Just read this on another forum.

Too Young To Drive, Too Young To Ride
Joint campaign urges parents to keep kids off ATVs

Edmonton, Canada - Last year in Alberta five children were killed riding All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), and hundreds more were injured. ATVs have become a leading cause of serious pediatric injuries in this province prompting Capital Health's Kidsafe Connection and the Northern Lights Health Region to co-launch the Too Young to Drive, Too Young to Ride campaign to address the escalating situation.

"Parents need to understand that children are not sustaining bumps and bruises when they are involved in an incident with an ATV. When things go wrong with an ATV, they go very wrong," said Dr. Bill Sevcik, Emergency Department physician at Capital Health's Stollery Children's Hospital. "To witness so many perfectly healthy children ending up in the emergency department with life-threatening injuries in the name of fun or recreation is distressing, particularly since these injuries are perfectly preventable."

This past Victoria Day long weekend, the Stollery Children's Hospital Emergency Department saw a total of 12 patients with ATV injuries, six of them major traumas and three others classified as serious traumas.

"The numbers are alarming but more than that, these families are enduring unnecessary heartbreak and loss," said Sevcik.

Thanks to contributions from the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation and the Northern Lights Health Region Foundation, a radio, print ad and poster campaign is now underway urging parents to keep their kids off ATVs.

"Kids can wear the safety gear but it doesn't protect them from the reality that they do not have the strength, skills or judgment to be riding these vehicles," said Dr. Brian Dufresne, Emergency Department physician, Northern Lights Health Region. "It's really very simple - if you're too young to drive, you're too young to ride."

 

In my opinion this is a case by case situation. There are adults that I would say aren't ready for ATV riding/driving. It has little to do with age and more to do with judgement and responsible riding.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: immerume2

In my opinion this is a case by case situation. There are adults that I would say aren't ready for ATV riding/driving. It has little to do with age and more to do with judgement and responsible riding.</end quote></div>

Exactly, plus having parents who are really supervising their kids, not throwing them on an ATV and saying come back in an hour. My grandson is 12 and is still not allowed to drive without me leading and another adult following. If we find an area with some small hills and visibility is good, I will park on top of a hill and let him go, him knowing I'm watching everything he does. I'm thinking he's going to have to be around 16 before I'm willing to let him lead or go off with friends, but even that will depend on how mature I think he is.

 

also it depends on the atv also. i would not let a 10 or 12 yo jump on a 700 or 800 whether i was leading them or not. i would be on the machine with them showing them the correct way of handeling the atv.

 

I started my son out at 5 yrs old riding with me.At 6 we got him a 50cc,helmet,boots and chest protector.He rode this for a couple years and had some crashes(one bad one racing in a MX race) but at the age of 16 he is now one of the safest riders I ride with.But he was taught by example with proper gear and was graduated up to bigger quads by his experiance and skill levels.He rides a modded 350 Warrior and can out ride most anyone(wants a KFX400 but the funds arent there)

 

im 15 and just 5' 2" and i got a hawkeye, and i think it all depends mainly on the size/weight of the rider. there is a kid that i know that is 13 and 250 lbs, not fat, but like big like a man and he has a raptor 700 and a SP 800. we have underage accidents here in central FL too, but its always because a kid just isnt being safe enough and not using common sense. last year we had a crash because a 14 yr old kid got an ATV (not sure what size, but he was underage for it) for his b-day, ran head-on into a telephone poll on the highway the NEXT DAY and died. and last year, 2 kids ran into each other head on going too fast down a skinny trail. it all depends on all the situation, i personally dont think there is a "right or wrong" answer with the age.

 

What is a proper age to ride what size quad is just like what is a proper age to handle their own computer and have internet access and what is a proper age to be able to safely handle a gun or fireworks.

It really is a parents "responsibility" to determine all of these things. However, in this day and age where rather than being "responsible" or "being the parent" we are too worried about having our kids be "our friends."

This leads our government and the groups to needing to protect everyone, because plain and simple the majority of the masses don't know or understand appropriate boundaries and therefore need someone to set them. Unfortunately, if we don't fight it with responsibilty we will succumb and thus will become "lawbreakers" when we have our fully capable and responsible children out there learning and behaving appropriately beside, in front or behind us in our adventures.

Oh well enough on the soapbox.
It really should be a parental decision, but not every parent is capable of making that type of decision.

 

There a tons of groops looking at shutting down orv's as a whole anyway and if someone or someone's don't get a grip on this situation we all will have <span class="FTHighlightFont">nothing</span ft> to ride!

I could poss even see (not that I am for it) licenses for atv's! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

Let's not give them any more ammo than they allready have!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DODGE57HEMI

There a tons of groops looking at shutting down orv's as a whole anyway and if someone or someone's don't get a grip on this situation we all will have <span class="FTHighlightFont">nothing</span ft> to ride!



I could poss even see (not that I am for it) licenses for atv's! [img][/img]



Let's not give them any more ammo than they allready have!</end quote></div>

I've come to realize that certain groups just can't stand to see the rest of us have fun.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>
I've come to realize that certain groups just can't stand to see the rest of us have fun.</end quote></div>


Yea that is the general gist of the problem.
You can usually tell who the "members" are too.
They constantly walk around with a sad or sour look on their face just looking for people having fun.

I think the real sign that something was up were the rule changes in the No Fun League No more could a victorious player spike the pig in the endzone or do a little victory dance.

Both of those are "Unsportsmanlike"

hahah