ATV's and Kids

Rick Patterson

Attorney

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The holidays are upon us once again. Some parents may see ATVs on the wish list. Before you make a decision you should know that researchers at the University of Arkansas said "based on 500 case histories of young people treated after ATV accidents, youngsters under 16 should be barred from riding the vehicles." The University of Arkansas' finding were that the ATVs are generally unstable, and accordingly not suitable children under 16 given their small size. In 2005 40,000 children were treated in ER's across the country as a result of ATV accidents. One in four deaths on ATV are that of children, although one could argue the last statistic is in favor of children riding.

Other the other hand, it was also noted in the study that most ATV accidents involving children occur when they ride ATV's which are sized and powered for adults, which is something the organization strongly advises against. As Tom Riker, treasurer of the Long Island Off-Road Vehicle Association, an ATV-rider group, put it "In most cases in a controlled environment where direction and trail maintenance is taken care of and safety is taught, there is a very low injury rate." Only you can decide what is right for you and yours. Just do your research before making your purchase and be careful out there.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.