How to Stay Safe When Riding an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) for the First Time

Riding All-Terrain Vehicles can be a lot of fun. But before you begin operating an ATV, it is crucial that you know how to take the right precautions to stay safe.

After all, around 125,000 injuries and 700 fatalities occur every year from ATV accidents. While some of those accidents are linked to the design and structural stability of specific ATVs, the vast majority of accidents are caused by improper use and disregarding safety warnings.

Things like sudden turns, skids, and jumps off of elevated surfaces can cause ATVs to overturn and cause accidents. So, make sure you know how to stay safe when riding an ATV for the first time.

Who’s at Fault in the Event of an ATV Accident?

Before we look at ways of staying safe when riding your ATV, it is worth mentioning that if you are injured in an ATV accident that you do not cause, you could claim compensation.

When you contact a law firm in your local area after an ATV accident, such as the experienced Phoenix ATV accident lawyers at Hutzler Law, an attorney will carefully analyse the evidence to identify which party is potentially liable.

The fault of the accident could lie with the driver or the property owner. If the vehicle is defective, the designer, manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of the ATV could be held responsible.

By identifying the parties responsible for the accident, your lawyer can help you potentially attain the maximum financial compensation available.

Now, let us look at how you can stay safe to lower your risk of being involved in an ATV accident in the first place.

Take a Training Course

Before you ride an ATV by yourself for the first time, it is critical that you first take a training course. You can then learn how to handle an ATV correctly and how to stay safe.

You will get some hands-on experience and learn about things like what protective gear you should wear when operating your ATV.

Wear a Helmet and Other Safety Gear

If you come off your ATV or are involved in an accident, you will be thankful that you are wearing a helmet. You should always wear a helmet when riding an ATV to protect your head. You should also wear other protective clothing, such as thick pants to prevent burns should you come off your vehicle.

Read the Manual and Familiarise Yourself with Operational Warnings

When you first purchase your ATV, make sure you first spend time reading through the manual, paying particular attention to the operational warnings, before you take it out for a spin for the first time.

You need to learn about things like basic terrain guidelines, weight limits, and driving instructions before you ride for the first time in order to stay safe.

Keep Your Limbs Close to Your Body

When riding an ATV, make sure you keep your limbs close to your body.

If your arms and legs are not tucked inside the vehicle, you could become injured when you brush against tree branches and other things.

Avoid Certain Areas

As a first-time ATV rider, it is imperative that you avoid riding near steep cliffs, sharp curves, and areas that have narrow guard rails. If you ride too fast in one of those areas and hit a turn too quickly, you could have to brake suddenly.

Your ATV could then become imbalanced and cause an accident.

Final Thoughts

Once you know how to stay safe, you can begin enjoying driving your ATV. You may then later want to upgrade to something like an all-terrain street-legal supercar!

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)