Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Kids and quads

I don't normally speak out about these types of things, but I want to share this with you. Last night my oldest son (13) went for a quad ride as he usually does. We have rules regarding safety equipment, where he can ride,allowable speeds and such. He is an experienced rider and normally responsible. There is a group of kids that ride together and some are less responsible and as of late, I've had a feeling that once out of sight they were pushing the limit, my son included. I have spoke with him regarding speeding and careless riding and he had assured me that he didn't participate.

Well, last night my wife and I had the scare of our lives. John came home shortly after leaving and was avoidng me in the yard, once he took his helmet off he revealed what happened. There is a gravel road that leads to some bush trails, this road has deep ruts, he apparently did not slow down at all when he went through them, he said he never has had a problem with this before. He lost control in the ruts and the quad went down the ditch and took him into a barb wire fence. He broke through the two bottom strands of wire, the top strand did not break and caught him in the neck. He has multiple lacerations right at his adam's apple and bruising across his neck. He's going to be ok, but he came so close to loosing his life in an instant.

My wife and I are selling both our son's quads, not as punishment, but we cannot justify the possibility of a "toy" causing the death of either boys. Accidents can happen and I cannot shelter them from all of life's dangers, but this one I can.

Take from this what you will, it was an eye opener for us.

Wood,

Thank God your boy is not seriously hurt!!

In no way am I disagreeing with your plans, I just feel we "shelter" far too much. Life happens whether we want it to or not. Accidents and failures are lifes best teachers in this world. We often prevent our children from doing things based on the fact that WE did it before them and learned the lesson. You knew your son was probably pushing the limits on the quad and if he hadn't, how would he know what those limits were? Yes, they ARE dangerous at times, but what if a couger or bear had been on that trail and took a swipe at him, would you stop him from going outdoors?

Our natural desire is to protect all our children, and we should! Sometimes the best protection is the lesson your son learned and fortunately, he will live to apply that lesson to everything he does now.

Always a tough call. but most importantly, the boy is OK.

When you think about the number of kids who have ATVs vs. those who don't, the haves are in the minority.

So not providing a dirt bike or quad to your kid(s) is not going to affect them negatively, in my opinion.

I don't think you will ever regret your decision Wood. I think you would only have regrets if you kept the quads and something bad happened to someone.

I guess what I'm saying is that owning an ATV is not a prerequisite to gain life experiences for a kid.

Wise words Rainman. I did consider this, and I know that it is similar to closing the barn door after the horses are out. I told my wife I don't want to regret not doing anything about it in the case of a more serious accident in the future and have to think that I was the cause of it and had the chance to stop it. Almost would seem like it would be neglegent and bad parenting. Couldn't live with that. It may be a knee-jerk reaction, I'm still rattled by the whole thing. We'll see how this pans out.

If anything, people that read this may take something from it, even if it is to re-inforce safety rules or relate this story to a young person. I know I was probably complacent somewhat, and things like this give you a wake-up call.

I too am very thankful to hear that your son is alright. I do agree with rainman that your boy will most likely be a very cautious ATV rider from this point forward. However I think selling those ATV's is a good idea as that is a luxury and not really the same as being attacked by a bear while out on a walk. You indicated you had repeatedly talked to him about the dangers and he shrugged you, and them, off. being irresponsible and getting injured/killed is a lot different than by an unfortunate event (ie. being attacked)

We buried a neighbors 12-year old last year when he was found under his quad. I have a 13- and 15-year old and will not have a quad. Look up the statistics and the risks are very real. My son has always worn a helmet when bicycling, and putting it on is an automatic reflex for him, similar to most adults putting on seatbelt when they get in the car (FYI - I do not support the law for adults, but if your smart, you where one). As we get older we are more likely to learn from other's mistakes rather than from our own. Let them grow up a little before exposing them to too many hazards. If we had grizzlies (black bears generally run), my kids would know how to make noise when they hike so as not to surprise one, and I'd be a lot more careful going to and from the tree stand in the dark. A little safety may be nerdy, but it can save a lot of pain.

Wood, I'm glad you took my post the way it was intended!

I would probably do the same as you. It's easy for me to warn of being over-protective while I continue to do the very same.

I agree maashkioozhe, It is an extreme analogy.

My daughter has just started driving and although she knows all the right things, having ridden with her while she turned into oncoming traffic lanes (none there thank God), letting her have the keys to the car scares the crap out of me!

I doubt any of us here has been so sheltered that we never had a near death accident, or done some REALLY stupid things our parents wouldn't killed us for, had they known.

Very true Sunil!

Wood,

You made the right decision... One I don't think you will regret.

I have personally worked two fatal ATV accidents in my career. One was a 13 year boy who broke his neck while trespassing on power lines on an ATV. He hit a wire across an illegal trail and broke his neck on it.

The other was a 19 year old man who had his 8 year brother riding behind him. The 19 year lost control, went over an embankment and both were killed. Notifying the parents that there children were now dead was not at all easy.

You certainly can kill yourself riding a mountain bike, the Lord knows I tried as a teenager, but it sure is a whole lots safer than an ATV or dirt bike and a lot healthier for the cardiovascular system!

Sunil is definately right, there are plenty of things to enjoy in life as a teenage and riding an ATV doesn't have to be one of them. ATV's are just as dangerous if not more dangerous than cars yet you must be 16 to drive a car and some would argue the age should be older!

Wood, I think you are making the right decision. If something bad happened in the future, you would never forgive yourself. There are plenty of other ways (that are not life threatening) that kids can scare the hell out of their parents.......

Wood,
In my neighborhood (extremely small neighborhood) we attend a funeral rite at least once a month, leading cause for the old, cancer and the leading cause for the young, motorbike.

Driving many motorized conveyances is like carrying around cocked revolvers, both are accidents in waiting. Removing either from the control of an unsupervised teen is a good decision.

You are selling them for the best reason, safety.

My young neighbor bought his daughter (5 yr. old?) a small kids quad. She only rides the quad around the yard, on the cut grass. About a month ago she was riding around the yard (sans helmet) with an even younger neighbors daughter sitting behind her. She rounded a tree and dumped the quad. Both kids were crying, but there weren't any injuries. She's still riding the quad, but now the helmet is a permanent fixture on her head, and she's riding slower now, so I think she found out that she'd not invincible after all.

Wood, I believe you made the right choice, and while you cannot be there at all times, you can limit his choices and show him that his choice of disregarding you have consequences that he might not like!

Wood, it's a tough choice for all of us burdened with raising kids today. I have a 15 year old who has always been a lot more careful than I was as a child. He too turned over one of our 4 wheelers a couple of weeks ago & it scared the bejeezes out of him! It's a lesson he won't forget & he was just scraped up. I guess it's what most of us want for our kids- A GOOD SCARE- but no real lasting harm when it comes to these kind of things. IMHO, there's no right or wrong answer, but it's good for posts like yours to remind us of the potential dangers and our job to make the best choice for our kids...du

James, I agree with all of the great advice given here but have some mixed emotions. I don't give advice on how somebody else raises their kids. For safetys sake alone, sell the darn things. I've watched your boys grow from runts to one being an adolescent and have enjoyed the pics. I would like to keep on doing that.

On the other hand, you once posted that winter survival in your part of the world is not a sure thing. One mistake can be fatal. You just can't remove all of the risks associated with growing up and learning to not pee on an electric fence. I don't have the answers and when I think I do, somebody changes the questions.

Boys are like dogs. One boy is generally OK. Get a bunch together and there is going to be mischief.

Aint that the truth!!!

Wood, My good friend,s daughter and boy friend were riding one and ran off a cliff. It crushed his daughters pelvis so bad she couldn't walk for almost a year and had to drop out of college. You sound like you are doing what you think is necessary to keep kids safe. Glad there were no serious injuries.

Ditto, Wood I think you made the right decision too. The part where you said, " Accidents can happen and I cannot shelter them from all of life's dangers, but this one I can," is probably one of the wisest things I have ever heard a parent say!

I know a family that can only wish they had done that as they no longer have an only son.

That said I am not judging others but my neighbors kid has every fast moving toy available. Trouble is the kid is driving around a 4 wheeler like a mad man and he can't be more than 7 or 8! And no adult supervision! Sadly I think it's only a matter of time.

You can say that again. For the life of me I can't understand why one would want to ride something where there is no protection between their bodies and the road or other vehicles. Of course that may just be me.

One thing has always stuck with me regarding motorcycles. I know a lot of people that ride them or have ridden them. Not one can say he's never had an accident on one. Not one.

Very true, everybody goes down sooner or later, I worked with guys who rode them for a living and they all hit the pavement at one time or another.

I ride a dirt bike that I had converted to street legal so I could get to the trails.

I've laid it down many, many times in the woods.

I knew a guy who got hauled head-on by a car while riding a bike. Steel rod in the leg, laid-up for months. Guy driving the car was drinking. In fact, in the newspaper, it showed a picture of the drive with the sheriff and the driver was drinking a budweiser. This was back in the '70s.

Anyway, the guy who got hauled still rides and convinced himself that statistically, the chance of wrecking again are vastly reduced as he's already wrecked once.

I've cleaned more than one motorcyclist off the road. I might and that is a big might, consider riding a motorcycle out in a rural area, but wouldn't even dream it here in the DC area!

I took an off road bike school to get certified to ride a dirt bike for work. The last day of the school, the class and instructors took a 30 mile ride on dirt bikes on the Capitol Beltway and I-66. Definitely top 5 scariest moments in my life! Even with 20 police officers on dirt bikes, people were still wizzing by without a blink. No thank you! Our motorcycle cops are nuts...

Frankly, my dual sport bike is not comfortable to ride too long on the road. Plus it's only a 230 and has a max speed of maybe 60 mph on a flat road.

I bought my first quad last year, and mainly bought it for going hunting out West. I bought a 2-up model from Bombardier where the 2 people sit front to back, not side by side. I grew up on snomobiles and learned after having my cornea scratched by a pine needle that full face helmets are your friend.

My hunting buddy and I were riding back to camp on the gravel road in Wy. after a day of hunting and got the scare of our lives. It's not nice to be travelling @ 40-45 mph after dark and come up on a herd of black steers standing in the road!

Now that I have one I'm surprised on how much I actually use it around here.

I could definitely see how a quad would come in handy around my ponds moving stuff back and forth including fish. I use a John Deer lawnmover and trailer right now.

Check out a Kawasaki Mule FWD side by side - handy around ponds - safe for kids - not a racehorse for speed but pulls like a mule.