Study Says Hundreds of ATVers Die On Public Roads

By Bud Wilkinson

All-terrain vehicles are designed to be ridden off-road, but many owners illegally take their ATVs on paved public roads, and the result has been the deaths of more than 1,700 riders in the U.S. between 2007 and 2011, according to a new study just released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The death rate among ATV drivers and passengers has “increased substantially during the past few decades,” the study said, and mirrors the rise in popularity of ATVs.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 10.6 million ATVs were in use in 2010, compared to 5.6 million in 2001.

While some ATVs are designed to carry passengers, the IIHS study revealed that nearly nine of 10 riders killed were operators. A lack of a protective helmet and alcohol contributed to the deaths. Only 13 percent of the operators and six percent of the passengers killed wore helmets – but 43 percent of the operators were found to have had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or more.

Three-quarters of the fatal crashes involved just one vehicle and 56 percent of those involved a rollover. The low-pressure tires found on ATVs are not designed for road use even though many off-road vehicles are capable of highway speeds. Ninety percent of those who died were adults and 90 percent were men.

The highest number of deaths occurred in Kentucky (122), Pennsylvania (97) and West Virginia (96), with West Virginia having the highest rate of ATV rider deaths (105 per 10 million people). A total of 1,701 ATVers died during the five-year period. The above graphic shows ATV riders deaths on public roads per 10 million people.

The IIHS suggests that laws prohibiting the use of ATVs public roads need to be strengthened as do helmet laws that require all operators on public roads to wear helmets.