Another ATV accident

[indyjohn]

If sense were common everyone would have it.

QFT.

 

[Willie]

I follow all the CO districts on Face Book and it s pretty well every day there is an ATV/UTV accident somewhere in the state.

The rally sad ones are the kids...

 

[CountryBoy19]

Sad to say but the 7 year old girl that died from a crash a few weeks back was sitting between her mother and an adult friend. Kids are not the only ones riding recklessly.

The vast majority of crashes are negligence or ignorance...

Like many, I also follow the DNR districts FB pages. I believe one of the "lessons" posted on one of them as to why extra passengers are NOT supposed to be on ATV's is because of reduced operator maneuverability means increased risk of tip-over. IE, that extra seat-space isn't for passengers, it's for you to move on the seat, to the side of the seat etc to change the center of gravity as you encounter varied terrain. Parking passengers, especially children on that seat reduces your ability to do so and was a likely culprit of that crash. If you want to carry passengers get a UTV and only have them seated (and buckled in) where they are supposed to be.

Unfortunately, making laws will not fix ANY of this; those that are diligent enough to follow helmet laws are also those diligent enough to know the safe limits of ATVs/UTVs.

 

[White Squirrel]

I saw a couple Saturday coming down the road in front of my house. Both adults, probably mid-20s. Our road is only a mile long and is extremely curvy. The female was driving, or at least she was on the front of the ATV, and she looked terrified. They male was on behind her, leaning over her and holding the handlebars and they were zooming along wide open, taking their half out of the middle of the road. After they passed, I kept thinking I would be hearing sirens soon, coming to scrape them off of someone's grill.

I have had the unpleasant experience several years ago of coming upon a fatal motorcycle accident right after it happened. I really don't want to have that kind of experience again.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Bumped to say that the helmet law was signed by the Governor today... I dislike it greatly... and even though I take the safety of myself and my children very seriously, my Polaris Ranger I hope to have someday will not be a UTV/ATV, it will be farm equipment just to avoid this sort of lunacy. https://www.duboiscountyfreepress.com/new-atv-helmet-bill-signed-law/

FWIW, for anybody that wants to see if their ATV/UTV qualifies as farm equipment (exempt from registration/seat-belt/helmet laws) look at the discussion in this thread: https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...acres-mule-educate-me-mule-i-am-clueless.html