Post by Woody Williams on Jul 21, 2005 14:38:06 GMT -5
ATV deaths on rise
By JIMMY NESBITT Courier & Press staff writer 464-7501 or nesbittj@courierpress.com
July 18, 2005
Charles Padgett's father, Donald, died about 11 years ago when his all-terrain vehicle flipped and landed on top of him. The 59-year-old man had driven to a friend's home on a county road and was returning to his Jasper, Ind., farm when the ATV flipped. The handlebars landed on his chest. The pressure of several hundred pounds of metal pinned his body to the ground.
No one knows what caused the wreck. Padgett suspects a deer may have darted in front of his father. But he doesn't blame the ATV. "They (the police) tried to tell us at the time of the accident that there was a malfunction with the machine," Padgett said. About three days after the wreck, "I took that bike out he was on and rode it to see if there was anything wrong, and there wasn't a thing wrong with that machine.
It was just one of those accidents that happened."
The number of ATV wrecks nationwide more than doubled from 1997 to 2003, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The number of fatal wrecks soared from 241 in 1997 to 473 in 2002, the latest year for which data was available. In June, the commission ordered a review of ATV voluntary standards and safety proposals.
More people than ever are using ATVs, which some say explains the rise in serious wrecks. But part of the blame falls on the riders, law enforcement officers say. Unlike a car, an ATV doesn't have a seat belt or a roll cage, said Mike Kellner, Indiana field conservation officer. And helmets are optional. "It requires a lot of responsibility," he said. "Some folks will look at those things as a toy instead of looking at it as a vehicle that can go 50 mph or faster."
Donald Padgett, a lifelong carpenter, used his ATV to ride around his farm. Charles Padgett of Jasper still owns an ATV and, like his father did, uses it to ride around his 20-acre farm. Charles Padgett's brother, Jeff, recently bought an ATV. "If you look at their overall run record, they're really not" dangerous," Charles Padgett said. "People get stupid on them. People get hurt. But it's the same thing with cars, motorcycles or anything else.
"I've never faltered from crawling on one" since the wreck.
Greg Harris, who began riding when he was 16, said ATVs wrongly get bad rap. "I don't think the whole story is being told," said Harris, 40, of Gentryville, Ind.
Harris and a friend started the Lincoln Country Trail Riders. The group has 529 members from as far away as Bloomington, Ind. They travel around the Tri-State on weekends, riding in packs. Ages of members range from 16 to 70, Harris said. Harris said his group emphasizes safety. Is encourages riders to wear helmets, goggles and gloves. Harris is especially adamant that parents supervise their children. Some parents use ATVs as baby sitters, which leads to danger, he said. Harris often rides with his children, who are 10 and 14. "I'm about riding with my family," he said. "I got into four-wheeling, so we could spend time together." In 2003, people 16 and under accounted for 31 percent of all ATV wrecks nationwide. Kentucky State Police Trooper Stu Recke said many children ride ATVs that are too big and powerful. Kentucky law forbids anyone younger than 16 from riding an ATV with an engine larger than 90 cubic centimeters.
Indiana and Illinois have similar laws.
Another problem is that some riders want to use public roads, Recke said. State law allows limited road use for farmers, but "a lot of people think that they can just drive on the road, and they can't," Recke said.
"You have to remember they are not made to be driven on the road. They're an off-road vehicle, and that's what they're for. People try to drive them like a car."
Posey, Pike and Gibson in counties in Southwestern Indiana have passed ordinances allowing ATVs on county roads. The ordinances differ slightly in each county, Kellner said. Asked if he thought it was safe to allow ATV access on county roads, Kellner paused and then said, "I don't know. It goes back to riders understanding their responsibilities."
Most of the serious wrecks in Posey County occur off-road, Posey County Chief Deputy Sheriff Ed Thompson said. Thompson did not think the ordinance has caused more wrecks. If a similar ordinance came up in Warrick County, "I would not be in favor of that," Warrick County Sheriff Marvin Heilman said sternly. Many drivers use public roads because there isn't anywhere else to go, police say. The Land Between the Lakes in Golden Pond, Ky., has trails, but it is a 115-mile drive. When people register their ATVs in Indiana, part of the fee goes into a state fund for trail development. A 4,500-acre section of land northeast of Lynnville, Ind., is being developed, Kellner said. He did not know when the project would be finished. Interest in trail riding continues to grow, but the bulk of ATV owners in Southern Indiana use the vehicle for their farms. Arctic Cat in Mount Vernon, Ind., gets a lot of repeat business from area farmers, sales manager Matt Niemeier said. He recalled one customer who has purchased more than 12 ATVs from the business.
Arctic Cat gives new owners a discount on safety gear and $100 if they complete a safety course. Padgett doubts a safety course would have prevented his father's death.
"The handlebars landed right square on his chest," he said. "There ain't anything in the world that would have prevented it."
ATV manufacturers "need to really look at what kind of horsepower they're putting in these things for what they are," Padgett continued. "I believe that with motorcycles or anything."
www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_3934332,00.html
By JIMMY NESBITT Courier & Press staff writer 464-7501 or nesbittj@courierpress.com
July 18, 2005
Charles Padgett's father, Donald, died about 11 years ago when his all-terrain vehicle flipped and landed on top of him. The 59-year-old man had driven to a friend's home on a county road and was returning to his Jasper, Ind., farm when the ATV flipped. The handlebars landed on his chest. The pressure of several hundred pounds of metal pinned his body to the ground.
No one knows what caused the wreck. Padgett suspects a deer may have darted in front of his father. But he doesn't blame the ATV. "They (the police) tried to tell us at the time of the accident that there was a malfunction with the machine," Padgett said. About three days after the wreck, "I took that bike out he was on and rode it to see if there was anything wrong, and there wasn't a thing wrong with that machine.
It was just one of those accidents that happened."
The number of ATV wrecks nationwide more than doubled from 1997 to 2003, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The number of fatal wrecks soared from 241 in 1997 to 473 in 2002, the latest year for which data was available. In June, the commission ordered a review of ATV voluntary standards and safety proposals.
More people than ever are using ATVs, which some say explains the rise in serious wrecks. But part of the blame falls on the riders, law enforcement officers say. Unlike a car, an ATV doesn't have a seat belt or a roll cage, said Mike Kellner, Indiana field conservation officer. And helmets are optional. "It requires a lot of responsibility," he said. "Some folks will look at those things as a toy instead of looking at it as a vehicle that can go 50 mph or faster."
Donald Padgett, a lifelong carpenter, used his ATV to ride around his farm. Charles Padgett of Jasper still owns an ATV and, like his father did, uses it to ride around his 20-acre farm. Charles Padgett's brother, Jeff, recently bought an ATV. "If you look at their overall run record, they're really not" dangerous," Charles Padgett said. "People get stupid on them. People get hurt. But it's the same thing with cars, motorcycles or anything else.
"I've never faltered from crawling on one" since the wreck.
Greg Harris, who began riding when he was 16, said ATVs wrongly get bad rap. "I don't think the whole story is being told," said Harris, 40, of Gentryville, Ind.
Harris and a friend started the Lincoln Country Trail Riders. The group has 529 members from as far away as Bloomington, Ind. They travel around the Tri-State on weekends, riding in packs. Ages of members range from 16 to 70, Harris said. Harris said his group emphasizes safety. Is encourages riders to wear helmets, goggles and gloves. Harris is especially adamant that parents supervise their children. Some parents use ATVs as baby sitters, which leads to danger, he said. Harris often rides with his children, who are 10 and 14. "I'm about riding with my family," he said. "I got into four-wheeling, so we could spend time together." In 2003, people 16 and under accounted for 31 percent of all ATV wrecks nationwide. Kentucky State Police Trooper Stu Recke said many children ride ATVs that are too big and powerful. Kentucky law forbids anyone younger than 16 from riding an ATV with an engine larger than 90 cubic centimeters.
Indiana and Illinois have similar laws.
Another problem is that some riders want to use public roads, Recke said. State law allows limited road use for farmers, but "a lot of people think that they can just drive on the road, and they can't," Recke said.
"You have to remember they are not made to be driven on the road. They're an off-road vehicle, and that's what they're for. People try to drive them like a car."
Posey, Pike and Gibson in counties in Southwestern Indiana have passed ordinances allowing ATVs on county roads. The ordinances differ slightly in each county, Kellner said. Asked if he thought it was safe to allow ATV access on county roads, Kellner paused and then said, "I don't know. It goes back to riders understanding their responsibilities."
Most of the serious wrecks in Posey County occur off-road, Posey County Chief Deputy Sheriff Ed Thompson said. Thompson did not think the ordinance has caused more wrecks. If a similar ordinance came up in Warrick County, "I would not be in favor of that," Warrick County Sheriff Marvin Heilman said sternly. Many drivers use public roads because there isn't anywhere else to go, police say. The Land Between the Lakes in Golden Pond, Ky., has trails, but it is a 115-mile drive. When people register their ATVs in Indiana, part of the fee goes into a state fund for trail development. A 4,500-acre section of land northeast of Lynnville, Ind., is being developed, Kellner said. He did not know when the project would be finished. Interest in trail riding continues to grow, but the bulk of ATV owners in Southern Indiana use the vehicle for their farms. Arctic Cat in Mount Vernon, Ind., gets a lot of repeat business from area farmers, sales manager Matt Niemeier said. He recalled one customer who has purchased more than 12 ATVs from the business.
Arctic Cat gives new owners a discount on safety gear and $100 if they complete a safety course. Padgett doubts a safety course would have prevented his father's death.
"The handlebars landed right square on his chest," he said. "There ain't anything in the world that would have prevented it."
ATV manufacturers "need to really look at what kind of horsepower they're putting in these things for what they are," Padgett continued. "I believe that with motorcycles or anything."
www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_3934332,00.html
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