Rise of Youth ATVs
Parents understand the mutability of their child’s whims, with some years being all about baseball, while the next year they’re into Pokemon, only to take an unfortunate interest in theater the year after. While many scramble to satisfy their children's’ endearing and ever-changing tastes, others will want to support a future more focused on the same powersport fun and excitement adults get to enjoy. These parents look towards a ATV or motocross bike.
At Brinson Powersports of Athens, we love it when parents and their children can both enjoy a shared outdoor activity or hobby — we also like going fast! While we want everyone to be able
to participate in the great fun of ATVs, we also want to ensure kids are safe and mature enough to handle the responsibility of powersports vehicles. We’ve put together a few tips for your youth’s first ATV. If you still have questions, or you’re looking to browse a great selection of new and used four wheelers, head into Brinson Powersports of Athens. We’re located in Athens and Tyler, Texas and nearby Jacksonville, Longview, as well as Palestine and Canton.
Readiness
Before you put a youth ATV under the Christmas tree this year, you’ll want to determine whether or not your child is ready. Children may not have the strength or body mass to correct an ATV’s course or trajectory by shifting their weight. And without any formal driver’s education training, young drivers may not understand how to adjust their speed to account for terrain, incline, and obstacles.
You want to make sure you have an ATV of the right size. Children simply need to be physically developed enough to properly operate an ATV, and those under the age of 6 are absolutely not there yet. Most ATVs will have a recommended age, but there are some basic ranges to pay attention to. 6 to 11 year olds can usually handle an engine under 70cc, where as 12 to 15 year olds can keep a 90cc engine under control.
Some states have specific requirements. Texas law requires all operators of ATVs under the age of 14 to be directly supervised by a parent or guardian or a person over the age of 18 as authorized by a parent or guardian. Texas law doesn’t differentiate between low-displacement youth ATVs and their grown-up counterparts.
Safety
The CPSC recommends all drivers take a safety course and wear protective gear to include helmet, eye protection, clothing that covers the skin, and long boots and gloves. Also, while it might be tempting to thinking that children, being smaller than adults, should go 2-to-1 on an adult-sized ATV, that’s about the most dangerous thing you could do!
There are specialty training courses for kids, like the Texas 4-H ATV Safety Program. But no program is suitable replacement to direct parental supervision and training. Parents should start by leading through example, making sure to wear their own safety gear. Since using an ATV can be part of daily life for some, it should be all the more important to set proper expectations, safety requirements, and respect for vehicles that can certainly be dangerous or even fatal when misused.
The bottom line of letting anyone under the age of 16 ride an ATV is to take into consideration physical and mental maturity before letting your youth take control. While youth vehicles have limited power, they still have dangerous potential. Practice proper safety with equipment, teaching, and riding procedures. Take it slow and don’t let up on adult supervision. And when you’re ready to check out some new or used youth ATVs, or you’re after an adult-sized quad, head to Brinson Powersports of Athens where we’re proud to serve the areas of Tyler, Jacksonville, Longview, Palestine, and Canton. Come in today!