All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)

All the Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) consist of 3 or 4 wheels that are generally used for off-road driving. ATVs can be used for rescue purposes as well as for fun purpose as they provide easy and quick access to the off-road areas. But unfortunately, many people get severely injured in the accidents of ATVs every year.

Children that are under 16 years of age are most likely to be at risk in ATV accidents. In many states, there is no requirement for a license, training and even the age limit for operating ATV. A usual big size ATV can weigh up to 750 and can travel at the speed of 120km per hour.

You should only ride the most suitable ATV according to your size and age. Following are some recommendations from ATV industry

6 - 11 years of age:  50cc - 70cc

12 - 16            years of age:              70cc - 90cc

Over 16          years of age:  90cc and above

Causes of ATV Accidents

There are various causes of ATV Accidents that include the following:

• Driver inexperience
• Operating ATV at a very high speed
• Too many riders on ATV
• Improper sitting position on the vehicle
• Operating ATV after having drugs or alcohol
• Lack of protective gear

Alcohol or drug use and driver inexperience are the major factors in ATV accidents. According to a research, inexperienced rider is at the risk of 13 times more as compared to a more experienced rider to cause an accident. About 30% of the ATV accidents are caused by drugs or alcohol abuse. In ATV accidents, laws of DUI/DWI are applied.

Deaths can be reduced if the riders wear helmet because head injuries are the major cause of death in the accidents of ATVs. Helmets can save lives! Other injuries include:

• Abdominal injuries
• Spinal cord and head injuries
• Fractures
• Lacerations
• Abrasions

Rider training, protective clothing and proper use of ATVs can play vital role in ATV accidents.

Three - Wheeler Accidents 

After so many rollover accidents of Three-Wheeler ATVs, the US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit that alleged the ATVs and their manufacturers violating the Consumer Product Safety Act.

The production of three-wheeler ATVs stopped by the ATV manufacturers in 1987 and started making four-wheeler ATVs that provide much more stability as compared to the three-wheelers.

It is unfortunate that there are still 2.4 million substandard three-wheelers that were not recalled and most of them are still in use today which is really dangerous aspect to consider.

Defective ATV's - Recalls

Even though, the major cause of ATV accidents are driver’s error, but some accidents are also reported due to defects in ATVs. ATVs that have defects usually suffer faults in production process. If any ATV manufacture is aware of the risk in ATV and he doesn’t warn the public, then he is accountable for “failure to warn”. There can be design defects in the design of the product resulting in making the vehicle dangerous. People filled and won many of the lawsuits that they filed against ATV manufacturers for defective products and as a result, lots of ATVs are recalled since 2000.

Recalls

In United Stated, there are thousands of ATVs that are recalled on daily basis. You can get help on these recalls from Ventura Personal Injury Attorney:

Razor Dirt Quad – Electric Powered Ride-On Vehicles. More than 29,000 Razor Dirt Quad's have already been recalled. The vehicle surges forward unexpectedly as a result of failure in the control module for throttle which can cause a serious injury. The recall is applied on the ATVs that have ID numbers starting with 103110-01 or 103110-02. In case of possession of these products, try to stop its usage instantly and contact Razor for free replacement controller at Toll Free number 800-813-3155 or you can visit www.razor.com/recall

Kawasaki - Brute Force 750 4x4i model ATV – In some ATVs, a nut that is used to secure the front upper suspension arm pivot bolt may become loose while vehicle usage resulting in upper suspension A-arm pivot bolt to back somewhat out. This may result in the loss of steering control of ATV. There are 14 cases that are reported to Kawasaki with three minor injuries.

Arctic Cat Inc - Prowler XT Off-Highway Utility Vehicle - The units that are recalled units fall within the vehicle identification range (VIN) of 4UF06MPV06T300001 through 4UF06MPV86T300781. The problem that was found in this ATV is failure of breaks. Total of two event of foot brake lever flexing and brake pad dislodging from the rear caliper were reported to Cat Inc but there were no injuries that were reported to the company.

Bombardier Recreational Products Inc - 2004 and 2005 DS650 ATVs – Model numbers including 0003A5A00, 0003A5B00, 0003B5A00, 0003B5B00, 000799700, 000799500, 000771900, and 000771700 have been recalled. There are chances that the rear axle bearings might not be greased which can make the ATV unstable. The company received one report of this fault that lead to the loss of control on ATV but there were no injuries reported.

Polaris - Sportsman 700 EFI - Model numbers A04CH68AU, A04CH68CU, A04CH68AQ and A04CH68AP are recalled. In this ATV, a problem is reported in the fuel line. When the handlebars are rotated full right or full left, the throttle cable of ATV may bind and result in engine speed increase and unintended acceleration of the vehicle. Moreover, the fuel line can be leaked due to the probability of fuel line being rubbed against the chassis of the vehicle which could really be a fire hazard. Total of 19 incidents have been reported (including minor injuries like bruises, scraps and injuries to the knee, leg and shoulder) concerning the throttle cable binding. Also, there are 31 incidents reported (but no injuries or fires) concerning gasoline that leaked from the fuel line.