So now your saying that it is OK for YOU to go against manufacturers recomendations and only ride with one hand on the handle bars?? But it is not OK for me to allow my 5yo with full riding gear and constant supervision to ride! Sounds a little hypocritical to me!!

My childs safety is paramount with me as I am sure it is with others in this forum, but that does not mean I am going to lock him in a bubble until he is 20!!

You talk about children gettin hurt on these quads but I have never seen any info on how many of these children were not being supervised, not wearing helmets and riding double. From what I have read these are 3 of the most prevelant factors in atv deaths and injuries, NOT AGE!!! As a matter of fact, I would really like to see some stats on this.

Chris

 

Mini Quad safety is within many of our books. Many of us read and follow sites like http://www.atvsafety.org/ Many of us read the Safe Riding section within each of our manuals, and many of us parents send our kids on safety courses. After dinner tonight, I just read a nice artical within ATVMAG about http://www.collett.mb.ca/ Pretty good artical and I think I'll get it for my 7 year old daugher. Last week, I read about a Quad Jamberie for other 1,000 quads. Surf: http://www.springjam.ca/ My defensiveness isn't from what you are saying, its how you are saying it. You make mini-quad riders immediately sound like they are breaking the law. Like a cop who immediately thinks everyone is breaking the law - (except them of course). Yes, everyone is "by default" breaking the law, everyone will get hurt and everyone needs to be lectured. Lectured because of "real examples" in your files. By your examples, it is from the limited few people who chose to drive "outside the norm" of safety & ethical boundaries. Because of this, you chose to lecture everyone about the negativity of quads, especially for our kids. Can't you see any positives of anyone under 16 riding a mini-quad??? If you can't, then perhaps this isn't the right forum for you????

Like I stated before, we're "on the same page" as you but on different paragraphs. A much more positive paragraph that has more postive memories, full of positive industry support (like the above URLs) and full of positive enjoyment with each of our kids.

With your political connections and authority (as you put it), please don't lecture us about the small amount of the limited few. Try to help us make our sport even better. For example, How do you install mandatory lights on all minis, how do you install foot brakes on minis, what are a few sites we can teach our young riders more safety, how can you lobby our industry to make lighter minis, tell the the safety differences between twist and thumb control, etc. etc. Please don't lecture us about "number of deaths and get a puppy". If you truely are on "our side", I beg you to help each of us make our machines and young riders even better....

Hope this helps....

.

 

One last attempt:

First - I don't spoon feed safety to make anyone "feel better". As a master skydiver, commercial pilot and ATV safety instructor I have learned that safety issues are not suppose to be warm fuzzy hugs that are easily dismissed. These are serious issues that have significant life or death impact and need to be communicated in black and white. I have seen dead children. I have seen lost arms and legs. And I have seen fathers loose visitation and/or custody of their children for child endangerment because they ignored the commonly known safety standards and their child was injured. Anyone has the right to choose their own path. I try to stick to standards in educating the expectations and consequences of those choices. No fluff. Just the facts.

Let me break it down for you.

I personally believe that young people can and do ride legally and very safely on mini quads. Adults need to be involved to ensure the proper equipment and decision making is involved. These are not motorized baby sitting machines.

I personally started all three of my kids riding a mini quad. But they didn't get a bigger machine until they met the age, training, testing and competency requirements.

The issues here are -

3-5 year old children (as an example from some posts) are below the recommended and mandated age requirements - the recommended quad size for those little people remains a tricycle accompanied by a puppy.

It would be irresponsible to recommend a larger quad then what is recommended or legal for minimum age / competency. It not only adds to the accident incident rate but it portrays the sport as being irresponsible. No one argues that the age restrictions are not perfect. But they are the law. Tell it to your congressman - not a parent looking for a quad.

The opponents of ATV's - from safety, environment or access perspectives takes advantage of every opportunity to chip away at our public ATV riding privileges. In our area - television ads run regularly showing home movies of three 5-7 year olds riding 500 and 700cc machines through a mud hole - while kneeling on the seat and stretching to reach the handlebars. These very well organized and funded groups are out to ban ATV operation entirely. They don't care about your 10 year old being to big for a 90cc. But the ads really hurt us in the legislature each year. They are indefensible and carry a lot of weight.

Being part of the solution means talking and acting as if everyone is listening and watching.

 

Chris - You admit to not knowing the stats on atv deaths and injuries based on age - but you argue that age is not a factor - based on what?. A little research will indicate that age is by far the #1 factor in these incidents. The highest percentage of accidents is in the youngest age groups. Do your own research as it will be more educational.

Also - adaptive technology to overcome a disability is not in violation of any manufactures recommendations. Show me where anything says that it is. You are basing your myopic opinion on your riding style. My dragging the ice fishing sled out of the yard onto the lake is not really a two handed job. Have you ever seen hand controls in a car for someone without use of their legs? Does Ford or GM require both legs be operational? Does Polaris? Arctic Cat or Honda?

Your exaggerations take away so much from your position. 12 is the minimum required age to ride on public property here - nobody said 20. Try to stay in band.

 

I am not sure about the Death rate or accident stats(I am going to look) for the youth involved w/ ATV's. I can only speak about some accidents that have been brought to my attention. So far all of them have involved KIDS riding much larger than a 90cc quad, more than 1 rider, unsupervised ( No PARENTAL UNIT to be found) and none where wearing proper gear. To me that means there is a parent that needs a good A$$ kicking.

I can only speak for me and I am sure alot of other parents on this forum we take saftey and supervision to be the most important thing when it comes our kids. I stand by my choice for buying the 90. I am the type that believes in what I do with and for my boys and would never put them in any type of situation that I did not think they were able to handle...Hell my kid has been riding for just under a year and I still and will continue to use his throttle screw until I feel good about it , not him.

Recomendations and restrictions that are put on these quads are insane. 200 pd. 12 yr old with 5yrs. experience on a 90 is nuts. Sorry thats how I feel.

 

Look at it this way, I was 6' when I was twelve, a 90 c.c., dont' think so. My oldest boy started on a 50 when he was 5yrs. He is now going on 9 and I got him a marshin 150, fits him pretty well with some training, he'll be riding this one as well as any adult within 6mo. Being a certain age doesn't mean your ready for a certain task, maturity, mindset, and training play a much bigger role. That goes for adults who don't know me or my kids passing any kind of judgement on what we decide to ride