ATV Crashes and Faulty Designs

All Terrain Vehicle

Sports can be dangerous; especially with an all terrain vehicle, popularly called an ATV. It is an extremely popular activity among children. An area of concern has been the increasing number of deaths related to ATVs in the US. The annual report of the USCPC – United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reveals that the total number of casualties due to ATV crashes totaled 542 in 2007. These crashes cost Americans a total of $6.5 billion in medical and legal fields every year. The rising figures have alarmed consumer groups, environmentalists, child safety advocates as well as medical professionals.

The American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons collectively believe that that the use of ATV poses a major threat to public safety as the ATV industry fails to upgrade safety measures.

Why ATVs are dangerous

Recent reports have proved that certain ATVs have design flaws. Such flaws can endanger a rider, leading to serious accidents and subsequently death, in some cases.

Other reasons that make ATVs dangerous are:

• It has high a center of gravity
• Lack of suspension impacts the vehicle
• It has little or no rear wheel differential
• It is unstable at high speed
• Widespread ATV misuse (high speed, riding in low lighting conditions without proper safety measures, lack of expertise in driving)
• Driving under influence of alcohol and/or drugs
• Driving in unsuitable places like roads, streets and/or highways

Further, daring riders tend to incline too much and ultimately rollover with the vehicle leading to fatal circumstances.

Are Advertisements Misleading?

An average ATV will not be able to move in steep inclines, but sometimes their marketing material says so. The vehicle is specially designed to a limited zone, usage and circumstances. Lack of sincerity is seen with ATV manufacturers; their enticing TV ad campaigns show a glamorous and daring side of ATV products, making it popular among teenagers and young men. The makers make a deliberate attempt to underplay risks and hazards associated with ATV driving. The ATVs are designed for flat surfaces only with an exception of mild incline.

Precautionary steps

An ATV rider should undergo special training for correct usage of this vehicle. One should check designs of the ATVs and avoid ill famed vehicles like the Yamaha Rhino ATV. Other precautions include:

• Protective clothing
• Special training and rider education
• Understand usage of ATV

Seek legal help

Many states in the US report ATV crashes to law enforcement divisions within a certain time period. You have a legal right to claim money and file lawsuits against those who deliberately cause or are responsible for acts of recklessness and negligence. Even an adult failing to supervise correct usage of ATV can be held responsible in case of an accident. To claim injury benefits, consult an experienced attorney right away.

How to Handle an Accident (Part One)

By Jennifer Quirk

It goes without saying that many of us have or will witness an accident while out on the road, be it as a child, an adult or pensioner, the risk never goes away. Last year alone over 258,000 accidents took place on the roads of the United Kingdom, with a horrific 31,785 people being seriously injured or worse, killed.

There are over twenty seven million cars on the roads every day, so if you have not had any unfortunate experiences during your time you need to be prepared for what to do and the correct processes should you have to deal with one.

Number one: try to stay calm. If you are hurt, call the emergency services or have somebody else do so. If anybody else is hurt, do not drag them out of the car, call 999 and try to keep talking to them and reassure them the professionals are on their way.

If there is no serious emergency the first “big no no” is to declare that the accident was your fault, even if it’s obvious that it was. Similarly, don’t get into a debate or argument over who did what at the scene of the accident. This can be sorted out calmly by the insurance companies later.

Secondly, if you have a camera with you, even one on your phone, take photographs of everything. This will make defence and accusation fair for both parties, and helps the insurance companies get the claims sorted much faster down to evidence.

Be sure that you swap details with all people involved, including witnesses that saw what happened from an unbiased point of view. This will help develop a clear and fair description of what happened should the need arise. Take down the car details of the people involved in the accident, their name and addresses and a contact number.

When looking for insurance be sure to compare online and be aware of the deals available. You can check out car insurance. and cheap car insurance.

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