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Pediatric Off-Highway Vehicle Injuries and Fatalities: Exploring Risks, Prevention, and Safety

John Wong1, Victoria Gebert1, Andrew Savoia1

  • 1Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.

Pediatrics in Review
|December 31, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric off-highway vehicle (OHV) injuries are a major concern, with children under 16 experiencing numerous injuries annually. Enhanced safety measures and helmet use are crucial to prevent these often-fatal incidents.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatric Injury Prevention
  • Traumatology

Background:

  • Pediatric off-highway vehicle (OHV) injuries represent a significant and preventable public health problem.
  • Children under 16 constitute a substantial portion of OHV-related injuries, highlighting a critical need for targeted safety interventions.
  • Data from 2018-2020 indicates over 500,000 OHV-related injuries in the US, with children being disproportionately affected.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the scope and nature of pediatric OHV injuries.
  • To identify the most common types of OHVs involved and associated injury patterns.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of protective measures and highlight areas for improved safety legislation and awareness.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of pediatric OHV injury data from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (2018-2020).
  • Analysis of injury types, common OHVs involved (ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, golf carts, snowmobiles), and demographic factors.
  • Assessment of current safety measures, including helmet use and legislative recommendations.

Main Results:

  • All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were most frequently involved, causing head/neck injuries (56%) and fractures (21%).
  • Utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) led to severe fractures (45%) and amputations (4%); snowmobiles caused internal organ injuries (33%).
  • Golf carts, often underestimated, resulted in head/neck trauma (79%), and helmet noncompliance reached up to 96%.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric OHV injuries are a preventable crisis requiring urgent legislative action, increased public awareness, and healthcare provider education.
  • Strengthening safety regulations, enforcing helmet mandates, and promoting age restrictions are vital to reduce injury and mortality rates.
  • Consistent enforcement of regulations and decisive intervention are necessary to decrease the unacceptably high rate of preventable pediatric OHV injuries and fatalities.

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