Considering the number of all-terrain and other recreational vehicles in Alaska, it isn’t surprising a large number of accidents involve ATV’s. Many of these ATV accidents involve young children. This includes children under the age of 18 who operate the vehicles illegally. It also includes innocent bystanders endangered by underage drivers.
Near Tragedy in Kotzebue Inspires Action
One case-in-point has led two mothers to petition city officials for help in enforcing underage ATV laws. The accident involved one of the woman’s teenagers. The teen was driving an ATV near the other woman’s home, where her children were playing outside. The ATV was traveling 20-25 mph when it struck a young boy so hard that his shoes flew off. What could have been a tragedy, luckily only resulted in cuts, bruises, swelling and a burn on his head.
The mother of the injured boy and the mother of the teenage girl teamed up to form Back to Bikes Alaska. Back to Bikes Alaska is a safety awareness program. It emphasizes that children who are too young to be legally driving recreational vehicles should be riding their bikes instead. It was designed to bring attention to the dangers of children riding ATVs. Furthermore, the campaign also appeals to parents to teach their children and ask the police to enforce the laws.
ATV Accident Statistics
According to statistics from 2014 supplied by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Alaska Native Injury Atlas, researchers collected data from the periods 1992-1995 and 2008-2011. The second period had a 13.8 percent increase in the number of Native Alaskans who were hospitalized due to ATV accidents. Almost 35 percent of those were children between the ages of 10 and 19. Off-road vehicle injuries were the fifth leading cause of injury resulting in death for children in that same age group. This was over a ten year period from 2002-2011.
Alaska State ATV Law
State law requires anyone operating vehicles such as ATVs, snowmobiles and mopeds to be at least 14 and at least have an instruction permit. A licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age with at least one year of driving experience must also be on or in the vehicle.
Fortunately, neither of the children involved in the accident that started the Back to Bikes campaign suffered serious injuries. But many children as well as adults are not so lucky. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a recreational vehicle, a personal injury attorney in Fairbanks may be helpful in determining whether you may be entitled in compensation. For further information or to schedule a consultation please contact Merdes Law Office, P.C. at 907.452.5400 (toll free: 866.452.3741 ) or visit www.Merdes.com.
Source: The Arctic Sounder, “Kotzebue mom wants stricter penalties for young ATV drivers after accident,” Jillian Rogers, Aug. 7, 2015
