(Source: https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/ATV-Safety-Information-Center/Quick-Facts-for-a-Safer-Ride/).
With spring right around the corner, ATV enthusiasts are gearing up to take their All Terrain Vehicles for a spin. However, before doing so, ATV riders are urged to heed some very important safety advice provided by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Each year there are over 700 fatalities and over 100,000 injuries involving ATV’s according to the most recent CPSC data. According the CPSC, by simply following a few key safety tips, deaths and injuries related to the use of ATV’s could be significantly reduced.
The top safety tips form the CPSC are as follows:
- – Do not drive ATVs on paved roads. ATVs are designed to only be driven on off-road terrain and on paved roads. ATVs are at risk of overturning and colliding with cars, motorcycles, buses, and trucks.
- – Children under the age of 16 should never be permitted to operate adult ATVs. Children under the age of 16 simply do not have the developmental skills required to operate adult ATVs, which are faster and more powerful than youth models.
- – Never allow more people on an ATV than it is designed to handle. If an ATV is designed for one person, no additional person should ever be permitted to ride on it since doing so could be distracting to the driver and because the added weight will interfere with the driver’s ability to maneuver the ATV and can result in rollovers.
- – Always wear a helmet (certified by the U.S. DOT and/or the Snell Memorial Foundation) and other recommended protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and over-the-ankle boots.
- – All youth and adult drivers of ATVs should take a hands-on safety course from a qualified instructor.
The lawyers at Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C., are concerned for the safety of motor vehicle drivers and passengers driving on the roads and highways in Berks County and Schuylkill County, and serve auto, truck and motorcycle accident victims and their families in Reading, PA, Pottsville, PA, and throughout Eastern and Central Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia. The lawyers there handle injury claims, including claims for serious injuries and death caused by the negligence of other vehicle operators.
From the desk of Adam K. Levin, Esquire