Barriers and facilitators to all-terrain vehicle helmet use

Abstract

This study identifies a gap in risk perception among ATV users. Injury prevention should focus on education about risks of engaging in unsafe ATV behaviors and the danger of the vehicles themselves.

A comparison of injuries sustained from recreational compared to organized motorized vehicle use in children

“…In fact, ATVs were originally marketed as inexpensive and entertaining toys for the whole family and most pediatric ATV drivers use their vehicles for recreational exploration and off-road navigation on private property [6,[8][9][10][11]. Many MRV drivers do not comply with safety recommendations because they perceive that all MRVs, including ATVs and motorbikes, are safe and that safety recommendations are unnecessarily restrictive [7].…”

“…Despite these safety concerns, drivers do not perceive MRVs as being dangerous [7]. In fact, ATVs were originally marketed as inexpensive and entertaining toys for the whole family and most pediatric ATV drivers use their vehicles for recreational exploration and off-road navigation on private property [6,[8][9][10][11].…”

Larger ATV engine size correlates with an increased rate of traumatic brain injury

“…Previous studies have found a wide variety of objections, namely comfort and inconvenience, but the major themes included lack of education about perceived risk of ATV use and lack of perceived injury severity [7,20]. Two possible solutions to decreased awareness may include increased education or increased legislation.…”

“…Two possible solutions to decreased awareness may include increased education or increased legislation. While one study notes that increased levels of general education likely correlates with increased use of helmets [21], several other studies have concluded that ATV-specific education and the risks of operating an ATV would make a difference [7,[20][21][22][23]. Meanwhile, legislation has been effective when comparing states with and without helmet laws in decreasing rates of injuries and death, as well as severity of injuries [9,24,25]; however there is a host of research that points to a relative ineffectiveness and inconsistent enforcement of helmet laws [3,26,27].…”

A Review on All Terrain Vehicle Safety

“…For example, studies have found various reasons cited for not wearing helmets, including peer pressure, appearance, comfort, as well as failure to believe in the benefits of wearing helmets [41,42]. Interestingly, one study questioned people specifically regarding helmet use on ATVs, and found that there was a general belief that ATVs are not dangerous vehicles [42].…”