8 Critical Statistics About All-Terrain Vehicle Accidents

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are often thought of as toys. You don’t buy them for any specific purpose but to have fun.

Unfortunately, this mindset helps to mask the fact that they’re very dangerous and accidents can lead to serious injuries and even death. Below are a few key statistics about these crashes that everyone should keep in mind:

1. Men are far more involved in injury crashes than women. Reports indicate that about 75 to 85 percent of these accidents involve men.
2. About one third of the accidents that result in a trip to the emergency room involve kids who are under 16 years old.
3. The same age group accounts for around 30 percent of all hospital stays after these accidents.
4. Riding double is one of the most common things noted in deadly accidents. Many ATVs are not designed for two people.
5. Three-wheelers are more dangerous than four-wheelers. Some experts say they’re three times as dangerous, mostly because they’re not as stable.
6. Crashes not resulting in death, but just in injury, are typically in off-road settings. Fatal wrecks are usually on pavement.
7. About 50 percent of all deadly accidents have children at the controls; children are here defined as those 16 years old or younger.
8. Holidays and weekends see the highest crash rates, and most of these incidents happen during the day.

This isn’t to say that ATVs cannot be used safely and responsibly. They can. However, people must know the risk when they get on. If someone is injured or a loved one is killed in an accident caused by another driver, it’s then important to look into all potential legal options.

Source: NCBI, “Preventing injuries from all-terrain vehicles,” Dr Lynne Warda, accessed Nov. 24, 2017