While many people enjoy the exhilaration and thrill that riding an all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, brings, others are suffering from severe injuries and graves consequences. Before starting up your ATV, learn more about the truth in riding these powerful machines.
As a misleading name, an all-terrain vehicle is not truly made for every type of terrain out there. These recreational machines are usually characterized by fun, vacationing, and off-road adventures. Unfortunately, many individuals climb on to an ATV without properly understanding how the machine operates and what to do in the case of an emergency. The following are several facts about the hidden dangers of ATV accidents, provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
135,000 people are injured every year due to ATV accidents.
Over 700 people are killed in these accidents every year.
Approximately 1/3 of the people killed in ATV accidents each year are under the age of 16.
Many of these accidents could have been prevented if proper safety advice was followed.
While there is no direct cause of all ATV accidents, many of these incidents involve the negligence or recklessness of the driver or another person nearby. Causes of ATV accidents range from drunk driving, to speeding recklessly, to hill-climbing, to vehicle rollover; the list virtually goes on and on. These accidents are also caused due to some unsuspecting reasons, such as exceeding capacity on the ATV. Many of these vehicles are designed to hold one passenger, and one passenger only. When a second or even third passenger is put into the picture, a recipe for disaster ensues. In some cases, the accident involves the second passenger falling off the ATV. In other cases a passenger will not be able to shift their weight as intuitively as the driver, therefore throwing the entire vehicle off-balance.
One last hidden danger, among many others, is the chance that the ATV has a defective auto part installed in its system. Defective parts can range from virtually any part of the vehicle – the tires, throttle, clutch, shifter, gas tank, fender – it can be anything. If you suspect that the dangerous part caused the incident, you may be able to file a product liability claim.
ATV accidents are extremely dangerous in nature, but many individuals still believe that the fun in riding this vehicle outweighs the possible disadvantages. If you are one of the many that enjoys riding an ATV on the weekends, be sure to always follow the rules of the law – these are all set in place for the safety of you and those around you. Never drink and drive, and make sure that you always have your helmet and protective gear on when riding. If you should be involved in an ATV accident and you believe it is the fault of another person or manufacturing company, do not hesitate to involve a personal injury attorney.
