If you are an ATV enthusiast, you know very well that your outdoor driving activity is not the safest way to have fun. While sliding through muddy pools or sand dunes can give you countless memories to treasure, pushing your quad to its limits or taking safety precautions for granted can hurt you. There’s nothing fun about spending weeks or months inside the hospital just because you deliberately chose to neglect basic safety practices. Follow these safety tips if you want to ride your ATV for years to come without breaking a bone.
wear protective gear
If you have money to buy an ATV, you definitely have money to spend on safety equipment. In the event of an accident, your protective gear may be the only thing that keeps you from serious injury. If you like to ride fast and hard, you should wear the following:
- Rugged MX Helmet
- ATV Boots
- ATV Gloves
- Safety glasses
- armor
- Long pants
- Long-sleeve shirt
It can get really hot wearing all this protective gear, but it’s better to endure the heat than lose your teeth.
Take a safety course
If you have a driver’s license, you probably appreciate the value of taking a safety course. Investing a few hours of your time educating yourself on the proper operation of a quad can pay big dividends in terms of safety. In addition to proper vehicle handling, the course also teaches proper behavior while driving, making the course essential for teens and young adults who think that taking a ride outdoors is all about fun and games.
Do not carry a passenger
Most quads are designed to carry one rider at a time and there is a very good reason for that. Unlike riding an MX bike, ATV riders must direct their weight to maintain control of the vehicle. With that in mind, a second passenger on board can make the journey extremely dangerous. Also, the combined weight of two people could be too much for the ATV to control. An overloaded quad is less stable and that means it increases your chances of flipping the ATV over.
Do not drive an ATV under the influence
When you drive under the influence of alcohol or other substances, you put yourself and others at risk. If you don’t drive a car under the influence, you should definitely do the same when you go for an outdoor ATV ride.
Sure, the calm and peaceful scenery of the forest may tempt you to have a glass or two, but resist the temptation because you won’t be the same person as soon as alcohol or illicit drugs are inside your system. You will not be able to react in a timely manner, perceive and filter information efficiently, or have the necessary level of balance and control to operate the vehicle safely when buzzed. Taking a walk outside is supposed to give you amazing memories, so keep it that way by resisting any temptation.
Never try dumb tricks
As a hobby ATV driver, ripping through sand dunes on a hot summer day or driving like the wind over rough terrain are both acceptable ways to have fun with your quad. What is not acceptable is building a ramp that you will use to launch yourself and your ATV 10 feet into the air so you can post a video online. An amateur attempting tricks and stunts on four wheels is a recipe for disaster and heartache. A few seconds of fame for countless hours of pain is not worth it.
