Fdsa said:
I agree. Part of me wonders if we have been conditioned to believe that if something is legal, it is inherently safe. I can't think of another legal activity that is as dangerous for kids as driving an ATV. I guess shooting a gun, but the safety mindset is more front of mind for most than driving a little vehicle.
ATV's are responsible for the most deaths for kids, but I can't find anything on a relatively quick search that breaks it down beyond just the ATV category - so we are talking about 4 wheelers, side by sides, motorcycles, etc. all lumped together.
I was nervous about letting my kids drive the Mule around the neighborhood. First several months I rode with them and wasn't mean about driving, but was pretty militant about speeds and turns, etc. One benefit of the complaints people have about Mule's not doing 75mph like Rzr's or Polaris Rangers etc is that they don't do 75mph. I think my governor on the PRO is 46(?) and it takes a minute to get to that speed. I have about 5000 miles on my buggy now, pretty sure the kids have 3500 of those under their belt. They don't drive it nearly as much as they used to now that my oldest has a car, but they definitely put the miles on it when they were a little younger.
Kids are always going to push the limits of what a machine or even bicycle or skateboard can do. That's what kids do, you combat it by being a good teacher. But in the end, you can't watch over them 100% of the time and have to trust and pray and hope.
