Danger of kids riding full-size ATVs attracts national media attention
May
14, 2004 –The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather aired a piece on ATVs
on May 14 that essentially reinforces what we've been saying for quite some
time: that parents must take safety precautions to protect their kids.
The story told of a 10-year-old Oregon boy killed while riding a full-size ATV, and noted that the parents saw, but ignored, the warning stickers on the machine that said nobody under 16 should ride it. The news report also noted the ATV industry makes smaller machines specifically for kids.
The news report also showed children riding double on an ATV under their father's supervision. The father admitted knowing that the ATV industry warns against riding double on ATVs for safety reasons.
"But everyone does it," the father said.
Sheryl Van Der Leun, an ATV industry spokeswoman, was quoted as saying that most people follow the recommended safety guidelines for ATVs, "but there are always going to be a few who don't."
The ATVA recommends that children ride appropriate-sized machines, that parents closely supervise riders younger than 16, and that no riders carry passengers on machines unless the machine is designed for more than one rider.