The popularity of riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)has grown in recent years. So has the number ofATV accidents involving kids.
ATVs are heavy and powerful. They often weigh300 to 600 pounds and can go 50 miles perhour or faster. But children often don’t have thestrength, motor skills, or driving experience tohandle them.
A report in the journal Pediatrics estimated thatmore than 108,000 kids age 15 and younger receivedemergency care for ATV accidents over three years.The kids had broken bones, cuts, and facial injuries.Other research has found that children are four timesas likely as adults to die from an ATV injury.
Experts like the American Academy of Pediatrics andSafe Kids Worldwide, a child safety advocacy network,agree: Unless young people are 16—old enough tohave a driver’s license—they should steer clear of ATVs.