A lot of people received ATVs for a holiday gift, most of these people will wear their safety gear the proper way and use their ATV as it was intended, But there are a scant few that make life rough for everyone because they refuse to wear helmets and other safety gear and they don't tend to follow the commonsense of ATVing.
It's a sad situation when someone gets hurt or worse loses their life riding an ATV, that knowledge isn't helped by knowing a huge portion of ATV accidents that occur each year are very preventable.
The following are things you should never, ever do on your ATV:
Never allow children and young people under the age of 16 to ride adult ATVs (with engines bigger than 90 cubic centimeters), a more powerful machine can easily get away from an inexperienced ATV rider.
Never allow children to ride their ATVs without adult supervision.
Never ride without your helmet and goggles. Debris in your eyes and face is not a fun and can cost your eyesight.
Never drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, this shouldn't even be an issue, but recent studies show over half of all ATV accidents had drugs and/or alcohol involved.
Never drive an ATV with a passenger, and never ride as a passenger on a single seat ATV.
Never operate an ATV without proper instruction. Training classes are available nearly everywhere and many times they are free or just a nominal charge. Well worth the price to learn ATV handling skills and techniques. If you're not sure how to ford a stream or properly climb a hill, either take lessons or ask someone your ride with that has a lot of experience riding ATVs.
If you must ride alone, Always tell someone where you are going and when you will return. Use GPS if possible.
Never leave trash behind, if you bring it in with you, bring it out with you is a good policy to follow. Always practice care for the environment.
Never be rude to other riders, treat the other riders as you wish to be treated.
Never ride on another's land without asking. Some folks just aren't too accommodating to ATV riders (they've obviously never driven an ATV or they'd be opening up trails all over)!
Never disregard your State Laws and Regulations for riding ATVs. This can cost you, literally. Getting a ticket and taking time to go down to the courthouse and pay it is a big time waster when you could be riding your ATV. Avoid the trip and follow the rules.
Now that you know many of the things that you should not do when riding an ATV, practice good riding habits and make sure everyone you ride with has a great, safe time on their ATV.
