AAP: Children account for one-quarter of ATV-related deaths per year

Elk Grove Village, IL – Children comprise about one-third of the 130,000 to 150,000 emergency department visits related to all-terrain vehicles each year, as well as one-quarter of the more than 800 deaths, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Factors that contribute to the injuries and fatal incidents among all ATV users include lack of helmets and other protective gear, multiple riders using one vehicle, lack of proper instruction, and alcohol and drug consumption, researchers said Oct. 17 at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Boston.

The most common cause of injury is rollovers, which account for 42 percent of injury-causing crashes. Thirty-five percent of patients older than 15 tested positive for alcohol and 25 percent tested positive for drugs, according to AAP.