ATV Time Inspires Safety Talk
Prince George, B.C. – The snow has left much of the region, and that means some will be revving up the All Terrain Vehicles for another season of off road action. It also means the season for ATV related injuries is upon us.
From 2006 to 2011, there were 33 ATV related deaths in B.C,, and nearly half occurred in Northern B.C. Of those northern ATV related deaths, almost half involved alcohol or drugs.
“We experience a much higher rate of injuries and deaths that are ATV related than the rest of B.C.” says Lynette Hewitt, Northern Health Injury Prevention Coordinator, “ATV injuries are the leading cause of hospitalization in Northern Health”. She says 25% of all ATV related injuries and deaths occur in children under the age of 15, “Developmentally, they do not have the physical size, strength, cognitive or motor skills to safely operate an ATV. Many incidents involving children on ATVs are a result of their inability to either physically or cognitively react to an unsafe situation, or to avoid the unsafe situation to begin with.”
She says the majority of ATV fatalities are the result of unsafe practices such as:
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Riding without a helmet
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Riding without proper training
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Riding as a passenger on a single rider ATV
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Riding without supervision
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Riding the wrong sized ATV often one that is too big, too heavy and too fast for them to maneuver
The tips for preventing ATV injuries are simple:
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Wear the right gear, including a helmet , eye protection, gloves long sleeved shirt/jacket and long pants
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Drive Sober
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Get trained
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Drivers should be 16 years of age or older.
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Only ride as a passenger on an ATV that is designed to carry 2 people
“Our main goal is to ensure parents take measures to ensure their children are safe” says Hewitt. “At the end of the day our message isn’t to convince people to stop riding ATVs because they are too dangerous” says Hewitt, “We simply want people to know the risks involved and to take steps to minimize them so everyone can continue riding safely.”
Rider safety information can be accessed at www.atvbc.ca
Comments
It’s just a matter of time before they’re licensed, registered, and insured like motorcycles and cars.
You’d like that wouldn’t you big brother?
Same then should be for all motorized wheelchairs and scooters
Dragonmaster…one quarter of the injuries or deaths are just KIDS. Big brother perhaps should step in, somebody else isn’t. Unfortunately some people are just not very responsible parents or mentors. One has to note the high incidence of alcohol and drugs as well.
Dragon: “You’d like that wouldn’t you big brother?”
Not really, but the costs to the system of ATV injuries and deaths is getting harder and harder to ignore. The money always has to come from somewhere.
People for the most part can’t handle operating ATV’s safely. It seems that even a lot of people don’t drive these machines sober. Time to see the writing on the wall.
Let mother nature her course. Remove the warnings and labels. Tell me why we bubble wrap stupid humans again? I don’t get it. Enjoy your lives and stop regulating everything. Geez. I’m with dragonmaster on this one.
How is it going to be policed, and how do you arrest someone on a ATV. What about the idiots on long boards, racing down a city street at 50 mph, with nothing more than shorts and short sleeve.
Sorry, all we can do is provide the stats and information. It ultimately the responsibility of the ATV owner that is allowing these kids to drive their ATV’s responsibility to show them what is safe, and what is not safe. So next time your kid asks, can I take the ATV, you have to be the one that knows if the kid is capable of conducting themselves properly.
It is OK to tell the kid, “NO, because you were not driving the ATV responsiblely, so your privilages are taken away.” A ten year old kid does not own the ATV, its their parents.
“Let mother nature her course. Remove the warnings and labels. Tell me why we bubble wrap stupid humans again?
I would agree, except they are not all dying. Some live, and cost “the system” a lot of money.
Perhaps if they want use poor judgement, they should pay for their injuries. Only “the system” doesn’t work that way. So regulation it is. If people don’t want to be regulated, they should smarten up.
Same then should be for all motorized wheelchairs and scooters
You forgot bicycles.
He Spoke…It obviously, by the number of kids being hurt, (I know one personally that was killed, very young) is not being taken on by a number of ATV owners as much of a responsibility. I guess being a smart parent and raising a disciplined sensible child is optional.
Keep them off the public roads.The RCMP is not doing their job.It’s time for the RCMP to enforce the law.The RCMP Often watch off road vehicle go right past them-clearly under age,often without helmuts and driving erratically.If I Drove my legal vehicle that way I would be pulled over and cited.
The other day I saw 2 ATVers driving past my house on a public road.One of them was driving with a beer in his hand and no helmut .The othe ATVer wore a helmut but had a dog on his lap.Too think that they know a local RCMP Officer lives at the top of my block.
The provincial coroner should have a new category defining deaths on motorized ATVs and unlicensed motorcycles. i.e. Death by reason of stupidity.
When I grew up you pushed your motor bike a couple of blocks to the Nechako flats. Some ran them side saddle skipping one foot on the ground. Some got busted some didn’t. Nothing has changed. I had friends die on motor bikes and cars. Same as happens today. Maybe it’s the baby boomers, can’t admit they did the same things that are going on today! The excuse oh we didn’t know it wasn’t safe or bad for you don’t cut it. We had better regulate everything. Never mind parenting.
Comment Posted by: JohnnyBelt on April 23 2014 1:17 PM
Dragon: “You’d like that wouldn’t you big brother?”
Not really, but the costs to the system of ATV injuries and deaths is getting harder and harder to ignore. The money always has to come from somewhere.
People for the most part can’t handle operating ATV’s safely. It seems that even a lot of people don’t drive these machines sober. Time to see the writing on the wall.
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Then go after the morons and leave the rest of us and our money alone!
What past your bed time? No one responds. Lol
You know that’s not how it works, Dragon. The morons always ruin it for everyone else.
I’d love to register and insure my quad….if it meant I could ride it on the street.
It all comes back to parenting.
To those who feel we need more regulation; Why would we want more intrusion into our lives from government?
Instilling respect for others, and care for yourself is the job of a parent.
metalman.
When the idiots outnumber the police and the resources to catch them individually, and the cost to the system gets too high, regulation unfortunately has to step in.
This is quickly becoming the case for ATV’s.
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