Ride Safely: Reducing ATV Injuries

All-terrain vehicles (ATV) typically involve more significant risks than safer vehicles like a car. ATVs are capable of reaching highway speeds, can weigh as much as 500 pounds, and provide little to no protection for a passenger thrown off the vehicle or crushed underneath it.

This combination of popularity and extra risk leads to seven to eight hundred deaths and 130,000 reported ATV injuries each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Following proper safety precautions can reduce the risk of tragic ATV accidents. The CPSC has issued a series of recommendations for using ATVs, which can be divided into four categories: training, protective gear, proper use, and keeping children away from ATVs.

Training

Driving an ATV is different in many ways from driving other vehicles. Taking a formal safety-training course has been shown to minimize the risk of injury.

Protective gear

There is really no excuse not to wear a helmet and other protective gear. These simple precautions can save your life in the case of a collision, loss of control, or rollover.

Proper use

One should never ride ATVs on paved roads. Also, most ATVs are not configured to allow for a passenger. With more than one person on board, the potential for disrupting the balance necessary to control an ATV increases. And of course, don’t drink and drive.

Keep children away

It is unsafe for children to ride an adult ATV. Children make up almost a third of all people killed on ATVs.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an ATV crash, rollover, or other accident, please contact us for more information about how we can help.