In search of a stronger 'safety culture' for kids' ATV use

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Dr. Charles Jennissen is a former Minnesota farm boy who now owns a Polaris Ranger side-by-side, so he knows how useful all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are for home and agricultural needs.

But Jennissen is also a pediatric emergency room physician at the University of Iowa hospitals. He's on the front lines when ambulances deliver children seriously harmed in ATV accidents. This grim responsibility has made him a prominent national advocate for reforms to reduce ATV injuries and deaths.

Jennissen, a Sauk Centre native, was a lead author of a recent American Academy of Pediatrics report on ATV safety. This venerable group, whose recommendations have long guided doctors and families, seeks prohibitions on anyone under 16 using a popular type of ATV — generally those straddled by riders with handlebar steering and brakes.

While that policy merits future consideration by lawmakers in Minnesota and elsewhere, this change would require time to implement and would likely face an uphill battle at state capitols. In the meantime, the pediatricians' push puts a commendable spotlight on ATVs' often-underestimated hazards. Parents ought to take heed, especially with warmer weather kicking off the high season for ATV use.

"The safety culture around ATVs … isn't great, especially in the Midwest and the South. We're treating them too much like a toy,'' Jennissen told an editorial writer, noting that the vehicles' narrower width, higher center of gravity, increasingly powerful engines and potential to travel at highway speeds is a dangerous combination. "You can roll them over at much less speed than you think.''

Jennissen noted this is a particularly a concern for young riders, who lack driving experience and may need more maturity or strength to handle a powerful machine. "Instead of the child operating it, it operates them,'' he said, noting that a bump can quickly "catapult" a young operator into the air.

ATVs are increasingly popular in Minnesota and elsewhere, meaning more kids are likely to have access to them and want to use them. ATV registrations, which include the bigger "side by side" utility ATVs, "have increased about 12% since 2019, to nearly 347,000,'' the Star Tribune reported recently.

Minnesota currently has a mix of age restrictions and requirements, with a helmet mandate for all under 18 who are operating an ATV or riding on one. It also divides ATVs into two groups. Class 1 is generally the machines with handlebars and saddle-style seats, with a few exceptions. Larger, more powerful machines with steering wheels and car-style seats for the driver and passenger typify Class 2.

Minnesota prohibits kids under 15 from using Class 2 vehicles. But regulations are more permissive for Class 1.

For example, the state allows limited use of Class 1 ATVs for kids under 10 as long as they're on personal property, have the owner's permission and have a parent present at "hands-on" ATV safety training. Those ages 10 and 11 can venture off private property with parental supervision if the machine engine is under a specific size. Restrictions ease further for older kids.

In addition, riders 10 to 15 must complete online and in-person training, with an abundance of classes across the state available this time of year. Everyone 16 and older is also required to take an online course. For more details, go to tinyurl.com/ATVagerequirements and tinyurl.com/ATVtrainingrequirements.

The AAP report notes that nationally, more than 3,000 kids under the age of 16 died in ATV crashes from 1985 to 2015. "Nearly 1 million more were taken to the emergency department" due to an ATV accident.

An editorial writer's analysis of state ATV death data over the past decade indicates that about three Minnesota kids die annually in ATV accidents. That data point puts heartbreaking context on a recent tragic Saturday in Minnesota. On April 22, three juveniles died in two separate ATV accidents.

That's an alarming death toll so early in the year, a reality that should spur families to do a safety checkup. Have young riders completed safety training? Are they equipped with the DOT-certified helmet the state requires? Complying with Minnesota law on seatbelts is prudent, too. Anyone operating or riding in an ATV under 18 is required to wear seatbelts if the vehicle is equipped with them.

Reading the American Academy of Pediatrics' relatively brief report is worthwhile, too. It's an eye-opening explanation of how easily kids can get hurt, and the organization provides practical safety tips, too.

As someone with rural roots who also owns an ATV, Jennissen understands these vehicles' appeal. He hopes the AAP's call to action prompts families to look at their personal policies for young riders' use and step up safeguards if need be: "We want them to develop a better safety culture if they're going to use them."

Editorial Board members are David Banks, Jill Burcum, Scott Gillespie, Denise Johnson, Patricia Lopez, John Rash and D.J. Tice. Star Tribune Opinion staff members Maggie Kelly and Elena Neuzil also contribute, and Star Tribune CEO and Publisher Steve Grove serves as an adviser to the board.