All's well for kids to ride ATV

Thursday, 07 December 2006

The debate about whether to allow children under the age of sixteen to ride ATVs has been a hot topic ever since ATV riding received popular reception in the early 1980's. The argument is that kids are not physically equipped with the right mentality and physical attributes to handle a vehicle as large and powerful as an ATV. Some experts went as far as to say that kids can never be TAUGHT how to ride an ATV right unless they are mentally prepared and matured enough to handle something as drastically powerful. Well, seems as though some people might have to eat their words after all.

Recent studies reveal positive signs that there are less and less ATV-related incidents overall and that there are fewer kids getting into accidents while they're riding their ATVs. This finding supports the report released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2005 whereby it was reported that there is a dip in percentage of ATV-related incidents and accidents for kids under the age of sixteen. The numbers fell by 10%. The Consumer Product Safety Commission also revealed that for the past four years, ATV incidents have been on a steady nosedived 9%.

This is encouraging news as many people argues that ATV riding is an unsafe sport for kids to take on because of their immaturity and inability to control the ATVs. The risk of fatality per 10,000 ATVs tested decreased from 1.4 to 1.1 in 2005. as we all know, ATV riding has become an extremely popular outdoor sport among adults and kids alike and despite the increase in the number of ATVs in use, there is no rise in injury reports.

We suspect that the only reason why the number of injuries did not cause a rise in the number of reported kids-ATV-related injuries is because there is more commitment from associations, the government and especially the companies under the Specialty Vehicle Institute of American. The association plays a tremendously huge role in providing safety information and educating the public about safe ATV riding, knowledge of state legislation and help spread the word about the importance of parental supervision. Coupled with the fact that kids ATVs come with many appreciable safety features, it is no wonder that there are less injuries year after year. Major ATV manufacturers, retailers and distributors in the United States work hard at promoting safer ATV riding and this is the winning combination that the companies have formed together with Consumer Product Safety Commission.

However, although the quality of ATVs are controlled from the inside of the United States, with a never ending stream of imported ATVs made available to the US market today, we can never be too sure about the quality of the ATVs or whether it's at all safe for kids to ride. It all depends on the reputation of the retailer or distributor. If the ATV distributor is one of good reputation, they will observe all safety rules governing the sale of ATVs within the United States whereas a careless or uninformed one will sell ANY ATV as long as it's marketable. The actions of these unscrupulous ATV distributors will certainly jeopardize the image of the ATV companies who have established themselves in the market.

We love to see the stats dropping and we hope that other distributors will observe the standards that have been set by the government and the consumer commission. As long as the percentage continues to dip, many ATV enthusiasts get more opportunities to enjoy their rides. Have a heart, get affordable but reliable ATVs .

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