Children should not drive ATVs

Donald B. Hinman, Danbury 

Re "ATV death points to dangers for youths" (Monitor Local & State page, Aug. 1):

The response of Ken Domey, vice president of the New Hampshire Off-Highway Vehicle Association, requires a response. I assume he said more in his interview than that ATV use is a "family sport" and a potential money-maker for the state. I certainly hope so.

The article reports that about 20 percent of ATV riders who are killed were under the age of 16 and 12 percent under 12. That seems to me a staggering percentage. The other statistic that should be highlighted comes from a study in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "found that children treated for ATV-related injuries were about five times more likely to be hospitalized than children treated for all other kinds of injuries." If those numbers were occurring in our schools' athletic programs, those programs would vanish instantly.

There are legitimate uses for ATVs and other off-road vehicles. And there are many responsible off-road riders, many perhaps younger than 16 years old.

But ATVs are advertised as fast, exciting, high-performance, daredevil activities, not as scenic pleasure trips with Mommy and Daddy. Kids notice! Furthermore, there are enough illegal and irresponsible off-road drivers who trash the environment and disregard the rules of where they can ride to already be a serious menace. Finally, Domey's notion of potential money-making for the state strikes me as obscene: trade our children's health and lives for future state revenue? He can't possibly have meant that.

We don't allow children to drive cars on the highways. For many of the same good reasons, we should not allow anyone under the age of 16 to drive either on or off roads and trails in the woods.

DONALD B. HINMAN

Danbury

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Source: http://search.concordmonitor.com/sp?skin=100&aff=1100keywords=ATV+death+points+to+dangers+for+youths&submit=Find+it