noted that Massachusetts in July, 2010 became the first state in the nation to ban children under age 14 from riding ATVs, unless they are participating in an organized race or an event supervised by someone 18 years or older. Still, Safety Research & Strategies said the state “has done little” to enforce or publicize that or other provisions of the law.
At the federal level, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requires manufacturers to take steps to stop their dealers from marketing adult-size ATVs to children.
Senior officials of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, an industry group that deals with safety issues and operates the All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute, could not be reached for comment on the study. A representative of the institute, however, said it puts a high priority on rider safety and is well aware of the issues involving young riders.
The Illinois researchers cited Consumer Product Safety Commission research reflecting the rising toll taken by ATVs. The research showed that, among other things, the number of ATV riders climbed 36 percent from 1997 to 2001 but the number of injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms leaped 109 percent.
ROBERT T. NELSON
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FairWarning,
The ATV Safety Institute and Specialty Vehicle Institute of America would like to thank you for raising awareness of this important issue. Keeping youth off of adult size ATVs has been our number-one ATV safety message for decades. One of the best ways to keep a child safe while riding an ATV is to ensure they are riding an ATV that was designed for the child’s age. As your article rightly points out, ATVs come in different sizes, weights and performance levels, and allowing a child to ride an adult-size ATV runs directly against the warnings and recommendations of ATV manufacturers and distributors.
Years ago, our organization developed model state ATV legislation that states could pattern their own laws after, and we actively promote that model to states that have either no legislation or inadequate ATV safety legislation. One of the key components of that model is prohibiting youth from riding adult size vehicles.
The ATV industry has made it easy for parents to ensure their children are riding an appropriate size ATV through the use of large, easy-to-understand Manufacturer’s Minimum Age Recommendation Warning Label that are bolted to the body of every new ATV (please see attached examples). These bold labels are placed in clear view and easily identify the age group for which the ATV was designed. See images of the labels here: http://www.atvsafety.org/images/warning_labels.jpg
Even if a child is of the recommended age to ride a particular size ATV, not all children have the strength, skill or judgment needed to operate an ATV. We encourage parents to actively supervise their child’s operation of an ATV at all times and allow continued use only if they determine their child has the ability and judgment to operate it safely. Adult supervision is essential for any rider under the age of 16. Parents quite literally hold the key to their child’s safety. Every new ATV comes with an ignition key and whoever controls the key, controls the ATV’s use. The ATV Safety Institute publishes a booklet, Parents, Youngsters, and All-Terrain Vehicles, designed to help parents determine if their child is ready to ride an ATV. To download a free copy go to the library section of our website, or call (800) 852-5344 to obtain a free copy.
And, free ATV safety training is available to any new ATV purchaser who wants it. ATV manufacturers provide free safety training to new ATV purchasers and eligible members of their families through the ATV Safety Institute’s ATV RiderCourse. This course is a half-day, hands-on ATV safety course where students ride real ATVs on a closed range to learn and practice safe and responsible ATV riding. And, most manufacturers even provide cash or valuable merchandise certificates valued at up to $100 to students who complete the course.
ASI also offers free online ATV safety training available 24/7 at http://www.atvsafety.org. There are three age specific e-learning courses that address basic ATV safety principles, and adults, teens and children will learn to apply the “golden rules” of ATV riding in a fun and interactive setting.
The ATV Safety Institute’s Golden Rules:
1. Always wear a DOT-compliant helmet, goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots, and gloves.
2. Never ride on paved roads except to cross when done safely and permitted by law – another vehicle could hit you. ATVs are designed to be operated off-highway.
3. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
4. Never carry a passenger on a single-rider ATV, and no more than one passenger on an ATV specifically designed for two people.
5. Ride an ATV that’s right for your age.
6. Supervise riders younger than 16; ATVs are not toys.
7. Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed.
8. Take a hands-on ATV RiderCourseSM and the free online E-Course. Visit ATVsafety.org or call 800.887.2887.
For more information, please visit http://www.atvsafety.org or call 800.887.2887.
Warm Regards,
Paul Vitrano
Executive Vice President, ATV Safety Institute