Published: October 09, 2007 09:10 pm      

Deadliest month — WV must reduce ATV fatalities

Eleven people died in all-terrain vehicle crashes during the month of September, making it the deadliest month on record for crashes involving ATVs in the Mountain State. These statistics are alarming, and unacceptable. Lawmakers must move to strengthen current ATV safety laws. If southern West Virginia is to be successfully promoted as a tourism destination for off-road enthusiasts, we must work to reduce these alarming statistics.

There have been 42 confirmed ATV deaths this year, nine fewer than in 2006 at this time, Mark Holmes, program coordinator for the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, told the Associated Press. The Mountain State began keeping records of ATV fatalities in 1990.

Jim Helmkamp, who works to keep track of ATV deaths as director of the West Virginia University Injury Control Research Center, said it is difficult to predict what will happen from one year to next. However, officials are finding most fatal ATV crashes occur between April and August.

The alarming increase in ATV crashes during the month of September could in part be due to the unseasonably warm and dry weather the region has been experiencing. As long as the weather stays mild and dry, more folks will probably be out and about riding ATVs.

Helmkamp wants to see a number of changes to how the state regulates the off-road vehicles, including requiring helmets for all ATV riders, restricting passengers to the number recommended by manufacturers and banning the vehicles from all paved roads, the AP report said.

Unfortunately, a bill aimed at toughening the state’s ATV laws died in the state Senate earlier this year. However, advocates of ATV safety hope new legislation will be reintroduced this year.

With the success of the Hatfield-McCoy Recreation Trail in southern West Virginia, including the new Indian Ridge segment in McDowell County and the planned trail expansion in Mercer County, it is critical that we take action now to lower these alarming statistics, and to improve ATV safety in the Mountain State.

If we are to be successful in attracting off-road enthusiasts from across the nation to southern West Virginia, we must then take the lead in developing legislation to improve ATV safety, and we must work diligently to reduce the alarming increase in ATV fatalities.