All Terrain Vehicles - How Safe Are They?

Each summer, you may hear of ATV accidents, many resulting in fatalities. Now, I am not going to bash ATV's in any way. I, myself am an avid fan of ATV riding. I am simply here to educate those who may have, or are considering purchasing an ATV, on the safety issues that every ATV rider must know for a safe and enjoyable ride.

I look forward to hopping on my Honda 4x4 ATV and going for an adventurous ride. I love riding my ATV in the mud, on trails, and even in the snow. I got my first ATV three years ago, along with my husband. We spent that summer riding our ATV's along with another couple through all sorts of terrain. When I first started riding, at first I was fearful, then my fear became less and less with each weekend. With a little more experience under my belt, I became fearless on my ATV. My husband never had any fear on his, I was always the more cautious rider. One evening, my husband attempted to creep up a steep ditch bank, I begged him not to try it, as I thought it was too steep, he disagreed with me. The next thing I know, he's at the top of the ditch bank, it appeared he proved me wrong, he was going to make it. Then, almost as though it happened in slow motion, I watched as his ATV was parallel, then began to flip backwards. There was nothing he could do.

When I rushed to my husbands side, he was laying at the bottom of the ditch, with the ATV laying to his right. The only thing I could see was his face, it was split wide open and bleeding profusely. Somehow, we managed to get his machine flipped over and back home. I rushed him to the emergency room where they told us he needed to be transferred to a larger facility where a plastic surgeon would have to work on the gaping wound in his face. Well, luckily, there was no severe head injury, but it would take plastic surgery to sew up his face, and to reconstruct the shattered cheek bone in his face.

After a couple weeks, things had healed pretty well, and yes you guessed it, we were back at riding. My friend and I decided to go for a joy ride in the shallow creek we always rode in. The water level was a little higher than usual because it had rained the day before. We always zipped up and down the creek, spraying each other with water, rip-roaring around the bends. Suddenly, I found myself close to the creek bank, with the water level being slightly higher, I did not see the large rock my front right tire hit as I was turning. The next thing I know, I am in the water with my legs pinned beneath the ATV. I couldn't get out, my face was barely above water. My friend tried with all her might to lift the ATV off, but her 115 pound body just couldn't lift it.

I lay there, the weight of the ATV on my legs was causing me excruciating pain. Some how, I was able to dig through the sand beneath my legs with my hands and work my way out from under it. To this day, I will never understand how I had the will to do that, but I did. Thankfully, my legs were not broken, I believe the sand beneath me prevented me from having my legs broken. Both of my legs were black and blue from the hip down to my toes, it was a horrific sight, and I have had a deep indention in my right thigh for 2 years now. The point of me telling my story, is that maybe I can educate others, and help prevent unnecessary injuries or even fatalities with a few rider safety tips.

ATV's are heavy and require strength and coordination to operate safely. This is one reason why children under 16 should not be aloud to operate an ATV. The recommended method of turning, requires the rider to lean the upper body to the inside of the turn while applying pressure to the outer footrest to reduce the weight on the inside wheel. A child cannot follow this process if he is outweighed by the machine, or he is too short to reach the footrest. There are smaller, less powerful ATV's available that are more suitable if you are looking to purchase an ATV for a young child or teen under 16.

The most important safety precaution I cannot stress enough, is to ALWAYS wear a properly fitted safety helmet and protective gear. The most common cause of death that is ATV related is from a head injury that could have been reduced by simply wearing a helmet. I will admit, when I first started riding, I never thought about getting injured. I now wear a helmet every time I ride. Comfort is certainly not worth the risk of not wearing a protective helmet. An ATV can flip in an instant, especially at high rates of speed. One small unseen hole is all it takes to cause an ATV to flip. This leads us into speed. An ATV can be tricky keeping in control at high rates of speed. In the last few years, manufacturers have made machines more powerful then ever. Even an experienced rider can lose control of their machine at a high rate of speed. Use caution and know the territory you are riding well before ever attempting to ride at high speeds.

Unless you are a pro and do stunts for a living, never try riding your machine on less than four wheels.....it is called a "four - wheeler" for a reason! It is very dangerous to do stunts on an ATV, leave it to the pro's. ATV's can be a fun and enjoyable recreation, however, caution must be implemented while riding. One last safety tip I would like to express is to never consume alcohol and operate an ATV. Just like an automobile, drinking and driving is catastrophic, only on an ATV, you have no "shell" to protect you from the impact.

Lastly, there are ATV rider safety courses available through the All - Terrain Vehicle Safety Institute (ASI). You can find more information by visiting
www.atvsafety.org or calling 1-800-887-2887. You will learn more detailed safety precautions through the ASI that I have not covered here. Please be safe and have respect for your machine.