ATV age increase

[LowSider]

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bosto...6qwOEk/view.bg


Increasing minimum age won't do anything to stop kids from getting hurt. They will just get hurt at an older age. Teach the parents to teach the kids how to ride safe...

[obsolete]

Teach the parents to teach the kids how to ride safe...

While I do not agree with the age hike, I read comments like yours and always wonder how you do that?

[LowSider]

While I do not agree with the age hike, I read comments like yours and always wonder how you do that?

Look at me, I'm obsolete. I play devils advocate in all instances possible whether I agree or not. To make you feel accomplished, I will give in and say the following statement.

I in no way said that educating parents was possible but mearly that it would provide safer atv riders of their children than just increasing the age.

[obsolete]

I'm not playing devils advocate. I've heard that phrase in all manner of arguments and I don't get it. Yes parents should do certain things but the issue is they don't and I don't get how you can make them, so I asked. I guess you don't know either lol.

[Chippertheripper]

that family lost a son. tragic.
he shouldn't have been allowed to ride with his buddy, inexperienced, and unsupervised.
i don't think we need a law to tell us what age our kids can start riding and learning.

[LowSider]

While I do not agree with the age hike, I read comments like yours and always wonder how you do that?

Just busting your balls.

[Doc]

I'm not playing devils advocate. I've heard that phrase in all manner of arguments and I don't get it. Yes parents should do certain things but the issue is they don't and I don't get how you can make them, so I asked. I guess you don't know either lol.

They did it back in the day. Pussification of america.

[emayn15]

They did it back in the day. Pussification of america.

Well said. Parents should have a good idea that their kid is skilled enough to operate a motor vehicle somewhat responsibly and kids should be supervised when their first learning the fundamentals but increasing the age limit of riders is a shitty solution. I know I would have been a lot more dangerous as a inexpierenced 14 year old as opposed to being a inexpierenced 10 year old on a smaller machine.

Why not enforce mandatory ATV safety courses for kids under a certain age or something instead?

[xrocket21]

I know I for one think we need more laws to protect us all from getting hurt. If the law was in place before, that kid would have never died. The us government could have saved that poor boys liife!

[JoeT]

so is the state gonna pay me for my kids quad? She cant ride it for 6 more years (and she'll be too big for it then) and I cant sell it to someone for their kid. . .

I'm tired of the .gov thinking that they know whats best for me and my family. My family is MY responsibility not theirs!!

[JoeT]

I know I for one think we need more laws to protect us all from getting hurt. If the law was in place before, that kid would have never died. The us government could have saved that poor boys liife!

I'm assuming that is sarcasm. . . .

[obsolete]

They did it back in the day. Pussification of america.

When is back in the day?

[eboos]

When is back in the day?

Apparently just a little more then 30 years ago.

[obsolete]

Apparently just a little more then 30 years ago.

34 or so?

[xrocket21]

I'm assuming that is sarcasm. . . .

Oh yeah

I went on 200 mile snowmobile rides with my dad from like age 10 on


I believe in personal responsibility

some are capable of having their 6 year old kid ride around all day long on a little 50, you know?

[xrocket21]

from another forum I am on:

Just thought I'd share a few pics from the weekend.

It was a great day of racing for our team. My 8 yr old was on absolute fire, getting 2 bad starts (engine loaded up and wouldn't clear) but coming from 5th place after the start through the back to take 2nd place in both races (2nd overall for the day).

In his attempt to get some places back, big air and hard cornering were in order. Something these kids just can't get a grasp of (they brake early, accelerate late), not my rider.. I couldn't have written a better textbook with the high speed tight corner maneuvers I was watching.

Fast Corner (probably going about 20% faster than he should):



Big Air 8 foot overall arch, 65 feet (paced off) distance:



From the side (Not quite as far or high, as he's watching to make sure he didn't hit another rider who was immediately in front of him and likes to brake just before launch):




Overall, GREAT day, good racing, good times!

[eboos]

The point was not to get into a pissing match with you, but I am sure you know what Doc was refering to. "Back in the day" was however long ago we held ourselves personally responsible for our actions, not the vendors, not the manufacturers, not the distributors.

[seth399]

I was 3 when I got my honda 50, my dad sure made me ride safe. First of all I couldn't start the thing if he wasn't there and also had a rule that I couldn't go out of first gear until I got real comfortable on the thing, teaching kid to be safe at young age can be done

[eboos]

Last year when my son was 3 and my daughter was 4 I got them a CRF50. Both of them got pretty damn good at it quickly. However, they know that they must have all their gear on every time, and I am right there with them any time they are on the bike. They also stay in first gear.

[JettaJayGLS]

I got my 300ex when I was 14....the sign on it said 16 was the minimum age. I was able to register it and ride in NH. I got my registration checked while I was under the age of 16 by an EPA guy at Rockingham and he didn't even ask how old I was.

I even, under the age of 16, was driving my four wheeler less than a mile down the road at a slow speed and a cop pulled me over, towed the quad, and wrote me up for unregistered uninsured requiring me to meet with a court magistrate...the court magistrate never made any mention to me being under the operating age of 16 and neither did the cop (all charges were dropped obviously)

Do they plan on enforcing these new age limits?

I had my little brother at the age of 9 learning how to ride the 300ex (that has a manual clutch) in our front yard....he's 11 now, and still isn't allowed to leave our front yard, but he's not ready to, when he is, I'll bring him in the trails whether or not he is 16.

[obsolete]

The point was not to get into a pissing match with you, but I am sure you know what Doc was refering to. "Back in the day" was however long ago we held ourselves personally responsible for our actions, not the vendors, not the manufacturers, not the distributors.

The thing I see is people still do that, there are examples in this thread. The problem I see is that there are some people that appeal to the gov't and a squeaky wheel situation arises. Our world in the past 20 years has gone through such an unreal informational revolution that we now see things that where there all along due to up to the minute information. Now you have people that don’t have anything to do with the issue seeing there is a “problem” over there and some one should do something cause kids are getting hurt. I think a huge part of this cop out argument of “well back in the day… blah blah blah” is because you just didn’t know it was happening so an issue wasn’t made of it.

Just so I'm very clear, I don't believe in any age restriction.

[benVFR]

Since you can pretty much only ride them on private property can the state even enforce this?

I was just thinking about this kind of thing this morning.. my wife is not crazy about motorcycles, etc.. but is not likely to really try and stop me from riding.. if and when we have kids.. I know they will want to ride eventually.

And they have made it almost impossible to teach kids responsibly... although I doubt very many of us "way back when" were responsible.

My brief experience as a kid was riding neighbors/friends stuff.. no helmets, no gear, poorly maintained bikes, etc.. no supervision, no training. I didn't get into it cause I thought even as a kid we were being stupid riding such POS bikes with no gear.

[Stoneman]

Since you can pretty much only ride them on private property can the state even enforce this?

It's my understanding that in MA, anyone under the age limit can't even ride 'em LEGALLY on your own fuckin' property! That's how we've inherited two kids ATV's. Which by the way, I'll be beginning next week to teach my 3-year old to ride on...

Thing that gets me about this is they're still using a child's death from FOUR years ago as their battle cry. They got the age raised, then got 'em banned to a certain age, now they wanna raise the age again. All the while using that poor family's plight as it's war cry...

Guess what, people? The kid that was sadly killed was riding it illegally anyway, he was under the age as required by law as it was at the time. So raising the age then raising it again is supposed to stop that?

[Stoneman]

And they have made it almost impossible to teach kids responsibly... although I doubt very many of us "way back when" were responsible.

NH has a GREAT program in effect now. If you're between the ages of 12-16, the only way to LEGALLY ride an ATV/snowmobile is to obtain your 'green card' (license, really) from an education program run by the state. It's really a great program and I know a handful of people that instruct 'em...

Greatest thing about the program is the parents are REQUIRED to attend with the children! Bet NH has a much easier time dealing with children's ATV use than MA could dream. But hey, let's just ban 'em all together, right?

[obsolete]

It's my understanding that in MA, anyone under the age limit can't even ride 'em LEGALLY on your own fuckin' property! That's how we've inherited two kids ATV's. Which by the way, I'll be beginning next week to teach my 3-year old to ride on...

Thing that gets me about this is they're still using a child's death from FOUR years ago as their battle cry. They got the age raised, then got 'em banned to a certain age, now they wanna raise the age again. All the while using that poor family's plight as it's war cry...

Guess what, people? The kid that was sadly killed was riding it illegally anyway, he was under the age as required by law as it was at the time. So raising the age then raising it again is supposed to stop that?

That sad family is the one championing the cause and using their own plight. I don't know if that's better or worse.