RideRed420,
Let me start off by saying I never like to hear of things like this happening to anyone. But, as I read your post I got a little PO’ed and couldn’t help but to wonder what you guys were doing riding ATV’s on the roads in ONF (much less hauling @ss down the road)? In Ocala National Forest you are not supposed to be running down the roads at all with ATV’s. Also, from what I gather from your discription (missing facial parts) at least one of your friends was not wearing a helmet (my assumption) .

Come on people, when things like this happens it makes us all look bad.

There are organizations around the country that would like to see our ATV butts banned from places like Ocala National Forrest and stories like this only gives fuel to their fire. Me, my wife and my kids, enjoy riding in Ocala and I do not want to lose the privilege. Please act responsibly, wear a helmet and obey the rules of your local riding area!


Stepping off my soap box now,
Sorry for the rant and I hope your friends make a full recovery.

DMH

 

DMH, you couldnt be more on track then your comments here. I to feel for the injured - but not unlike my skydiving buddys would quickly reply- "if your going to be stupid ya gotta be tough". Seems that rule is appropriete in just about anything we dare ourselves into doing.


Just about everywhere I go the damage to property, the reckless driving and disregard for the rules is rampant. It wont be long and I predict that riding on public land will be banned. There is no way that communities, forest management and law enforcement will tolerate the ever increasing intentional violations by out of control riders.


We all make mistakes - I'm not holding myself up as any better then anyone else. Heck, I'm sitting here with a broken colar bone, broken ribs and hip injury. The bruises are gone now, was black and blue from neck to thigh - and more black then blue. I was doing a reverse Michael Jackson there for a while... I went over backwards attemping to steep of a hill with my wife on the back and we did a Jack'n Jill for 3 complete loops to the bottom. The 1000 pound 500HO flattened me at least twice. My wife escaped serious injury. If it werent for pure luck I should be either dead or parapylegic. No helmet. It wasn't suppose to be anything more the a road ride... SO.... I've discovered that I'm not all that tough - so going forward, my riding will be a lot less stupid.


I will offer my prayers, and some advice... How tough will you need to be? - Think about it.

 

dmh,

yeah your right they should have worn helmets.....
and i dont run on the roads out there...

but i did go buy a helmet monday afternoon.....
which i will wear from now on.............

 

Hope your friend comes out ok, thats horrible. I always wear a helmet, but sometimes ride on a dirt road similar to those at ONF, and that story is disturbing. Sometimes when you ride at big cypress, you ride down turner river road to get to different trailheads. One may do 5 or 6 miles at 35-40mph.... Had anyone determined what caused the accident? Were the tires bald/weak?

 

light man,
the tire just blew..........

they were in good shape,
they were pure sport- bandits

 

Your friend is in the prayers of a few folks here in Sarasota.

 

Tell your friend, he is in our prayers!

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: WhoDatInDaMud
..."Just about everywhere I go the damage to property, the reckless driving and disregard for the rules is rampant. It wont be long and I predict that riding on public land will be banned. There is no way that communities, forest management and law enforcement will tolerate the ever increasing intentional violations by out of control riders......."

I'm offering my prayers here also and a big 'amen' to Who-dat-in-the-mud.

Does anyone know what the 2nd biggest cause for the actions he describes above 'is' behind pure stupidity (sometimes called the law of natural selection?).

NO FEAR OF PROSECUTION!!!

I've been waving this flag around for I don't know how long and I have yet to see ONE PERSON stand up and agree with me.

Put on a full face helmet; jump on a machine with no plates (or plates so small that you can't read them in motion.......see any state that requires them) and all the time you're 'incognito' riding; know full well that there are very few officers on quads and even less that will run you down!

LARGE, FLOURESCENT (and I mean 'loud') NUMBERS ON ALL ATVS!!!

As Who-Dat said; this sport is going to 'he11 in a handbasket' and only DESPERATE measures are going to save it.

Isn't it funny how only 'honest' riders, who respect our rules, would be against such a thing?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

"But...but....but those ugly numbers would clash with my 'color' scheme and I wouldn't look 'cool'!!" [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]