Close to 30 percent of all motorized vehicle accident injuries that come into hospitals in the metro region involve ATV or dirt bike use.
That’s a significant percentage when you consider how many vehicles are on the road vs the number of ATVs and dirt bikes.
RNC called a news conference in St. John’s yesterday in light of the number of incidents of off-road vehicles being used in a dangerous and irresponsible manner on roadways.
As of October 15, operator safety training will be mandatory for anyone registering an off-road vehicle for the first time, anyone under the age of 16, and anyone who is convicted of offences under the Off-Road Vehicles Act.
While hospitalizations related to crashes have dropped according to the Chief of Emergency with NL Health Services’ Eastern Zone, the number of young people between the ages of 15 and 19 who are hospitalized as a result, has remained constant at about 23 percent.
Dr. Richard Barter says off-road vehicle accidents typically come as a result of poor training, using an extremely powerful machine, inappropriate clothing, not wearing a helmet and high speed.
“really high speeds,” says Dr. Barter, “in an area which is not smooth like a road, resulting in high-impact injuries.”
Dr. Barter says the injuries they see typically run from broken limbs to far more serious life-altering injuries caused by what officials call “sudden deceleration.”
“It means that the vehicle you’re travelling in immediately comes to a stop, and you’re ejected,” says Dr. Barter. “An ejection is somewhat like taking an egg and throwing it at a wall because that’s the impact that you get…so we see head injuries, serious head injuries, permanent head injuries, people going to the Miller Centre for long periods to recover.”