Child Safety | Off-road vehicles are important to many people's lifestyles, for both recreation and work. But as activity grows, too many children are paying the price - roughly 30% of all off-road vehicle deaths and injuries are kids under 16. Over the past five years, the child death rate due to accidents has increased 24% and the child hospitalization rate has gone up nearly 70%. Pediatricians Say ORVs are Unsafe for Kids Younger than 16 - Every Year Thousands are Severely Injured and Even KilledThe American Academy of Pediatrics has called child riding "the perfect recipe for tragedy," while the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons considers child riding to be a "significant public health risk." According to a report by an injury prevention specialist at West Virginia University, the child death rate on ORVs has increased 24% over the past five years. |
Among the report's other findings: - The total economic costs related to the youth ORV deaths increased 45% over the past five years (from $673 million to $973 million) while costs decreased 5% for the young bicycle riders ($776 million to $738 million).
- Medical costs related to child ORV deaths increased nearly 70%, while medical costs related to child bicycle deaths decreased 20%.
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- 120 children died in off-road vehicle accidents in 2005 compared to 64 in 1995. Moreover, more than 44,000 children were hospitalized due to accidents on ORVs in 2005 compared to 19,300 in 1995.
- Child ORV injuries requiring emergency room treatment cost society $2.5 billion annually in medical and economic costs and emotion trauma.
- With respect to other recreational activities and many common sports, ORV driving has the highest risk of hospitalization of 33 sports and activities in which children routinely participate, including riding a bike, snowboarding, skateboarding, wrestling, basketball and scooter riding. The risk of serious injury associated with driving ORVs is 61 percent greater than the activity with the next highest risk (football).
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