Deadly ATV Accidents Don’t Usually Happen On The Trails

All terrain vehicles (ATVs) are designed for the trails, made for afternoons exploring the back country and riding through the woods. However, the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) studied the accident statistics and came to a rather startling conclusion.

When looking at fatal accidents, more of them happen on public roads than on trails or in other off-road settings.

A spokesperson for the Specialty Vehicle Industry Association (SVUA) pointed out that the problem was that these vehicles were never designed for on-road use in the first place and present some inherent challenges.

They don’t have the right lights for public roads, for instance, making it harder for other drivers to see them and harder for ATV drivers to see well enough themselves. They don’t always have necessary safety equipment, such as rear-view mirrors or turn signals. Even the tires can be a problem, as the large, knobby design is great in the dirt and the mud but can cause the vehicle to slide and lose traction on a paved road.

For those interested in the specifics, there were a total of 1,243 deadly accidents between 2009 and 2013, the years that were studied. Just over 68 percent of those accidents — a total of 852 deadly crashes — took place on paved roads. This is despite the fact that it is often illegal to drive ATVs on public roads.

Were you injured in an ATV accident caused by another driver? If so, you may be facing high medical bills and lost wages as you miss work to recover. Be sure you know your legal rights to financial compensation in the wake of the crash.

Source: Scripps, “ATVs dangerous, deadly on public roads,” Angela M. Hill, accessed Oct. 25, 2017