Editorial: Parents must make ATV decisions

Written by Hattiesburg American

Sunday, March 14, 2010

A WEEK AGO TODAY a 3-year-old boy was killed in Jones County when the ATV he was riding flipped over on its side.

The victim was one of three kids, ages 3 to 11, riding on the ATV driven by an 18-year-old.

The Arctic Cat Prowler on which the kids were riding is a two-seat ATV with a basket in the back.

Jones County Sheriff's investigators said the driver lost control of the ATV and it flipped, ejecting the passengers. The riders were not wearing helmets.

The child's death is the latest in a lengthy list of ATV fatalities in Mississippi. From 1999 to 2008 there were 205 ATV deaths in the state. Many of them were children.

You would think our legislators would look at those statistics and see that there is a problem. But you would be wrong.

Efforts over several years to get lawmakers to tackle this issue have been unsuccessful.

At least two bills that would address ATV accidents were introduced in the Legislature this year. Both are dead.

Both died in the House.

The Senate passed a measure that would require that anyone operating an ATV must be at least 16 years old and have a driver's license.

A House bill that died put the burden on parents and guardians. It said anyone who allows a child under the age of 18 to operate an ATV without a helmet would be guilty of child endangerment and could be sentenced to six months in jail and fined $1,000.

Many pediatricians and other physicians and law enforcement officers believe a law regulating ATVs is needed.

If the lawmakers are not going to take on this issue, parents must. Those children on the ATVs are the parents' responsibility. Kids think they are invincible. They don't see the inherent dangers of ATVs.

Being a parent means making decisions a child may not like but are in his or her best interest.

Source: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20100314/OPINION01/3140338

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“Once they chased our cow into a deep arroyo where it fell and broke its neck. I don't understand how anyone could think chasing livestock is fun.” As a result of the growing conflicts with off-roaders, the Gonzales family stopped their cattle ranching. It doesn't matter whether it is a plate or decal, what is important is that the identification is visible. The police could have tracked down the illegal riders if we had been able to photograph the IDs on their vehicles. I think that would have made them think twice before breaking the law.”

- Eleanor Gonzales, private property owner in Santé Fe County, NM