With at least three dozen all-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related accidents resulting in injuries to young people so far this spring and summer, Alberta Health officials are asking parents and other caregivers to keep their kids off the motorized machines.
“We are actually telling parents and residents of Central Alberta that ATV use is unsafe for children less than 16 years of age,” Dr Ifeoma Achebe, medical officer of health in the central zone, told the Gazette.
“From what we've seen ATV use is unsafe for kids 16 years of age and under. We feel that that age group does not have the skill or judgment needed to operate such a vehicle.
“This is based on the data we have received in the last three months. We've had 38 Alberta children injured in ATV crashes in Alberta, with more than a dozen of those requiring hospitalization at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton or the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary. As well as two deaths as a result.”
AHS issued a provincewide call on Aug. 1 for no more ATV use by persons under 16.
Between April 2013 and March 2014, more than 350 children under the age of 17 were seen in Alberta's emergency departments for ATV-related injuries, and from 2002 to 2011, 23 children under the age of 16 died.
“This data illustrates a devastating trend and one that we've seen for far too many years,” said Dr. Achebe. “These needless injuries and deaths can be stopped. We know that children less than 16 years of age have not yet developed to the point of having the strength, skills or judgment needed to operate an ATV, and this includes ATVs marketed as ‘child sized'.
“Sadly, our recent pediatric data shows how unsafe it is for children less than 16 years of age to partake in ATV activities.”
There are several key things that all ATV users must keep in mind when operating the motorized machines, including the necessity of wearing helmets, she said.
“A helmet can save your life. From 2002 to 2011, 44 per cent of ATV-related deaths in Alberta were due to head injuries. In 77 per cent of these head injury deaths, the ATV riders were not wearing a helmet,” she said. Asked if she believes ATV helmet use should be mandatory in the province, she said, “It's not for me to say whether it should be mandatory or not, but as a health official I say that ATVs should not be used without a helmet. A lot of the injuries that we've recorded from ATVs are head injuries. And those could have been prevented if they had been wearing a helmet.”
Phil Wilde, owner of Mountain's Edge Cycle and Sled, disagrees with Dr. Achebe, saying that learning safe ATV use as a young person can be vital to preventing future serious injuries.
“You'll get kids who have never touched a quad when they are young and then there are gatherings when they are 16-year-old and the guy says, ‘I can do that too' and he's the one wrapped around a barbed wire fence or into the back of a truck because he hasn't learned the skills,” said Wilde.
“If you have a kid who is three or four or five years old and they are learning to ride that little quad or that little dirt bike, the little tipovers that do happen are minor, minor injuries. But you have somebody learning at the age of 16 with the machine they are learning on is 500 pounds, the accidents that happen are the ones that are possibly life threatening.”
Youths riding ATVs should always wear a helmet, he said.
AHS says ATV operators should follow a number of other safety protocols, including the following:
• Get trained – Before you hit the trails, get formal hands-on training from a recognized and trained ATV instructor. Don't be shy about refreshing your training.
• Look first -- Be sure you're aware of the weather forecast and any hazards that the trails you're on pose.
• Buckle up – Be sure you're fastened in properly, and all gear and equipment are in proper working condition before you hit the trails.
• Drive sober – Don't drink or do drugs before or while operating an ATV. Fifty-four per cent of those who died in ATV crashes between 2002 and 2011 tested positive for alcohol.
• Seek help – Before you head out on the trail, let others know where you're going and when they should expect you back. This helps your loved ones know when to call for help if you've been gone too long.
