Five minutes after 9pm on May 10th, a young driver of an ATV causes a series of collisions on County Road 251, ten miles north of Grandin in Carter County, Missouri. A young man was driving a Honda Recon (four-wheeler) when he side swiped another vehicle, causing it to overturn. A third vehicle then hit the overturned vehicle, and two were seriously injured in the crash.
ATVs can be legal to operate on the roads, but with many restrictions due to the lack of safety features relative to a car or truck. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says that all-terrain and utility vehicles may not exceed 45 miles per hour, may only operate between the hours of sunrise and sunset (if not equipped with proper head and taillights), and that all drivers under 18 years of age must wear a helmet, among other restrictions. The driver of the Honda ATV, a juvenile, was not wearing a helmet.
Driving recklessly in any sense is extremely dangerous, but even worse for ATVs with such little safety features. Wearing a helmet while operating an ATV/UTV on the road is essential to your safety, as is driving carefully, maintaining a safe, low speed, and allowing adequate space between you and other vehicles around you. Even in situations that don’t involve standard, highway legal cars, there are laws in place to keep us safe. Following the laws all the time is extremely necessary and can help to prevent these heinous accidents that result in serious injuries. Those who do not follow these laws deserve to be punished for putting other drivers and riders in jeopardy.