With their deceptively smaller size and ease of operation, All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) have become hugely popular among children, teenagers and young adults in the US. These motorized vehicles are perfect for navigating rough land and are widely used for farm and ranch work as well as recreation. The number of injuries linked to these vehicles, however, is extraordinary; in 2002 alone, 44 children were killed in ATV accidents. These children were all below the age of 14.  Children between the ages of 10 and 14 form the majority of ATV accident victims.  In the same year, more than 30,000 people were rushed to emergency rooms around the country for treatment of ATV accident related injuries.

Types of ATV Accidents

Most ATV accidents involve the rolling over of the vehicle.  When an ATV with a high center of gravity turns at even moderate speeds, the vehicle could topple over. Most riders faced with the potential rollover of an ATV, instinctively stick a leg out to brace themselves and prevent the vehicle from toppling over. This is a futile action and one that can cause serious injuries to the rider; the weight of the vehicle will cause it to topple over regardless, possibly trapping the rider's leg and body beneath its crushing force.  Other accidents are caused by collision, as well as riders loosing balance and falling off the vehicle.  

Types of ATV injuries

Because an ATV packs so much force into its small frame, most of the injuries resulting from an ATV accident involve crushing of body parts, head injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, lacerations and facial injuries.  Amputation is frequently needed to prevent the risk of a crushed limb becoming gangrenous, and paralysis can occur when there is injury to the spine. Most injuries are restricted to the head and neck region; these are the injuries that often have the most severe long term consequences. 

Research suggests that current ATV safety standards are simply not enough to prevent rollovers and crashes. ATV manufacturers have, for many years now, gotten away with ignoring regulations for age appropriate use of a vehicle.  The only changes that have been made to the design of these vehicles are warning labels that come in the form of easy-to-miss fine print advertisements, hard-to-read warning stickers, and user's manual warnings. Needless to say, this has done little to lower the rate of ATV accidents.