I just decided to wait til i was 16 so i didnt have to pay the cost, and i dont think that there is anything that they will be able to teach you unless you are under the age of 12. plus this way i didnt have to ride any 90cc quads.

 

Lapeerbanshee,
I wished I had a dollar for every student that told me I would'nt teach then nothing in my ATV safety Education classes..There is FAR more to an ATV safety class than just learning the correct way to ride an ATV..There are ORV laws that are changing faster than the weather,and if you dont know them,your going to get your butt into a load of trouble.

 

You want mandates, that's where it should be. Quads aren't babysitters. It has to be a family venture.

A) Get your kid good protective gear
B) Supervise CLOSELY
C) Get a lightweight machine the child fits

These are the EASIEST ways to reduce injuries/fatalities for children imo.

Lot's of good advice here guys! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Hi all,
Usually dont have to work much but its been busy lately so havent been around. Am still very interested in this post. Jeffro, many many good points. The question for me is how do you reach out to all those others that are not responding to this post. Its the old saying "preachin to the choir". I have ridden alot of diff bikes, road and dirt, flown aircraft both Fixed wing and heli and I have every intention of going to a safety course. Does anybody have something going other than classes to reach out and inform. I mean I guess if I am out riding and see a kid without a helmet or on too big a bike I would say something to their "adults" But other than that what can we do? I'm too new to know.

lets hear your thoughts.....

 

Be careful what you say and to whom. In Arizona its legal to carry guns!!

 

STIFF penalities for violators of ORV laws and BIG fines for those that dont adhere to the laws..Hit the abusers in their pocketbooks and hit them hard..

And we must POLITELY police our own sport.If I see someone doing something wrong while operating an ORV,I have NO PROBLEM introducing myself and explaining the problem..To date,I've never even come close to a hassle.

 

Jeffro, I am afraid you now see the point.. where a very small percentage of riders are vocal enough about their complaints, that they will spend a few minutes discussing the issues. An even smaller number will actually take it any further than that. There are a few that will work within the industry for change. This could be as a local representative that keeps abreast of local issues and upchanneling them to larger organizations.. or it might be by becoming involved as an intructor, or trail ambassador.... Simple things, but things that take time...

It is pretty easy to ask yourself what can one person do? Let me assure you that every major project that has ever been completed, from placement of a local stop sign, to a national freeway system started with one person's idea... by sharing it with others... and involving an ever growing group of people.. it eventually blossoms into something quite wonderful. Take for example the Hatfield McCoy trail system... it started as an idea... now it is changing the whole economic outlook in the region... DON'T underestimate the power of an idea.

Muddy has on several occasions highlighted the forward thinking program in MI. Believe it or not, in MN, they have some good ideas for demonstrating ability, and moving up a class of machine... I guess the question is what effect this deviation from the guidelines has had on the injury statistics. Take the obvious ones where the kids were not riding the correct size without the certification, and see how it stacks up with those that have achieved the right to move up. Whodat has cited kids getting injured even after passing the course and getting certified for moving up. But I wonder if they are worse off, or better off...

Either way, I think an informed study needs to be conducted, and work begun to review the guidelines...with the goal of updating them to meet present conditions. One caveat.. that nothing be taken away from us...

I have said before that when considering mental capacity and decision processes... age limitations make sense... especially for the newbie total novice... EVEN if the child IS capable of riding a larger machine.. spending a few months getting seat time going slow is not going to hurt them one bit.

The real issue is not so much with the CC versus age issue... it really is that Manufacturers need to porduce a larger frame machine to fit the kids that are outsized. Let's face it, our 12 year olds in the West are larger than 12 year olds in the far East... We need a larger machine. Also, why can't someone make a machine with adjustible seat hights, peg positions, bars etc. that adjust upwards as the child grows? I can get that with the cheapest bicycle on the market.. Why not on a quad?

 

List a few for me, if i follow all the rules in the ORV safety pamphlet then i would assume that i couldnt get my butt in a load of trouble?

 

The problem here is that even the ORV Guidebook for Michigan is HARD to understand for most folks,INCLUDING the DNR...For example,your 7 yr old kid can ride an off road cycle if he/she is ORV certified and under the direct visual supervision of an adult while operating parts of our 3100 miles of designated trails in Michigan,however,his twin brother cant ride his 90cc ATV UNLESS he is on private property while performing farm related work operations,BUT he could operate any ATV that has an engine size OVER 500CC as long as he is ORV certified and under the direct visual supervision of an adult while operating.WHY??--go to page 3 of your Michigan ORV Guidebook,and you'll see that once an ATV exceeds 500cc or is less than 50cc in MICHIGAN,it is not an ATV,but its a ORV,and ORVs have NO AGE restrictions in Michigan for their use.

 

I was not aware of that, but I really didnt want to have to pay the cost for the class just to listen to all the rules and regulations.