ATV age raise

On November 1st, a bill was signed to raise the age to be able to drive an ATV from 10 to 14 in the state of New York.

The bill also states that any person under the age of 16 will now have to be supervised by a person over the age of 18 while operating and ATV but, if the person under the age  of 16 has taken an ATV safety course and has the certificate proving they have completed it, said person would be able to drive an ATV without such supervision. 

State senator Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin rewrote the original bill in hope to eliminate the potential accidents caused by inexperienced and immature drivers on ATV’s. They also believe that ATV’s are too dangerous for young tweens as these automobiles can reach up to 70 mph and weigh about 3 times a tweens weight. 

New York is among the top 10 states with reported ATV accidents. According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, operating any off-road vehicle, including ATV’s, can involve huge risks of overturning, collisions and occupant ejection. Just in the state of New York, from the years of 1982 and 2012, there have been 433 ATV related deaths, according to the commission. 

It is recommended for everyone to take these safety courses, not just people under the age of 16. To find a course near you go on to the New York DMV website.