|
By: Matt Finley
ATV Size Restrictions Based on Child's Age
Instead of Size and Experience
The Senate Transportation and Housing
Committee is considering a bill that would limit
the size of an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) that
children under the age of 16 are allowed to
operate on public land, regardless of the
child's size, riding experience and terrain. The
bill would also require children be at least 16
years-old to operate an ATV on public land if
not being accompanied by an adult.
 |
SB 1228 would prohibit a child
under age 12 from operating an ATV that is of a
size that displaces more than 70 cubic
centimeters (cc) and prohibits a child from age
12 through 15 from operating an ATV that is of a
size that displaces more than 90cc. Aside from
the fact that the bill's author, falsely claims
that the data it is using to base its claims on
from the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) is not available for the last several
years, where ATV related accidents have gone
down. The notion restricting a child's ability
to ride a certain sized ATV based on age alone
is impractical, dangerous, and unfair.
SB 1228 was requested by the California
Chapter of the American College of Emergency
Physicians, and in particular Dr. Larry Foreman,
an emergency room physician at Arroyo Grande
Community Hospital in San Luis Obispo County. It
states, rightfully so, that young children are
not physically strong enough to safely operate
an adult-sized ATV. It also claims that children
do not have the necessary motor skills and
coordination needed, or the physical size
required to operate an ATV. This is any size
ATV, not just the adult ones.
That is simply not true.
Children develop physically, mentally, and
emotionally at different rates and to different
levels. Every parent that has more than one
child knows this. There is absolutely no way the
politicians who are pushing SB 1228 can know how
big every kid is, or how long they've been
riding, or even what kind of terrain on which
they will be riding. These are all very
important criteria when you consider the size of
an ATV a kid can and should be riding.
My 5 year-old son, for example, has been
riding for 3 years now. He started out jumping
curbs on an electric quad when he was 2. He's
pushing 50-lbs. already, is as strong as an ox,
and is almost as tall as his 10 year-old cousin.
Now he's a very capable rider on his 50cc quad.
Imagine when he's 11 years- old, pushing
120-lbs., riding a 70cc quad that wouldn't take
him up the driveway, let alone up the dunes
safely.
The skills required to ride an ATV safely are
very similar to those of riding a motorcycle,
yet there are no restrictions for children
riding off-highway motorcycles on public land. I
think part of the reason there is so much
attention being given to all terrain vehicles
being ridden by kids is that it's much easier to
start riding an ATV than it is a motorcycle.
Therefore, more kids are doing it, and some
parents don't bat an eye thinking their kids
will be safe.
How was your first experience
on a motorcycle? Did you crash or just scare
yourself early on? Whatever it was, you knew
that thing was dangerous, didn't you? You knew
if you put a wheel wrong, stopped paying
attention, or goofed off, your head would be on
the ground in a New York second. You respected
that motorcycle, didn't you?
How was your first experience on a quad? You
probably hopped on, burned rubber, and tossed a
bunch of dirt all over as you sped off with a
big-assed smile on your face because you knew
you were in control of that ATV. And every time
you rode it, you were more in control. You
didn't respect the quad. It gave you no reason
to. Not yet.
The problem is that once you cross the line
between simply cruising and all-out riding it to
it's real potential, it's a whole different
style of riding. You're not just sitting there
and hanging on any more. You're leaning,
sliding, and hanging off the side. You're
throwing your weight around getting it to pitch
through that corner instead of tossing you off
into the weeds. You're staying off the pavement
because you know at high speed a quad's balloon
tires will grab the ground and flip you over on
your butt just like that.
People don't realize how different an ATV is
to ride when you cross between simply putting
around and riding it the way it was intended to
be ridden. If you don't know how that beast will
react when you open it up, you will surely be in
for a rude awakening. If you let your kids just
jump on and ride away, you're not only
endangering his/her life, you're making the rest
of us somewhat responsible parents look just as
bad even though our kids have been taught as
they grew.
Here's the bottom line . . . those of us who
are responsible parents are going to be punished
for those parents who are not responsible
because of SB1228. Common, non-riding folks do
not understand why on God's green Earth I would
let my 5 year-old ride a gas-powered vehicle,
and they think I'm a terrible parent. And then
you have the newbie’s. They see people like you
and I who have our children on machines that our
children have worked their way up to, and they
run out and throw their own inexperienced
children on the same size machine as our
experienced kids . . . and what happens? An
injury can happen. That stat just gave the rest
of the responsible ATV Community a black eye.
If you're a parent of a child that rides, you
should pay close attention to this bill. You can
follow the progression of this bill as it is
revised and updated by following the URL below
and subscribing at the bottom with your email
address.
Click here for
SB 1228 Bill Document
|
