ATVs, four wheelers, and accidents

Last night, just after dark, I took our dog, Frosty, for a walk. Much to my surprise a man was driving a homemade “go-cart” down the middle of the street. No lights, no helmet, and obviously, no sense. Worst that that, three very young kids, (most likely his), of kindergarten to early elementary school age, came riding down the sidewalk on the other side of the street in battery powered, “toy”cars.

They were having fun, at least as measured by their laughing and squealing. But at what expense!

I’m not talking about financial expense, I’m talking about risk! Many years ago a friend told me that some people should not be allowed to have kids. I was not a dad then and thought he was being over judgmental. Now I’m sure he was right.

I don’t know how many kids are injured or killed riding those “cute little cars,” but it’s a small step for a dad who let’s preschoolers drive these cars on the sidewalks to a dad who would let his kids ride on, or drive an ATV.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 1,200 United States children have been killed and another 350,000 hospitalized after ATV accidents in the past decade.

The AAP says kids under age 16 should not drive or ride on ATV, and I agree. Furthermore, kids should have driving instructions and an unrestricted driver’s license to drive one on the street. Interestingly, almost half of child ATV deaths occur on the public roadways and most of the time they are driven by adults.

A recent survey of 4,000 teenagers in Iowa found that 57 percent of those who had ridden an ATV had been involved in at least one accident. My experience with military candidates (recruits) tells me that more kids are injured in MTV accidents than in cars, trucks, or bus crashes.

The problem is more than just that teens and younger kids don’t have the knowledge, judgement, or experience to drive; ATVs have a high center of gravity and easily roll over. To compensate for this deficiency, manufactures have created at least three “children’s” sized vehicle. These are smaller, lighter, have smaller engineers, and are not capable of going very fast. Big problem is parents don’t want to spend more for these small vehicles that kids will soon grow out of than for the adult size model.

Additionally, ATV riders often don’t wear helmets. Perhaps they think there is nothing in their head worth protecting! I doubt that, but I do know that in all types of accidents, helmets reduce the incidence and severity of injury.

Finally, I must remember the man on the go-cart that brought this rant on, was old enough to drive, probably had a driver’s license, but his cart was not street ready and his poor little kids were exposed to what I would consider “mal-parenting”. I imagine in a couple of years they will be riding ATVs. I wish them all well!