Amen Brother!!! I was told by a dealer that it is illegal for him to sell a youth quad with headlights on it because some do gooders passed legislation thinking this would keep kids off quads at night. Not a bad idea I guess, but isn't that the parents job to dictate when and how there child should ride. I wanted the lights on my sons quad so that other riders can see him better in the woods on overcast days as he rides in and out of the shadows. Obviously these bureaucrats never thought to ask some one who rides or even a manufacturer if this was a good idea. I feel this law has made my son's quad less safe not more. The bottom line for me is this. My son only rides when I ride with him and with all the best safety gear money can buy. I don't need any help from any tree hugger, do goodder, concerned parents group or any other self rigtheous, well intended moron that would like to raise my children as THEY see fit. Yeah it kinda hit a nerve, lol

 

You've got to realize that the CPSC guidelines were designed as liability limiters, not as any basis for realworld usage. Those guidelines exist mostly to keep the owners of public riding lands as well as the ATV manufactures from being held responsible in the event of the inevitable ATV mishap. While following the guidelines WILL save lives, the guidelines do this by limiting who can ride a quad, not by making the sport any safer for all. As the guidelines stand right now, it is almost impossible for a rider between the ages of 13 and 16 to safely ride a quad. While we as riders all know that this is plain stupid, the reality is that if the dealers were free to sell any size quad to any age rider, there would be a certain % of unknowing/uncaring/stupid parents who would purchase full size utes or full blown sport bikes for little JR to ride. Once you get a few cases of 13 year olds breaking their necks while riding a BF or a YZF then the sport (or the dealers) are doomed.

The key to a 'real' solution is training. The key to safe kids operation of ATV's is training and strict parental supervision. Unfortunately, right now there is a weak and inconsistant training system that varies greatly from state to state. I guess no matter what we do, there will always be parents who are basically idiots. For now, the only nationwide guidelines we have are those defunct rulings from the CPSC.

In the meantime, the best thing for parents to do is to make things as safe as possible for their kids who ride while staying within the laws that may apply to wherever you ride. Many states have no age limit rules at all (although that would not stop a potential child endangerment lawsuit if your kid is injured on a quad - the CPSC 'guidelines" will be quoted as well researched safety requirements.) There is a similar status for private riding areas - no one can tell you what size quad your kid can ride on your own property, but that doesn't mean that the parent could not be legally punished if an accident did happen.

I for one will not give up the family value of this sport just because my children have grown to the point that they no longer fit CPSC guidelines. My kids will ride quads that will fit not only their size, but also their riding skill level. Currently that means that my 8 year old rides an LT80, which he also shares with his larger (but only moderately experienced 11 1/2 year old brother). That same 11 1/2 year old will soon start riding the Honda 90 more, as it's time to add shifting and a second hand brake to his riding skills. My 13 year old, who has been riding since he was 6 and has several thousand miles under his belt, is all but off his Honda 90 and rides an Ozark 250. While the Ozark was purchased as a ride for my wife, oldest son is bigger than his mom and has more riding experience. (Time to buy another quad, but that's another story). The 250 sport ute size is as big as I will ever have my kids ride - it will fit them until they are past 18 and can then buy whatever they can afford for themselves.

All my kids spent from six months to a year with supervised riding in our yard before ever seeing a trail. All wear helmets and proper gear and all have in-helmet radios for instant contact. In our riding group, there is ALWAYS an experienced rider leading the pack, as well as the same bringing up the rear. The kids stay "in the saddle" between the more experienced riders. We have just recently started letting my oldest lead the ride, but only on known trails. All our quads have lights which are used as daytime running lights for safety. We have had one night ride - at speeds under 15mph on a very easy and well marked trail (if anyone has been on the main trail system in Darlington, Wisconsin you know what I'm talking about), and I can forsee an occasional night ride under similar conditions.

No matter what we do, this will always be a potentially dangerous sport. I know that it is possible for my kids to get killed or injured due to riding ATV's. However, it's also possible that I too, could get hurt, or my kids could get hit by a drunk driver while riding in the family van etc, etc, etc. Our responsibility as parents is to make things as safe as possible for our kids to ride - eventually that will translate into safer statistics that will show less ATV related injuries, not more. This sport is getting more and more popular each year. Without any changes it stands to reason that the number of injuries - both kids and adult - will increase. The best way around this is to make sure that all ATV riders - both kid and adult - are trained and compentent on the machine that they choose to ride.

Jaybee

 

Hmm- haven't seen these guidelines functioning as liability limiting. Seems more like these 'guidelines' have been regardeed more as gospel. Remember, it's about how much the lawyer get for you, because then he gets more. It's got nothing to do with the punishment fitting the crime- it's about how much they can take you for, unfortunately. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]