Words from the Web
Across the country, nearly 1,200 children have been killed and more than 350,000 hospitalized after ATV accidents over the past decade, and Pennsylvania ranks third in the U.S. for the number of fatalities over that same time period, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Children as young as eight can operate ATVs in Pa. Do you think there should be stricter laws against kids operating ATVs including no one under the age of 16 being able to operate them? Or do you think state laws are fine and parents just need to be more responsible about letting their children operate an ATV?
“Let people live free. Enough with the laws. Death and injuries are part of life. No law will change that.”
“As long as you the parent, are willing to accept the risk. Kids today have no more fear of being hurt or dying than when I was growing up. It’s just our toys go faster, higher and are bigger than what we had. When you buy your small child a ride that weighs as much as a quad, it’s inevitably going to flip or wreck over onto the child and injuries or death unfortunately will occur. Just use common sense. Supervise and be involved with them, don’t just hand them the keys.”
“A couple of the kids were killed or hurt with another kid operating the quad you shouldn’t let another child drive a quad with another kid on it because they don’t even really know how to drive it. The young children’s parents should be more cautious with their kids with quads. They should be all geared up before riding. Anything can happen in a split second. Kids can get hurt doing anything. Parents just have to teach them the right way and make sure their safe and be watching at all times and put them through a safety training, too. Maybe that will help keep them safe just like driving a car you have to have so many hours before you can even get your license. So maybe their should be more state laws about them. They both have motors. A car you have to have license to drive. A quad you don’t. You can get hurt in a car and on a quad. They are both pretty much the same. Except a quad you’re not strapped down in a car you got seat belts.”
“Teach kids how to operate it safely and that it is not a toy and it can hurt them. My son has road with me since he was born and now has his own. Also they should not be riding adult-sized ATVs by themselves. If you look at the majority of these accidents this is the case. They should be riding smaller ATVs.”
“Considering the statistics, parents may not be responsible enough. So a minimum age and a helmet may be needed. But how do you reinforce that law? Most kids who drive ATVs do it on back roads, off the beaten track.”
“We have enough laws. It’s getting a little ridiculous on the political end of these circumstances. That would be like making car accidents illegal. We have too much government waste and bureaucracy as it is.”