ATV and off-highway vehicle safety for the family

From 2018 through 2020, 2,448 people died in the U.S. in crashes involving off-highway vehicles, and nearly 300 of them were children under 16. ATVs accounted for more than two-thirds of those deaths.

The rider

• A youth model for every rider under 16Riders younger than 16 drive only age-appropriate youth models, never adult models.
• Hands-on training from a qualified instructor
• No alcohol before or while riding

The gear

• A helmet on every ride
• Eye protection
• Boots and gloves
• Long pants and a long-sleeved shirt

The ride

• No more riders than there are seatsMost ATVs are built for one rider.
• Off paved roadsStay off public roads too, except to cross where that's allowed.

ATVs and side-by-sides

An ATV has a straddle seat and handlebars. A recreational off-highway vehicle, often called a side-by-side, seats two or more people side by side, steers with a wheel and pedals, and can go faster than 30 mph. It comes with a rollover protective structure and seatbelts. A utility terrain vehicle is similar but tops out at 25 to 30 mph, has a larger cargo bed, and may not have the rollover structure or the seatbelts.

What the crash data shows

Deaths involving off-highway vehicles rose from 744 in 2019 to 990 in 2020, an increase of 33%. Of the 2,448 deaths from 2018 through 2020, 1,643 involved ATVs and 635 involved recreational off-highway vehicles. Among the children under 16 who died, 44% were under 12. Adults 55 and older made up 30% of all the deaths. The most common causes were overturning and collisions with another vehicle or with something fixed, such as a tree, and riders were often thrown from the vehicle.

From 2018 through 2022, emergency departments treated an estimated 504,400 off-highway vehicle injuries, about 100,900 a year. A follow-up study of 2022 injuries found:

• The vehicle overturned in 66% of injuries, and the rider was thrown off in 70%.
• 22% of the injured were passengers.
• The injured rider was wearing a helmet in only 41% of cases.
• 69% of injuries happened on flat ground, and 79% on dry ground.

Head and neck injuries were the most common, at 35%, followed by the arms at 27%. The most common diagnoses were fractures, at 29%, then bruises and scrapes, and internal organ injuries. About three in four of the injured were treated and released, and 21% were admitted to the hospital.

There have been 24 safety recalls of off-highway vehicles since January 2023. Check the model and the year against the CPSC recall list before the season starts, and before buying a used one.