Despite safety warnings, thousands of children are injured annually while operating all-terrain vehicles, a recent study finds.
Each year, about 11,000 children and teens in the U.S. are treated for head and neck injuries sustained while operating ATVs, according to researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. That translates to around 31 youth injured each day.
Researchers examined medical records between 1990 and 2014 of people ages 17 and younger who visited emergency departments because of ATV-related injuries. The findings, published in August in Clinical Pediatrics, suggest that children operating ATVs are at high risk of injury.
“Compared with adults, children represent a relatively small proportion of the ATV ridership, but they represent a disproportionately large number of ATV-related injuries and deaths,” Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, told The Nation’s Health. “Children are at much higher risk of injury when they ride an ATV.”
Children under 12 years of age accounted for almost half of reported ATV injuries during the study period. They were more likely to have broken bones and be injured when thrown off of an ATV compared to teens, who were more likely to have concussions and be injured by an ATV rollover.
“ATVs are heavy, powerful machines, designed for off-road use, and children younger than 16 years of age generally do not possess the coordination, strength and moment-to-moment decisionmaking ability needed to safely operate an ATV,” Smith said. “Because of the weight and power of an ATV, one mistake can be life-changing.”
The researchers analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a program operated by the U.S. Product Safety Commission that collects data from hospitals nationwide.
A major reason for the injuries and deaths is that states lack consistency in setting age limits for ATV operation, Smith said. For example, in North Carolina, 8-year-olds can legally operate an ATV, while in West Virginia, an operator must be 18 years old and and pass an ATV safety course.
Smith recommends that states adopt the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of not allowing ATV operation by anyone below age 16.
“Adoption of recommendations by the AAP — including a minimum operator age of 16 years, use of a motorcycle helmet, prohibition of passengers and not riding on roadways — would help prevent pediatric ATV-related injuries,” he said.
Almost 16,000 people in the U.S. died from ATV-related injuries from 1982 to 2018, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, including almost 3,400 among youth. In addition to age restrictions, the commission, which hosts a ATV Safety Information Center, recommends that users:
• Always wear a helmet and other protective gear such as eye protection, boots, gloves, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
• Never drive ATVs on paved roads.
• Do not drive ATVs with a passenger or ride as a passenger.
• Take a hands-on safety training course.
For more information on the study, visit https://bit.ly/32HR60A. For more information on ATV safety from CPSC, including PSAs and infographics, visit www.atvsafety.gov.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
