After having to constantly assure mommy for two years that it would be safe for us to purchase a mini quad for our youngest progeny, and spending the $ for a new machine, boots, pants, chest protector, helmet, goggles, gloves etc... my wife begrungingly gives me the green light to begin schooling of our son. She also has to tag along every time he rides for fear I won't make him wear all of his gear... For goodness sakes woman, I won't ride without it, why do you think I would let HIM go without it. I even put my helmet on when loading the damn things...

After waiting almost 2 years to get the into class, next thing I know up comes the safety training instructor quoting all this data and convinces my wife that no kid under 12 should be riding an ATV... What he did not tell her was the statistics also showed that the kids getting hurt and or killed are almost exclusively getting into trouble on larger full sized machines and that the mini quads have a much better safety record... When I tell her that.. of course she won't believe me, I am the one who "lied" to her remember? My opinion is biased in her eyes.

I just wish the safety training guys would just stick to teaching the right and wrong skills, and when they quote facts, that they give the whole picture so that parents can make their own decisions... not try and interject their own opinions, and twist the conversation as they see fit to make their point.

I feel that he has a bigger chance of getting hurt or killed on a bike, or that damn scooter she insisted on buying him which has already resulted in three trips to the emergency room to help keep bodily fluids where they belong... Statistically speaking, there are more injuries in soccer, baseball, and football than occur on ATV's each year.. but nobody seems to care about that. It's healthy exercise remember?

 

Dragginbutt,

When I read your post, I reflected back on our situation with guns. In the old days, I grew up with guns. BB, Pellet, 22, 410, 45, single shot gun, etc. Under my parent's strick control, we had a blast shooting targets and eliminating ground hogs in our huge farm. On a good year, we even had Deer and Pheasant on our dinner table. Today, if you even mention the word "gun" in my old community, be prepared for an immediate lecture. Lecture on how bad guns are, how they WILL kill somebody, etc. Why? All because of media's and government's negative publicity on guns. Are mini's comparable to guns? NOT even close!!!! But the media's and government's sure are doing a great job in putting these tools into the same "negative emotional" catagory. Sounds like the emotional brain washing have succeeded with your ATV Instructor and your wife too.

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I tell you what! I think I'd have lit into his butt. There are 4 year olds that handle a quads more responsibly than some 15 year olds. You can't label an age and only the parent knows whether are not their child has the discipline necessary to handle one.

According to him, I should probably be dead since I started at 5. Well guess what? I'm still alive and kicking and I'm a better driver and rider for the experience.

That just flat makes me mad.

 

Yeah... he is lucky I didn't get to talk to him... he called while I was out of the house on an errand... the thing I find very scary about the whole deal is 1) they want to take the parent out of the equation by interjecting their own opinion and preying on emotion, and it just seems to me to be vigilantism... 2) it appears he is not alone on his one man crusade. Our instructor friend from Minnesota has the same opinion, and the thread went on forever on that one, until being removed.

If these people as instructors have personal problems with teaching the legal, by their standards, under 12 rider, they have no business being training instructors in my book. I am tired of the statistical twisting to support their personal agenda's.

Stick to the training curriculum and keep out of the politics... we have enough problems with tree huggers and misinformed politicians trying to take our sport away from us, we don't need to fight this from within.

It is enough to make one wonder if the tree huggers are trying to destroy us from within by infiltrating the core of our sport. I wholeheartedly endorse everyone to contact the safety association and tell them to curb the political statements of their teaching staff!!!

 

Just to let you all know where this is going... I told momma that we will just have to go ahead and make that Rhino purchase then... so he can ride along...

Now that seems to have caused a new set of fears in her, as she knows what I am capable of doing...

She has lived with me for 30 + years, and knows of the days when I was the hellion on two wheels that every cop and neighbor of hers was out looking to kick my sorry butt. They complained so much that I switched from a dual sport to a car with open headers, flame throwers the works... if they only knew what they were getting in to, they would have welcomed the bike riding...

I figured they should be applauding instead of throwing rakes and shovels at me....I mean the late Doug Demokas (sp), the wheelie king didn't have anything on me.... They should count their blessings.. I started driving quarter midgets (on alcohol) and upgraded to shifter karts in my neighborhood... they had it easy by the time I was 16....and chasing the girls on the other side of th etracks.

Ah yes.... those were the days... I'd kick my kids butts all the way around the block if they ever attempted to repeat my antics... but I can sure sympothize with them when they get caught by the authorities.... But that is another story... I got chastized in court when I laughed too hard at my older son's trial for doing mondo wheelies... That was when mommy started attending sessions for fear I would give the court the wrong impression...

I had to ask the judge if he had ever done anything like that when he was a teenager, he thought for a moment and smiled... and let the kid off... Never did tell us what he had done... fined me $25 for contempt of court though.....it was worth it I guess...

 

"Stick to the training curriculum and keep out of the politics...".

Like many of this forum, I've had more then my share of living below poverty, doing massive amounts of physical work and working 18 hour days just to save a few dollars. A few dollars to pay my own way into college. When I read your comment (above), I reflected back on my college days. I had one instructor who's head was so wide, you could see it 50 feet away. Out of no where, she started lecturing her 15 students why anyone would ever want to be an auto mechanic. She called them cheaters, she called them "grease monkeys" and many other names in the book. After 10 minutes of lecturing my entire class about bad things of being a "grease monkey", she immediately stated her son would NEVER be allowed to attend auto mechanic school. As quoted, "over my dead body". She then requested a 10 minute break. As she sat on the back porch of our portable, I looked at her thought "what a Prejudice so and so!!!". Sounds like your ATV Instructor is prejudice as well..... Funny how folks like this hide it so well..... Until one day, their true colours appear.... Something to think of....

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You guys just dont get it.

To be a ATV safety instructor to PROMOTE youthfull ATV riding - the instructor has to play by the rules. An ATV instructor would be fired for even suggesting that a child under the minimum State age requirements operate a ATV.

These are not the ATV instructors rules - these are the State laws (not all states have these laws - see your individual State laws) and if you have a gripe with the laws - then talk to your law makers.

Instructors are working to serve the legal age groups to improve safety and provide for a more informed and knowledgeable group of youthfull riders. Without these programs it would be very likely that ATV operation on public property would be limited to those persons with a drivers license.

You can't expect State/DNR or whatever employees to promote violating the laws. If you want your kids to ride outside of these regulations - then ride on private property until your child meets the legal age requirements.

Also note - We all agree on the over-sized quad issue and that being where the majority of serious and fatal injurys come from. In my opinion - all of these rules for youthfull riders are the result of a minority of parents making poor decisions that has basically ruined it for everyone else. Maybe when you come across some of these folks - you can think about what they have contributed to the situation, and give the instructors a little bit of break for their doing their jobs the way they are required to.

 

Did he say no kid under 12 should be on an atv or no kid under 12 should be on a Raptor 80? While I don't agree turning you away was the right thing to do, he might have worried about being liable. If so, buy new stickers and try to pass it off as a Yamoto 70 or something.

 

Not an issue on the raptor 80, I had arranged to borrow a raptor 50 for the class. ( my local dealer has a used one that he will let me use for a day)

 

So there is no law standing in your way?