West Virginia has some fantastic training classes, and you will learn so much by attending. You need to know the laws of your State for operating your ATV, and you will pick up some great safety tips you may not have known. As of January 1, 2005, anyone under the age of 18 must have a certificate of completion for rider safety awareness issued by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.
In West Virginia it is the law that you cannot drive your ATV on any interstate highway except by public safety personnel responding to emergencies or any road or highway with a centerline unless you are crossing the road and can do so safely and quickly.
Helmets are also the law and they must be age appropriate and meet current performance specifications. The penalties for allowing your children to operate ATVs without a helmet on an ATV are stiff. The penalties range from $50 fines and 10 hours community service to $200 fines and 20 hours of community service and Driving License suspension!
An unfortunate statistic with ATV riding in West Virginia shows West Virginia averaged 26 ATV related deaths per year from 2000 through 2004, the sad fact of this matter is that with proper training and understanding how vital good quality safety gear is, some of those deaths may have been prevented. More than 95% of crash victims were not wearing a helmet. 13% of those fatalities happened to passengers. ATVs with their long narrow seats, look like they were all made to carry more than one person, this is not the case with many models. Check out your ATV's specifications to see if passengers are recommended or not. And sadly, nearly one third of all those accidents involved alcohol and/or drug use, which just should never be done consumed, when operating an ATV.
As you can see, safety training in West Virginia is not only a good idea, if you're under 18, it's the law!
