All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Safety

Four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are heavy, motorized machines designed for off-road riding. They are powerful and fun, but can be dangerous to children. According to the most recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report, which covers 1985 through 1997, 3,200 people died from ATV accidents and children age 16 accounted for about 40 percent of the 887,000 ATV-related injuries.
Parents should encourage ATV safety by encouraging their children to

• observe manufacturer safety guides.
• take safety courses and wear helmets with face protection.
• ride only with adult supervision.
• obey traffic and safety laws and ordinances.
• never ride with passengers.
• drive at safe speeds and avoid taking risks.
• ride only during daylight and stay off paved roadways.

Parental supervision

On the basis of negligent entrustment, a state appeals court ruled that a parent who owned an ATV was liable for serious injuries sustained by a girl who rode as a passenger. The judge made this ruling even though the injured teenager was riding with a driver, unrelated to the owner, who had received permission to drive the ATV from the owner’s son.