ATVs and Kids: A Deadly Summer Mix
Off-road vehicles injure thousands of children every year, one doctor says.
June 21, 2007 — -- With the arrival of warmer weather, thousands of people will be dusting off their outdoor recreational vehicles and zipping along back roads, climbing sand dunes and negotiating mountain trails. In recent years, the popularity of off-road vehicles has soared, particularly all-terrain vehicles known as ATVs.
While all this sounds like good, clean fun, ATV use has led to what some have called an ongoing epidemic of injury and death, especially in children.
ATVs have been around for more than 30 years. They were introduced into the United States in 1971 by Honda Motor Corp. In fact, three-wheeled ATVs were featured in the popular James Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever," deftly maneuvering across the Nevada desert.
Designed for off-road or nonpaved terrain, ATVs have motorcycle-type handlebars and large, low-pressure tires set on three or four wheels. They do not require a license to operate and they are regulated by any governmental agency. Currently, more than 1 million of them are sold annually in the United States.
The rising popularity of ATVs has been accompanied by an increasing number of injuries and deaths related to their use. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 7,000 deaths have occurred as the result of ATV-related accidents from 1982 to 2005.
After a decline in the early 1990s, annual injuries and deaths related to ATVs have been steadily increasing. In 2005, more than 136,000 people required emergency room visits to treat ATV-related injuries. Children younger than 16 have accounted for approximately 30 percent of these injuries and deaths.
The types of nonfatal injuries in children include fractures, contusions, lacerations, concussions and burns. These nonfatal injuries can be life-threatening and life-altering, with at least 40 percent of hospitalized children requiring intensive care.
Helmets offer children some protection, but the fatalities seen in this age group are not always due to traumatic brain injury. In fact, one study found that 50 percent of children involved in an ATV-related accident died from causes other than head trauma.
