anyone know about ATV laws and kids in KY?

[lisarae]

My stupid BIL keeps putting his 3 year old daughter on his 4-wheeler. He rides her along in front of him and he goes to fast. He dont go on open road, (that I know of). We tell him all of the time, shes gonna get hurt. Hes stubborn and wont listen, he says hes not going to do anything to hurt her. BIG fight this past summer, and she was 2 then. WELL, Thursday afternoon, she went and got 3 stitches JUST to the right of her right eye. Not even a half of an inch and it would have been her eye ball. They hit a bump and her head hit 'something', my sister wasn't sure what she hit, I assume the handlebars. They took her to ER for stitches and they just said that they seen alot worse. But I would think that they would at LEAST question him about child endangerment. They neither had helmets or anyother safety gear of any type. What makes it worse is one of my good friends brother just a few years ago was riding with him gf and hit a barbed wire fence and nearly decapitated himself. What is hospital for months, had to learn to do everything over again. Had a trach (sp?), one of those holes in troat for a very long time. To beat it all my BIL is a firefighter who responds to those type of calls, and I think went to that particular accident, and STILL does stupid things like that.

Is there any type of law that would help prevent that? or at least make him think? :mad:

[Goobie]

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/NEWS0101/601200405/1008/NEWS01

http://www.atvsafety.org/

[Willow]

The poor baby. :( I don't like those things. They are dangerous even for adults to use.

[belcherpi]

I'm not sure about where you are but in Eastern KY where my parents live there isn't a law about ATV's (that I know of). You're not required to wear helmets. You're allowed to ride on the highway for about 2 miles but the police don't enforce that. When we are there we have to get on the highway to get to our riding trails and WE require our boys to wear helmets. That was one of the requirements I made when we bought the ATV's. They can be dangerous if people don't take safety precautions. We have a blast on ours, but we don't do any of the dare devil stuff.
I think if your BIL isn't being cautious with his kid on there then the kid shouldn't be riding on it.

[cpbaby]

I know there are laws about children operating them, but not riders, I dont think.

[tracyb]

we ride with our 3 yr old in front of us....BUT SHE HAS TO WEAR HER HELMET AT ALL TIMES....we go slow with her...it puts her to sleep every time we ride with her...my kids have a face shield so she dont hit her face either....I have no problems with riding with a little one..JUST RIDE RESPONSIBLY...NO FAST SPEED AT ALL....!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lisarae]

I hate them no matter what, and I wont let my kids on them until they are older. But I just believe he shouldn't go as fast as he does with her on there, and she should have helmet on.

I just think its crazy that theres a seat belt/car seat law for kids INSIDE of a car, but go ahead and put your precious child on front of a 4-wheeler, and go as fast as you want. Makes me sick.

[Eyore]

Kentucky’s All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Laws
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=4wheeldrive&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kytc.state.ky.us%2Fdrvsmrt%2Fa tvlaws.htm

If you click the link at the bottom of the page is a phone number and way to contact them online. You could probably request information on the laws.

[andreame70]

They just passed laws here in NC recently about this very thing. Here, children under the age of 8 are not allowed to be on an ATV, whether they are a passenger or a driver. At 8 years old they can begin riding or driving, but the engine size must be appropriate for their age and they must wear a helmet anytime they are on it. Also, they made it mandatory for all ATV riders of any age to wear helmets.

These new laws infuriated a lot of NC residents and they complained that the government was trying to get too involved into their personal lives and such. The way I see it, when it comes to dangerous activities like this, the government would not have to babysit, if the children were getting the proper supervision and guidance from their parents to begin with.

Andrea

[tracyb]

my other dd has her own atv...it is a small one that she can handle..I do believe you have to use your own judgement with your child...if you know they take chances then dont let them on...she is not that type of child...she rides it with some sense.

[belcherpi]

Riding ATV's is definately a judgment call. If your BIL isn't responsible enough for himself on his ATV then he has no business putting his child on it. We also have 2 ATV's and we also have helmets for when we need to get on the highway to get to our trails. When we bought the ATV's, the helmets were required by ME. We don't do any dare devil stunts or anything like that. I have back problems so we can't do anything too crazy or I'll be hurting later. They can be dangerous but they can also be very fun, if riding responsibly. I didn't like the idea of getting one at first and it took about 3 years for DH to convince me. I caved and we bought a 2 seater and now I love it. When we visit family in KY I don't get left behind anymore, I can get on the back of DH's ATV and tag along. :D

[farmmnger]

We have a ATV, but don't drive crazy on it. We're responsible drivers. Most people around here have them, since we're out in the country.

[Snooty]

Couldn't you call CPS? The child's safety is in danger! I'm schocked that a firefighter would do his daughter this way..... :eek:

[KEARLA]

I was going to responed to this earlier, but I wanted to give you correct info and the paperwork was at work. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the minimum age for OPERATORS of an ATV is:
under 70cc...age 6
70cc to 90cc...age 12
over 90cc...age 16.
Passengers should NEVER be allowed on an ATV. Carrying a passenger may upset the balance of the ATV and may cause it to go out of control.

-Over 1036 people, including many children, have died in accidents associated with ATVs since 1988
-Many people have become severely paralyzed or suffered severe internal injuries as a result of accidents associated with ATVs
-Every month, thousand of people are treated in hospital emergancy rooms for injuries recieved while riding ATVs.

I'm sure all these people also said "it won't happen to me" & "I won't hurt my child". We sell Suzuki and we are to refuse to sell to a person if they say that their child will ride on it if the "cc"s are too high for their child or if they say they will ride with their child as a passenger. This info is posted on American-made ATVs. Unfortunately, those made overseas don't fall in the same rules even though they are just as dangerous (but they are working on that). I don't think there is any specific laws to prevent this type of riding though. You could probably contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772 and get more info. Hope this helps.