ATVs

Spring is here and with summer just around the corner, more people are getting out and enjoying warm weather activities such as riding all-terrain vehicles. Personal protective equipment should always be worn when operating ATVs to minimize the chance and severity of injury, including helmets, appropriate boots, gloves and goggles. (courtesy photo)

ATV operators should keep safety in mind

Published April 14, 2010
By John Decker, safety chief
11th Wing Safety

BOLLING AFB, D.C. -- As spring rolls in and summer is right behind it, many of us are out enjoying fun in the sun that includes recreational activities.

One of those activities includes riding all-terrain vehicles. Last week, two 11th Wing servicemembers were badly hurt in separate ATV mishaps.

ATVs are fun, but they also can be deadly.

Too many riders, young and old, are dying or experiencing life-altering injuries from incidents involving ATVs. About 800 people die each year in incidents associated with ATVs in the United States. In addition, there are about 140,000 emergency room-treated injuries associated with ATVs annually. Many of these injuries are the bad, long-to-heal type, such as broken bones and head injuries.

Few states require a license to operate an ATV and there are no nationally-mandated safety standards. With their large, soft tires and high center of gravity, ATVs can reach speeds of up to 50 miles an hour or more. Almost 60 percent of accidents involving ATVs result from tipping and overturning.

ATVs are especially dangerous for children. About a third of all deaths and injuries involved victims who were younger than 16 years old. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reminds parents that ATVs are not toys. Children younger than 12 should not operate any ATV. Younger children do not have adequate physical size and strength to control these vehicles. Younger children do not have the thinking, motor, and perceptive skills to operate a vehicle safely.

Personal protective equipment is strongly recommended when operating ATVs. The potential rollover hazard requires the use of a Department of Transportation-approved helmet. According to a study of recreational ATV-related deaths in West Virginia, 65 percent of the deaths resulted from head and neck injuries. Of these fatalities, 75 percent of the ATV users were not wearing a helmet. CSPC indicates that 25 percent of those who died from head injuries would have lived had they been wearing a helmet. In addition to helmets, appropriate boots, gloves, and goggles should also be worn.

Let's go have fun this spring and summer. But let's do it safely.