Researchers at the University of Iowa recently published the results of research examining all-terrain vehicle (ATV) use, crash prevalence, and riding behaviors among adolescent students in a rural state. The study, funded by the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

[Photo: Dr. Karisa Harland]

Regardless of rurality, at least 75 percent of students reported having been on an ATV, with 38 percent of those riding daily or weekly. Among ATV riders, 57 percent had been in a crash. Most riders engaged in risky behaviors, including riding with passengers (92 percent), on public roads (81 percent), or without a helmet (64 percent). Almost 60 percent reported engaging in all three behaviors; only 2 percent engaged in none.

“We believe this data illustrates the critical need for promoting safer behaviors among youth,” says Dr. Karisa Harland, a study co-author and researcher with the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center. “Robust ATV injury prevention efforts are more widely needed, including training and well-enforced legislation, while primary care clinicians could play an important role in decreasing pediatric ATV-related injuries and deaths through routine anticipatory guidance.”