Calls for ATV safety among young riders renewed in Manitoba

An uptick in all terrain vehicle-related injuries among children and youth is spurring doctors to renew warnings to parents about rider safety. 

Dr. Lynne Warda, an associate director at Winnipeg's Children's Hospital emergency department, told CBC Information Radio Friday that the hospital has treated a patient as young as five years old for ATV-related injuries this year. 

And since mid-March, the hospital has treated 20 patients under 18 years old for ATV-related injuries, including fractures of the skull, spine, pelvis and jaw, according to a news release from Shared Health, the organization overseeing health-care delivery in the province. 

"It usually has to do with the weather and the ground conditions," Warda said. "Last year, it was actually July, we had a rash of very serious head injuries and had similar concerns, but it was a few months later." 

Children in Manitoba under 14 years old are allowed to ride ATVs, but aren't permitted to do so unless they're supervised, accompanied by and always within clear view of a parent or a person who is at least 18 years old and authorized by a parent. Helmets must be worn at all times, too. 

Warda said that enforcing this is easier said than done. 

"Part of the barrier, in terms of enforcement of the laws, is people operating on their private property," Warda said. "It's a lot easier for RCMP to step in when it's on public property." 

She added pediatricians across the country recommend that people under 16 years old shouldn't operate ATVs or be passengers at all. But that's not a sentiment everyone shares. 

"We've worked a lot with pediatric surgeons and we get where they're coming from — there are children that are under the age of 16 that don't have the cognitive ability to ride an ATV," said Wayne Daub, the general manager of the Canadian Quad Council. "However, by banning it, it seems to only take it underground.

"And underground means that when they're doing things that they're not supposed to be doing … they do them quicker." 

Daub said it's better to teach young riders as best as possible, which could come in the form of safety programs. Daub also said it's important for anyone using an ATV to wear full riding gear, which includes gloves, long sleeves, boots and helmets. 

"But the real thing is, is that leaving ATVs as babysitters, so allowing children to be out on ATVs without direct parental supervision, is probably the worst thing for causing accidents," he said. "The best way to support your child being out there, is to be out there with them." 

ATV use is also prevalent across the province on farms and in rural municipalities in Manitoba. 

Daub said young riders who have grown up on a farm are "already probably one of our safest riders." He said they use machines like tractors that pull trailers, so ATVs become more of a tool than a recreational vehicle. 

"Do children still get hurt in farm accidents? Yes, absolutely they do," he said. "But I think that when you look at an ATV as being no more than a tool, the same as a tractor on a farm, it's a whole different way of looking at it." 

Warda also said parents play a big role in keeping young riders safe, adding that supervision, safety equipment and following the law go a long way.

"This is a seasonal thing, it's not just this year," she said.