Well, I guess I have egg on my face now.... it turns out that Virginia has just adopted a law that outlaws kids under 12 riding anywhere in the state. Out of 50 states only 6 outlaw kids under 12, but many of the other 44 do impose some restrictions regarding size of machine and the need for adult over 18 supervision etc. Now I am in a quandry..... Even my dealer was not aware of this new one.... I expect it will impact a lot of dealer sales....

My apologies to all the safety instructors that I have inpuned....

Guess I will have to think seriously about moving to another state now...

 

If my kid had beens a little taller I would have considered a kart or a buggy to keep my wife off my back, but I couldn't find one with the features I wanted for a 44" person.

They don't fit most atv laws because they don't have a "saddle". No certification or registration required. In my state anyway.


I think something like this would be fun for a larger kid:

buggy

 

I think that is ridiculous for states to outlaw kids under 12 from riding at all. There are ATV's made for that age group, that are safe for them to ride. If anything, make a law stating what they can and can't ride, but that is sad they keep them from having fun. Hold the parents responsible for letting their kids ride oversize quads, whether they get hurt or not. IF they catch your kid riding a quad that is to big, you get the hefty ticket.

 

Problem is what defines an "oversized quad"? Is a 70cc quad that has been modified to produce 12 hp safer than a stock 80cc that produces 6 hp? It's OK for 6 year old to that 70cc according to the industry standards. BUT not the 80! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

Those type of laws make no sense to me.

 

Are not the CPSC age standards 50cc for a 6-11 year old and 90cc for 12-15 year olds?

Its's somewhat confusing tracing down all the internet links on the subject. One could also conclude that all but six States prohibit under age 12 operations. If anyone knows of a concise table of State age requirements I'd be interested in seeing it.

Make note that these age regulations are for operation on public property.

Many believe in demonstrated knowledge, skills and proper fit being appropriete measure for youthful operations -
But, if anyone asks - I know only the laws of my State and hold them out as my official and final answer.

 

This is what my state shows as guidlines. I thought it was the same as the CPSC. I could be mistaken.

Minimum Age
ATV Engine Size

6 years and older
Under 70cc

12 years and older
70 - 90cc

16 years and older
Over 90cc

 

Raptorlegs,

I agree it is hard to judge "oversized" quad. My 9 y/o daughter is a good example, physically she is almost to big for her LT80. But the "guidelines say you should to be 12 y/o to ride it.
The burden I guess would be to show negligence on the parents part by letting their kid ride a quad that was to big for the child. Which might not be that easy
That is the problem with "guidelines", they don't have much bite to them. Although the dealers won't sell you a quad if they know it is for a kid under the age "recommended" for that size quad.
But yet your teenager can go get any car they want right off the bat when they start driving, no matter the horsepower or top speed. They don't have the driving experience yet to handle the speed that cars will go. Probably not a great example, but the same principle. We all know how teenagers like to drive sometimes. I've seen more than my share(to many in fact) of dead teenagers due to their inexperience at driving and doing stupid things. Should we limit what they can drive, and put throttle limiters on their cars? Obvioulsy not very practicle, but would save more of their lives I'd bet.

 

I was kind of surprised myself at the different laws in effect, and of the that outlaw them, you are correct that there are differences in public versus private lands.. Virginia and Maryland are two that outlaw them altogether... most of the others are in the NE. I don't understand it, but in reality I do.. because it is easier to police, and it gives them a warm feeling in their bellies for saving us from ourselves. For those of you that do not have this problem, I'd advise you to keep tabs on what is going on in your local areas..I'd hate for this to snowball....

Whodat, I have to say I may have mis-judged your agenda... I applaud MN forward thinking approach to allowing a kid to demonstrate their ability to handle certain levels of machines instead of bracketing them by age. At least you have alternatives. I wish their were national guidelines that make sense...

In reality, the Virginai law is only a minor setback... I have to trailer the machines anyway to go riding.. so it is more of an inconvenience to me... I am NOT going to fill momma in on the whole deal though... because if I do, it will be sell it time...and I am not going to rob him of the experience.

So far, he has not exhibited a penchant for speed... which is a good thing I think... He likes to putt along in low gear and is content to crawl along the trails in the woods for now. It has also built his confidence, since he is in complete control of it.

 

We keep hearing stats on Kids safety numbers in regards to other kids sports... here is the article...

http://www.atv-mag.com/news/news/200...ne13_catv.html

 

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">ATV Rider Safety Improving</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">
</SPAN><SPAN class=size81><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">(June 13, 2004)</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]ffice[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]ffice" /><o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) quietly released a study in the fall of 2002 that shows, on a per capita basis, ATV-related injuries were lower than most other recreational activities. The injury statistics were gathered through the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which compiles statistics from a sampling of 99 hospitals, including children’s hospitals. <o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The statistics revealed the estimated rate of product-use related injuries was 201.0 for bicycles and accessories, and 73.9 for ATVs (all figures are per 100,000 population in the U.S. and territories). Other recreational activities had the following rates – baseball, softball 106.9; football 147.3; and basketball 232.3.<o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The statistics refute many false perceptions regarding ATV rider safety. Although the figures may surprise some, many people who ride and use ATVs regularly agree the study confirms their experience. <o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The ATV industry points to the extensive ongoing promotion of rider safety as an important factor for improving user safety. The Canadian All-Terrain Vehicle Distributors Council (CATV) is a national not-for-profit trade association and has played a leading role in promoting the safe and responsible use of ATVs across Canada.<o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Canada Safety Council, a national non-government not-for-profit public service organization, also plays an important role in improving rider safety. It administers ATV Rider Safety Training courses operated by certified instructors across Canada.<o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The courses are based on field-tested techniques regarding operating controls, reading terrain and analyzing risk, turning, ascending and descending hills, avoiding obstacles and stopping at slow and higher speeds. A separate course is also available for children under 14 whose parents permit them to ride an ATV.<o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></o[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]></SPAN>