ATV ban proposed in Ontario Canada

[mikester]

Tragic story with strange recommendations

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/atv-horatio-mcleod-1.6006598

Long and the short of it a family lets their 7? year old ride on a youth sized side-by-side ATV with a 10 year old friend driving. The 10 year old hits a metal culvert in the ditch. The 7 year old, who wasn't wearing seat belts, went through the windshield and later dies in the hospital of internal injuries.

An inquest is held and 27 recommendations are made including the ban of youth sized ATVs, OEMs need to design safer vehicles, mandatory training for buyers, graduated licensing for ATV operators.

FYI In Ontario the minimum age to operate an ATV is 12. Seatbelts in cars have been the law in Ontario since 1976.

I agree this is a tragic accident. The family wants action. Where do they take responsibility for their part in this? Why did they allow their kid to drive around with an underaged kid and without a seatbelt? Did one of the 27 recommendations include fining the parents for not being responsible for their own kid by letting him ride without a seatbelt? Where is the law that parents need to be licensed before being allowed to have children?

 

[Hay Dude]

Minority views are becoming the rule in virtually every aspect of life.

 

[Sigarms]

I agree this is a tragic accident. The family wants action. Where do they take responsibility for their part in this? Why did they allow their kid to drive around with an underaged kid and without a seatbelt?

You can't protect people from stupidity, and neither can laws.

Even in my local area, I'm amazed at the young kids (that look to be under the age of 10) I see riding ATV's, zipping around the paved roads and fields without wearing a helmet.

 

[Oaktree]

I agree this is a tragic accident. The family wants action. Where do they take responsibility for their part in this? Why did they allow their kid to drive around with an underaged kid and without a seatbelt? Did one of the 27 recommendations include fining the parents for not being responsible for their own kid by letting him ride without a seatbelt? Where is the law that parents need to be licensed before being allowed to have children?

You can't protect people from stupidity, and neither can laws.

Even in my local area, I'm amazed at the young kids (that look to be under the age of 10) I see riding ATV's, zipping around the paved roads and fields without wearing a helmet.

I agree, this is 100% parental irresponsibility.

I had a close call a month or so ago, was driving on my road coming up on a corner that also was a small rise. Suddenly around that corner, over the rise came a couple kids (couldn't have been more than 11 or 12) on a regular ATV on the wrong side of the road coming right at me. Fortunately there was time for evasive action. If I had gotten there 10 seconds sooner things would not have ended well.

 

[Alan W.]

If the family wants action there should be action against them. Sounds like negligence to me.
Funny how its always the fault of an inanimate object. Never any personal responsibility.
Still a tragic and painful situation.

 

[Sigarms]

I agree, this is 100% parental irresponsibility.

I had a close call a month or so ago, was driving on my road coming up on a corner that also was a small rise. Suddenly around that corner, over the rise came a couple kids (couldn't have been more than 11 or 12) on a regular ATV on the wrong side of the road coming right at me. Fortunately there was time for evasive action. If I had gotten there 10 seconds sooner things would not have ended well.

The thing is, at what point are you repsonsible parents or just PITA "helicopter parents"?

Learned that term when fostering

I consider both my wife and I have common sense. At what point in a childs life do you just let them do what they want to do and let the chips fall where they fall?

Both my boys are 16, and one fights us on our decisions daily because we don't allow him to do as much unsupervised crap as his friends. I'm at the point where you want to use your brain, be responsible for it.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Tragic loss and I am very sorry for the family. But at least most of the comments agree that it's mostly the parents fault and shouldn't require new laws by the government.

 

[MikeFarm]

Hi

In Australia we get a lot of quad bike/ATV accidents on farms. About 15 to 20 people are killed and more than 1,000 are seriously injured each year. In 2020 quad bikes were the leading cause of death on Australian farms. After a lot of research by safety experts and tests of bikes fitted with roll over protection over the last decade the Govt passed legislation which which requires all quad bikes to be fitted with rollover protection at point of sale by October 2021. Because of this Polaris, Yamaha and Honda have announced they will exit the Australian market this year. That will be fine for the other manufacturers that have said that they are l implementing roll over protection. So far 20,000 roll over protection devices have been fitted to existing quads/ATVs and of those none have been involved in any deaths at all.

We have had the requirement by law for quite a few years that helmets are mandatory. That has reduced the head injuries a lot.

Its not just protecting the "stupid" or "irresponsible parents". Many ATVs or quads are inherently unstable and it is so easy to hit a wombat hole or a rock or log in long grass. Young riders just don't realise the danger, older farmers don't have the quick reactions that they might have had when they were younger. These things are heavy and when they roll over, your crushed - out in the paddock by yourself, and maybe with the cows, sheep, kangaroos and your dog.

Mike

 

[2LaneCruzer]

The thing is, at what point are you repsonsible parents or just PITA "helicopter parents"?

Learned that term when fostering

I consider both my wife and I have common sense. At what point in a childs life do you just let them do what they want to do and let the chips fall where they fall?

Both my boys are 16, and one fights us on our decisions daily because we don't allow him to do as much unsupervised crap as his friends. I'm at the point where you want to use your brain, be responsible for it.

Stick to your guns. We allowed our girls to make the decisions we thought they were mature enough to make...with our counsel...but were pretty rigid on our rules otherwise...example: They were forbidden to get on a motorcycle for any reason. This was SOP for as long as they were living under our roof, and we held our ground. We tried to not be unreasonable, but firm none the less. Worked out well; I think they were fairly mature when they left home.

 

[Sigarms]

Its not just protecting the "stupid" or "irresponsible parents". Many ATVs or quads are inherently unstable and it is so easy to hit a wombat hole or a rock or log in long grass. Young riders just don't realise the danger, older farmers don't have the quick reactions that they might have had when they were younger. These things are heavy and when they roll over, your crushed - out in the paddock by yourself, and maybe with the cows, sheep, kangaroos and your dog.

Mike

With all due respect, you pick up a loaded gun, aim the barrel at your head and pull the trigger, it's not the guns fault but your fault for either wanting to kill yourself or not understanding the tool.

Inanimate objects can't figure out its owner, but the owner can learn and understand about the inanimate object.