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Health & Fitness

ATV Know-How

Summer days bring out the  sense of outdoor adventure in all of us; and if that means off-road fun to you, you've probably already taken your ATV out for a spin or two. But when we say "spin", we hope that doesn’t mean an "upender" or other type of accident.

A new report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) notes that in 2011, the latest year for which figures are available, there were an estimated 107,500 ATV-related injuries seen in hospital emergency departments. Worse, between 1982 and 2011, some 11,688 people died in ATV accidents, a quarter of them children under 16 (half of them were less than 12 years old).

These are tragic numbers, so while we don’t want to spoil the fun of ATV-ing, we  can’t  emphasize  enough  the  importance  of  safe  riding  and,  especially, instructions for young people. This is so critical that CPSC has set up a dedicated website –    ATVSafety.gov – with the blunt warning: Before you hit the trails, take knowledge to the extreme.

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The site offers six key safety tips aimed at reducing the risk of accident or injury: Get trained. Don't start or  allow others to ride an ATV until you/they have completed a formal, hands-on training course.

  • When riding, wear protective gear at all times. A helmet is the most important piece of kit; many ATV accidents involve head injuries.
  • Don't take a passenger or ride as one, unless the bike is designed for two.
  • Passengers affect the weight distribution and maneuverability of ATVs.
  • Don't ride your ATV on paved roads. They're not built for that and so are difficult to control on paved surfaces.
  • Don’t allow kids to drive adult ATVs. Most of the child accidents in the statistics above involved kids using adult machines.
  • Don't "use" and drive! Obvious, yet, alcohol and drug use are key factors in many accidents.

 

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Finally, if  you're looking to  find  an  ATV rider course, use  this  link  to  the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America: http://tinyurl.com/atv-enroll.




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