CHILDREN AND ATV ACCIDENTS
Over 45,000 accidents involving children riding ATV’s occur every year. Amazingly, 95% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 that are injured on ATVs (and 65% of younger children) that are injured or killed were riding a full-size ATV intended for adults. These full-size machines are dangerous for children because they are too big and too powerful for kids to control.
ALARMED BY THE NUMBER OF INJURIES AND DEATHS SUFFERED
By child ATV riders and passengers. Neurologists, in a study noting the number of Traumatic brain injuries associated with children and ATV accidents. These neurologists conducted a study of children’s injuries from powered recreational vehicle accidents. The study cited powered recreational vehicles like dune buggies, go-carts mini-bikes etc. and issued a call for a number of common-sense guidelines.
Those guidelines included:
Banning children younger than 16 from riding adult ATVs.
Requiring all ATV riders to wear a helmet.
Wearing appropriate safety clothing such as knee and elbow pads.
Such common sense would reduce the profits of powered recreational vehicle manufacturers. Such manufacturers oppose any such regulation and continue to market ever more powerful PRVs to children.
Regulations or not, if parents allow their children to ride ATVs and other PRV’s, they should insist that their children safely ride ATVs of an appropriate size while wearing a helmet. This is not a cure-all but should help reduce what is becoming an epidemic of ATV-related injuries.
If you have a child that has been injured in an ATV accident, contact us at Messina Law Firm to speak with a Dallas ATV accident lawyer or submit your case here for us to review.