Should Kids Be Banned from Riding ATVs?

November 2007

With an estimated 40,400 children reporting to emergency rooms in the United States in 2005 with injuries due to ATV accidents, many experts feel that riding recreational vehicles should be illegal for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that kids under 16 years of age be banned from using all-terrain vehicles due to risk of injury.

Research has shown that ATV injuries have more than doubled from 1998 to 2006. With rising popularity, many doctors and researchers feel that this epidemic of ATV injuries will only worsen with time. Pennsylvania is currently the national leader in ATV-related deaths.

Groups in support of ATV manufacturers and riders disagree with medical experts. They feel that the growing amount of child ATV injuries and hospital visits are the result of parents who disregard the safety guidelines provided by the ATV industry. To prevent injuries, experts suggest that children should always be supervised by parents and wearing protective gear while riding ATVs.