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ATV Safety for Children
11/16/09 - 05:48 PM
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An all-terrain vehicle accident in North Walton County on Sunday claims the life of a fourteen year old teen.  Christian Pierce of Saucier, Mississippi was fatally injured while practicing on a track in Laurel Hills yesterday.  Pierce did have on a helmet.

ATV’s are powerful vehicles.  Pierce’s helmet was cracked when he went over the handlebars on the track.  Pierce was transported to North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview where he died.  The accident is an isolated one, but leaves some parents with questions about ATVs.

All-terrain vehicles are common in the Florida panhandle and are used for hunting and recreation. Justin Green manages finance at Honda Yamaha in Panama City. He says that they can be really useful “This is a big hunting area.  They’re used for hunting.  They’re used for farming and agriculture. You can use them to pull trailers, plows and all kinds of implements.”

Some types of ATV’s are used for racing, like the one that claimed the life of 14 year old Christian Pierce, a Mississippi native practicing for a race Sunday in Walton County. 

With Christmas just around the corner, some parents may be considering getting an ATV for their children.  But be careful.  State laws mandate which ATV your children can ride.

Green says that the main thing is to make sure that the ATV the child is going to be riding is the right ATV for them.  When you’re shopping for an ATV make sure to pay attention to the stickers on the fender. That’ll be an indicator of how age appropriate a particular ATV is for your child. Dealers should be able to point you in the right direction.  They’re not allowed by state law to sell the an ATV if the wrong aged children will be riding it.

A good rule of thumb to go by:  the bigger the engine, the higher the age requirement. 

Green displays different 4-wheelers on the floor according to the correct ages: “This is a 50 cc ATV. It’s made for kids ages 6 and up. This is one a child is going to start out learning on. There’s no gearing in the transmission, so it’s designed to be for younger riders.”

Helmets are a must for children.  Helmets should be secure, of course, at all times when a child rides an ATV.