Safety Tips for ATV use
by jmmillerAll terrain vehicles, or ATVs, are tempting vehicles for children and young teenagers. Wouldn’t it be fun to fly around on a dirt road on a 3 or 4-wheeler?
Unfortunately, children and teens just aren’t strong enough to handle these machines. Each one may weight up to 600 pounds, with over-sized, low-pressure tires for navigating their way through fields and streams.
Each year, many children are killed using ATVs. Even while wearing a helmet, the sheer size and weight of the machine can easily crush and kill a child. And though your child may seem like an experienced ATV driver, it is not hard to lose control.
Though it seems hard to ‘just say no’, especially when it seems like all of the other kids parents let them go on ATV rides, you are doing your child a great disservice by giving in on this issue. Until they are 16, it is simply too dangerous for children to operate or ride on ATVs.
Use these tips to keep your children safe:
- Do not allow children to ride as passengers. Even if the driver is an experienced adult, a passenger can affect their balance. A child shifting their weight from side to side could be enough to cause the ATV to roll over.
- 3-wheelers vs 4-wheelers: 3-wheelers are not even recommended for seasoned drivers. They are very unstable and tip or roll easily.
- All ATV riders should wear proper clothing. This includes an approved motorcycle or snowmobiling helmet; gloves; long pants; and boots (preferably steel-toed).
- Never allow children under 16 to operate an ATV. They are too small and not strong enough to control the machine.
Though it may seem like a fun toy, never forget that you are doing with a 600 pound piece of equipment. Teach your children to respect the dangers of such machinery by not allowing them to take it lightly.
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