He was riding a stock Banshee.

 

I watch the news piece on CBS.

10 year old kid was trapped under a 500 pound quad flipped on top of him on his neighbors ranch.

The news in general was slighty bashing with the parents saying "we need more laws" yet they also don't really take responsibility for letting the kid ride in the first place as they admitted, "quads are expensive so families often get only one machine."

They also showed brief shots of Glamis mayhem, and maybe a 7-8 year old mudding pretty deep, kids was even standing on the rear rack to reach the bars while in 2-3' deep water.

Once again, where were the parents?

Stop "asking for more laws"........that ain't gonna stop the irresponsible.

85% of us get blamed for the 15% darwin award winners.

sigh.

 

My 04 Z400 has at least 5 tags, and stickers all over the dam thing specifically saying NO RIDERS UNDER THE AGE OF 16. They will even pay me $100 to take a ATV riding safty class. What else can the manufactures do to prevent this? NOTHING. Its up to the parents to decide what skill their kids can ride at. My stepson and daughter were riding a highly modified TRX 250R (310 stroker kit) when they were 11 and 12 years old with no problems at all but they have also been riding quads and bikes their whole lives. I would not think for a second that your average inexperienced 12 year old has any business even sitting on this bike. This is just another BS case of the media blaming the makers of a product for adult stupidity, plain and simple.

 

I think the manufacturer's are doing a great job! Suzuki called us to set up the atv training course. They gave us $100. My boyfriend said it was an excellent course. He took it twice! And you are correct, there are tons of warning labels on the quads now. Parents need to be responsible for their children. It's easy to blame everyone else.

 

Should a 16 year old beginner driver be allowed to hop in a Mustang Cobra w/ a supercharger and a 200 shot of NOS? Definitely not. Is there a law against it? Definitely not.(Well, maybe the NOS part) Anybody here know a 15 year old rider that weighs 185 and is 6 feet tall. I do. Do you have any idea how stupidly ridiculous it is to put that guy on a 90cc quad? Parents should judge thier childs riding ability and size and fit that to a quad. I feel that services should be offered by dealers to help parents decide what quad is best suited for their child. Inevitably, a parent will sue a dealer because the dealer "told them this quad was safe for thier child." There is no way to keep kids from dying without putting them in a padded room. I know as many people that have been severely injured on horses and riding bulls as I do that have been injured on quads. Therefore, anyone under 16 should have to ride a shetland pony, in my opinion. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it. If you don't like quads, keep your kids off of them. If you don't like football, don't let your kids play. If you don't want your kids driving, don't get them a car.

 

I think it's a shame that today's society has adopted the mentality that it's always the other person's fault. If a parent lets their 7 year old ride an adult quad and they get hurt or even worse killed then it's the parent's fault, not the manufacturer. I see the same thing happening in the gun industry. People are blaming the gun manufacturers for people getting murdered with guns. Bottom line is people kill people, not guns!! Parents as well as all atvers need to take responsibility for their actions. ATVing, as well as many other daily activities, is dangerous and everyone knows that. It's just too bad we live in a very litigious society where everyone is after a quick buck, even if it means the demise of something they love to do.

 

Parental control over their youth is part of the problem, but the biggest part of it is the fact that most families who purchase ATVs see them as being something to just jump on and forget about it. Just like the watercraft market.

I have seen this new "type of family" emerge over the last 5 years with my own two eyes. Before anyone starts denying that, don't bother unless you have been selling these things for the last 14 years.

The PWC market has hit it's all time low and only has more doom and gloom ahead. Our sport is next until these people realize that [1] ATVs are not babysitters [2]It's not a streetbike and [3] Just because it has 4 wheels doesn't neccessarily make it safer than a motorcycle

I love this sport and all those who partake in it, but there are those misinformed out there who only see 4 wheels and a break from the kid.

 

The battle cry of all the politicians is "there ought to be a law" Thats how they justify their jobs and big fat salaries. They can point out and say "I supported ..." Or "I introduced..."

What we really need is more common sense and folks being responsible for their own actions. Parents need to properly supervise thier kids and teach them to ride responsibly and safely. (Some parents may need to learn how to do this themselves before they teach their kids.) My point is The enemy may be us. Parents are "too busy" to spend quality time with their kids. If more folks would spend time riding with their kids, and teaching them right from wrong they would probably find that they enjoy it for one thing, and raise great kids in the process. You dont just start telling a 16 year old how to do things. You must earn his or her respect long before they hit 16, then offer guidence, not lay down the LAW.