All-terrain vehicles pose danger during holidays

Injuries, deaths from ATV use increase among pediatric population

As children unwrap presents during the holidays, be sure you are giving age-appropriate toys. Injuries and deaths from all-terrain vehicles have risen at an alarming pace in recent years and continue to be a major concern among the pediatric patient population.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 542 people died in ATV-related accidents in 2007, including 107 who were younger than 16.

Children’s operates the first designated Level I trauma center for pediatrics in the Southwest. ATV-related injuries increased more than 300 percent between 2000 and 2006.

"There’s no set pattern to how an ATV injury happens," said Dr. Steve Megison, chief of trauma at Children's and professor of surgery at UT Southwestern. "They can occur with or without supervision, with or without helmets or with a single rider or double riders. We see patients who are way too young to be on ATVs and teenagers who look physically strong enough to handle them."

Common ATV injuries

Injuries common to children in ATV crashes include orthopedic, head, spinal and skin injuries, with head injuries being the leading cause of death. The three most common mechanisms of injury are being thrown to the ground, striking a stationary object and flipping backward.

Studies show children are injured both as drivers of and as passengers on ATVs. The vehicles are not designed to carry passengers, yet children thrown from the ATV when the driver stops or turns suddenly is a common mechanism of injury.

Safety tips

Most major pediatric and safety organizations agree the following guidelines should be followed to improve the safety of ATV use.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that individuals younger than 16 should not ride ATVs because they lack the motor, perceptual, cognitive skills and strength to safely operate the vehicles.
Always wear recommended protective equipment.
Never operate an ATV on the street or at night.
Mount reflectors and flags on the ATV to make it more visible.
Do not consume alcohol before riding an ATV.
Do not allow passengers on an ATV.
ATV owners should take safety courses before driving the ATV.

ATV-related injuries, by the numbers

The number of children admitted to Children’s Medical Center Dallas for injuries resulting from ATV use rose 322 percent over a six-year period.
Nearly two-thirds of the children with ATV-related injuries were age 10 or younger.
82 percent of the ATV patients wore no helmet.
67 percent of the children were driving at the time of the injury.

Resource

"Mommy, Can I Have the Keys": A Six-Year Retrospective Review of ATV-related Injuries at a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center by Diane S. Berry, Ph.D., and Paula J. Yuma, M.P.H.