ATV Safety

Safety Experts Remind Parents: No Children Under 16 on ATVs

Nationwide, approximately 130 children under the age of 16 die each year as a result of ATV-related injuries. In addition, an estimated 40,000 children under the age of 16 are seriously injured each year in ATV-related incidents. While a helmet can reduce the risk of head injuries, there are no safety devices that adequately protect against other injuries commonly sustained while riding ATVs. Accordingly, Safe Kids USA recommends that children under the age of 16 should never ride on or operate ATVs of any size, including youth-sized ATVs.

ATV rollovers, collisions and ejections can cause instantly fatal head injuries as well as serious nonfatal injuries to the head, spinal cord and abdomen. A child riding an ATV is four times more likely to be seriously injured than a rider over the age of 16.

“ATVs are inherently difficult to operate, and children do not have the cognitive and physical abilities to drive or ride these vehicles safely,” said Alan Korn, Director of Public Policy and General Counsel for Safe Kids USA. “If you’re not old enough to drive a car with safety belts on a paved road with traffic control devices, you’re certainly not old enough to drive a powerful open-seat vehicle at speeds up to 70 miles per hour over rough terrain.”

The number of ATV-related injuries per year more than doubled between 1993 and 2006, and the injury and death rates for riders under 16 is the second highest. In 2006, children accounted for one out of four ATV-related injuries.

“We know it’s not the advice a lot of parents want to hear, but it’s the conclusion we’ve drawn from extensive and ongoing review of the data,” said Korn. “There is simply no way to make ATV riding a safe activity for children. If you want our opinion as safety experts, that’s it.”

Since 1998, the ATV industry has observed voluntary guidelines restricting the sale of adult-sized ATVs (with engines bigger than 90 cc) for use by children under age 16, but the number of children per year injured on ATVs is still alarming.

“Previous efforts to make ATVs safer for kids have proved inadequate,” said Korn. “Government efforts and the voluntary standards observed by the industry have not kept children out of the emergency department.”

From Safe Kids Mid-South, led by Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and part of a global campaign to prevent accidental injury to children and Safe Kids Worldwide.

September 10, 2009

Posted: March 12, 2008 For more information please contact: Susan Helms , 901.287.6730