Children Injured by ATVs is at an All-Time High

With two months left in the year, more children have been admitted to the hospital for medical care this year than ever before because of injuries caused by all-terrain vehicles, ATVs according to a recent press release from the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. With the holidays approaching, many people unwittingly get an ATV as a present for a loved one, without realizing the dangers that ATVs present.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said that Pennsylvania has the second highest number of deaths caused by ATVs in the nation. From 1982 - 1999, 214 people died as a result of injuries caused by an ATV accident.

Across the United States, it is estimated that 65,000 injuries and 250 deaths are caused by ATVs. Nearly half, 40 percent, of these injuries and deaths happen to children who are younger than 16 years old.

In 2006, a total of 72 Pennsylvania children were admitted to the hospital; so far, 83 children have been admitted to the hospital just this year. Unfortunately, some of these children had received life-threatening injuries due to ATV accidents.

Letting children drive or ride on an all-terrain vehicle, ATV, is extremely dangerous. Many people do not realize the dangers that these pose. While they may look harmless, they are anything but. ATVs often weigh in excess of 700 pounds, and can go up to 60 miles per hour.

What are the most common injuries? Physicians say that it is common to see internal injuries, severe fractures, devastating face and head injuries, and even spinal injuries that can cause paralysis.

Two types of accidents cause the vast majority of all injuries. First of all, an ATV is capable of rolling over and landing on both the driver and passenger. Imagine the damage that can be caused when a machine weighing over 700 pounds lands on you.

Secondly, people frequently hit an object, which flings the riders off of the ATV and causes severe injuries. Trees, fences, and boulders are all easy objects that people hit.

"Despite many warnings about the dangers of kids riding on and driving ATVs, every year we continue to see this tragic increase in the number of young children injured, often with injuries that lead to permanent disabilities or can even be fatal," said Barbara Gaines, MD, director of the Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Gaines continued, "This year we've treated kids as young as 2 who were passengers on ATVs and, in some instances, kids as young as 5 and 6 were driving these powerful machines designed for adults. Ideally, no child under the age of 16 should ever operate or ride on an ATV. They are simply not big enough to control the vehicle, and they don't yet have the cognitive skills to avoid crashes," Dr. Gaines said.

Source:
http://www.chp.edu/pressroom/newsrelease382.php