I find it puzzling that people are so quick to throw blame at the parents. If you saw a race car in someone driveway would you ask please don't let my child drive that car today, it is against the law and my child has no experience. The adults that owned this machine and allowed two 8 year boys on this ATV unsupervised should be held accountable. I support this bill and adults that allow children under age, unsupervised, on adult machines, should be held accountable. This a nation wide problem, and anyone that is trying to prevent other children from being seriously hurt or killed should be a praised, not torn apart. Just an opinion.

I see what you mean. I did not blame the parents. I blamed the owners of the ATV. As for your comment about the race car, that's a stretch. But if I drop my kid off where there's a pool, motorcycles, a trampoline, a dirt track (that indicates ATVs, motorcycles etc), a half-pipe, or any other number of things, you can bet I'd tell them not to let my kid do certain things! The problem is not that kids are riding, it's that they're riding without being taught and supervised.

In this country there are age limits on kids driving vehicles. Why should it be any different with ATVs? An ATV is classified as a VEHICLE (its not a TOY!)- just like a car or a truck. Some of these things weigh in excess of 500lbs and get up to highway speeds. Not all parents buy age appropriate ATVs for their kids. Economically it is not feasible for families to buy all different types of ATVs for the whole family. Usually they buy one adult sized ATV and everyone rides that.
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics have come out very strongly against ATVs for any kids under 16. They are on the front lines of the disastrous effects of an accident. No amount of training will help a kid when they get into a situation they can't handle. Thats why they call it an ACCIDENT, because you just don't see it coming. Over 40,000 kids are severely injured every year riding ATVs - and don't come back with the crap about pools, trampolines, etc...that only dilutes the issue and surely doesn't make ATVs any safer to ride.
We will work until we see a federal mandate in place to prohibit kids under 16 from riding ATVs.
The taxpayers end up footing the bill for accidents, not to mention the pain and suffering of the victim and their families.
Know what you call kids under 16 whose parents allow them to ride adult sized ATVs?
ORGAN DONORS or DISABLED.

Parents should have the right to decide what their kids do for recreation - but by the looks of the amount of accidents, proper parenting and supervision is severly lacking. The government needs to step in and start pressing charges on negligent parents...its about time!

See my reply here:

http://www.undermyhelmet.com/50226711/we_get_comments.php

safety is very important to our kids specially when they are playing outdoor or even inside the house.

IT SEEMS REALLY FUNNY PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT ATV'S CAN DEMAND LAWS BE MADE TO RESTRICT THEM I'VE BEEN RIDING ATV'S SINCE I WAS ABOUT 8 YEARS OLD I AM NOW 34 AND YES I HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS THEY WEREN'T BAD THOUGH I GOT UP AND CONTINUED TO RIDE NOW I ENJOY TAKING MY DAUGHTERS OUT WITH ME AND YES THEY RIDE ON A MACHINE WITH ME AND ENJOY IT THEY RANGE FROM 3 TO 10 AND I HAVE A YAMAHA WARRIOR 350 FULL SIZE MACHINE WE WEAR HELMETS AND OTHER PROTECTIVE GEAR WHY SHOULD THEY SUFFER AND NOT HAVE THAT DAD TIME BECAUSE SOME LADY DECIDES SHE WANTS TO PAWN HER CHILD OFF ON SOME OTHER PARENT AND NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING PROBABLY NEVER RODE AN ATV BEFORE GET ON A BIG MACHINE AND HAVE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WHERE WAS THE MOM? MAYBE AT HOME SLEEPING FOR ALL ANYONE KNOWS YEAH SHE HAS THE NERVE TO SAY HEY HE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS MACHINE SO LETS MAKE A LAW SO NOBODY UNDER A CERTAIN AGE CAN RIDE THAT IS STUPID WHAT DOES THIS MOM LEAVE HER KIDS IN A CAR WHILE SHE GOES IN A STORE TO SHOP OR EVEN LEAVE THEM AT HOME ALONE WHAT ABOUT KIDS THAT COMMIT SUICIDE USING KITCHEN KNIVES I THINK WE SHOULD BAN STEAK KNIVES THAT IS WHAT THIS IS COMING DOWN TO AND IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP AND REALIZE IT SOON WE AREN'T GOING TO HAVE ANYTHING THAT AIN'T ILLEGAL TO DO OR SAY MAYBE SOME PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE RESPONSABILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND NOT BLAME EVERYONE ELSE GROW UP

To: "AREUSTUPID" ... You ought to read Matt's post "ATV Safety Boils Down to Commen Sense" dated 12/17/2007 or redirect your screename question to yourself! ... "I enjoy taking my daughters out with me and yes they ride on a machine with me and enjoy it - they range from 3 to 10 and I have Yamaha Warrior 350 full size ..." Ridiculous! So much for common sense both in the comment and in the decision to post.