Safety!
How I see it
by Nancy Minard
Feb. 3, 2003 – Here we go again. Every time I hear reports about children being killed or hurt by ATV’s, I have to ask, “was the child on an ATV appropriate to their age and experience, were they wearing a helmet and where were the parents?” If you start asking these questions you’ll find that the children were unsupervised, weren’t wearing helmets or safety gear, never had any training and were on machines designed for adults. Too many times children have access to the keys to these machines and are left to their own devices. So when I hear about children being injured on full size ATV’s I blame the parents.
Recent articles concerning children’s safety and ATV’s and efforts by national organizations working to ban children from using ATV’s just emphasizes the need for education and training. Instead of banning children from using ATV’s a better solution would be to require people to be certified to operate an ATV much as you would for operating an automobile. Children should be required to take a safety course on machines appropriate to their age and skill levels. What parents are over looking are the skills required to safely operate a full size ATV. Sure kids can make large ATV’s go, but they do not possess the manual dexterity, the experience or strength to operate ATV’s designed for adults. Small children should not be expected to be able to handle a 600 pound piece of motorized equipment. They need to develop their skills and gain experience on smaller machines designed for their needs.
Regardless of the activity your child participates in you should be enjoying the experience with them. Teaching them right from wrong, along with the responsibilities that come with the privilege of being able to operate an ATV. Motorized recreation is a great sport for the whole family. But if children are left to their own devices, don’t know about the dangers and use equipment not intended for them, it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes.
Some will have you believe that ATV injuries are sky rocketing out of control, but the truth of the matter is that the industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the last ten years. So though the numbers they rattle off sound massive, the percentage of injuries and death has actually declined. This is due to the safety courses that are available, the awareness that is generated by national organizations like ATVA and states beginning to pass laws that require ATV operators to be certified to operate ATV’s safely and responsibly.
We wouldn’t give our kids the keys to the car and tell them to go ahead and drive around the neighborhood. Nor should they be permitted to operate ATV’s that are too large and powerful for them. With supervision, training and experience ATV recreation can be something our kids can enjoy for a lifetime. If we teach them the proper way from the start they will act responsibly as adults and pass what they have learned on to future generations.
For information on safety training classes, contact the ATV Safety Institute. www.atvsafety.org. For the ATV Rider Course® nearest you, call toll free (800) 887-2887
Editors note: The author of this article supports required safety training for children, ATVA recommends and supports safety training for all riders, we do not feel training should be required or mandatory.