This reply is in response to a comment I received on an earlier post discussing ATV Safety.

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.

You're trying to compare a 500 to 800 pound adult sized ATV with a 50 to 150 pound children's ATV. Get real. You're comparing an ATV that can go 60-70 miles per hour to an ATV that can be set to go as slow as 5 miles per hour or less. If you're going to make claims, keep the within the realm of reality, kthks.

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.

Oh, you're right. Accidents DO happen, and we should prevent them. Why don't you start with the biggest killers of kids, cars, bikes and trampolines. Better yet, why don't we put our kids in bubbles and never let them do anything.

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.

You do that. Me and my many millions of rich riding buddies will be there to fight you at every. single. step. We will, of course, push for logical and practical steps to make things safer for kids, but you'll be fighting an up-hill battle that will be backed by a multi-billion dollar industry. That same multi billion dollar industry that is responsible for the current decreases in ATV related injuries. (Stats you continually lie about)

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!

Too bad the actual accident rate is GOING DOWN, not up like you try to mislead people into thinking. By the way, I'm all for charging negligent parents!

This was a typical comment from an either ill-advised or flat out lying "advocate" hell bent on controlling our lives. If you were really worried about kids safety, you'd go after things that are really killing the most kids, like cars, bikes, etc. Or you'd try to get them banned from riding the adult sized ATVs, NOT the ones designed specifically for kids.

Seriously, enough with the 500 pound monster BS. That lie is getting old and crusty. The quads kids should be riding weigh a fraction of that and have a fraction of the power.

Lets see some stats that show injuries to kids that are trained, equipped, supervised and on the right sized quad. Or would that be counter-productive to your "cause"??

Then how about some stats that show the 1,400 percent increase in the number of ATVs in use versus the 243 percent increase in injuries over the same period? Oh, that's right, it's counter productive to your "cause", isn't it?

Being afraid to show the truth will not get you far in your "cause".