Young riders: all-terrain vehicle use in north Texas

Annually, there are more than 54,000 visits to nationwide emergency departments as a result of injuries sustained while riding all-terrain vehicles. Of those visits, nearly one-half involve children younger than 16 years. Children's Medical Center Dallas admitted 211 patients over a 5-year period from March 2002 until May 2007 as a result of all-terrain vehicle-related incidents with 207 of those patients aged 13 years or younger. The primary mechanisms of these injuries were secondary to collision with stationary objects, rolling of the vehicles, and falling from the vehicles.