Driving an all terrain vehicle, ATV, is one of the most dangerous things you can allow your child to do. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, CPSC, which regulates All Terrain Vehicles, studied 33 sports and activities which children engage in, including skateboarding, wrestling, football, bicycling, snowboarding. Of the 33, the activity with the highest risk of hospitalization was ATV driving. It was 61% more dangerous than the second place activity, football.
About 100 children die every year in ATV accidents in the US. Another 40,000 have injuries serious enough to be treated in emergency rooms.
Why is driving an ATV so dangerous for children? Because the drivers are children! The American Academy of Pediatrics’ statement notes that driving aa all terrain vehicle safely requires as much skill and judgment as driving a car or truck, and it flatly recommends that children under the age of 16 be prohibited from driving them. Every state in the US insists on a minimum age of 16 for a driver’s license. This minimum age reflects our understanding that driving a car or truck requires certain levels of physical strength, and some degree of judgment. The younger a child is, the less likely she or he will have developed these capacities. A young child driving an ATV at very low speed on smooth, flat terrain with 100% visibility might do fine. But those aren’t the only conditions in which children drive.
Concerned Families for ATV Safety is another organization with knowledge of these vehicles and children. Founded by parents whose children have died in ATV accidents, Concerned Families works to educate parents and legislators about the associated risks for young children driving. They’d like to see a driver’s license, and additional training and certification in handling All Terrain Vehicle’s as the requirement for driving one.
In the past few years, Chinese manufacturers have built smaller, lighter, cheaper ATV’s, targeted at children, as a way to gain a foothold in the American market. The prices are substantially lower than adult size vehicles, sometimes only a few hundred dollars. But those savings come at a price. One sporty-looking child’s model sold for $250-350. It looked good, but it lacked some important things. Like front brakes. And protective padding on the handlebars. The handlebars were so sharp that a young driver thrown against them would be injured. The CPSC took action, and the manufacturer recalled the vehicle.
Parents’ first job is to keep their children safe. This means no driving an ATV until they have a driver’s license. Your children may complain, but they’ll be alive and able to complain.
In San Diego California, ATV injury lawyer Frederick Schenk is currently working on cases involving serious physical injury that occurred with the use of the Yamaha Rhino ATV. Frederick Schenk’s unique knowledge in the area of motor vehicle collision litigation was recognized when he was selected as a consulting editor for Matthew Bende’s Legal Publication, “Pleading and Practice Vol. 8″, on Automobiles. In addition, he co-authored the LexisNexis Publishings, “California Automobile Collision Handbook,” first published in 2000 and updated yearly.