Six years ago, then-13-year old Tyler Hughes, of Clemmons, got on his ATV and proceeded to speed along a snowy, curvy road. The ATV flipped over on him and the roll bar severed his left arm. Tyler’s mom quickly applied a tourniquet to her son’s arm and surgeons were able to re-attach the limb. A local newspaper titled its story, “Quick Thinking Mom, Skilled Doctors Made the Difference.” Obviously, everyone was happy that young Tyler survived the crash, but a more appropriate headline would have been, “Boy Should Have Never Been on ATV in the First Place.” To that end, in July of 2018, I wrote a column calling for ATV laws to be more restrictive, but my words fell on deaf ears.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 4,000 people died in ATV accidents between 2004 and 2021, and 504 of those were in North Carolina, most of who were children and teens. Meanwhile, lucky crash victims like Tyler were among the 517,000 ATV riders who made it out of the emergency department injured, but alive. The problem is that no one seems to care about statistics. Lawmakers refuse to outlaw ATVs, parents continue to purchase these death traps for their kids, and young people continue to make poor decisions when riding them. And that brings me to our most recent ATV-related tragedy.
Late last month Layne Jones and Jayden Reynaldo hopped onto a 4-wheeler and went for a piggyback ride along a local highway in Transylvania County. The boys, both 16 years old and both members of the Eastern Randolph High School football team, suddenly lost control, ran off the road, and crashed into a tree. They were killed instantly. To compound the tragedy, there’s no indication that their deaths will yield any significant reforms when it comes to the sale and use of ATVs. If that weren’t the case, then legislators would have already paid more attention to the aforementioned statistics and widespread warnings by reputable individuals and organizations.
For example, at a 2010 meeting of the American College of Surgeons, it was reported that when comparing ATV accidents versus motorcycle accidents, the same injury from an ATV crash is 50% more likely to result in severe injury or death. The reason? Motorcycles are mainly operated by adults and ATVs are mainly operated by minors. Shockingly, under North Carolina law, children as young as 8 years old can operate an ATV if the engine is less than 70cc. Hey, while we’re at it, why don’t we just let children operate handguns, so long as it’s a small caliber?
State lawmakers need to get off their collective asses and enact serious ATV reforms, including: no one under 16 can operate any kind of all-terrain vehicle; you must have a valid North Carolina license to operate an ATV; and, anyone between 16 and 18 must be supervised by an adult when operating an ATV.
After Tyler Hughes crashed his 4-wheeler in 2018, I interviewed a pediatric injury prevention specialist for my Triad Today television show. He stated clearly that, “Parents should keep their children away from all ATVs.” Yet what did 13-year-old Tyler tell a Winston-Salem Journal reporter while he was recovering from surgery? He said, “I can’t wait to start riding again.” Tyler could be forgiven for his disregard of the dangers that ATVs present. Lawmakers and parents cannot.
ATV Laws Must Change
Six years ago, then-13-year old Tyler Hughes, of Clemmons, got on his ATV and proceeded to speed along a snowy, curvy road. The ATV flipped over on him and the roll bar severed his left arm. Tyler’s mom quickly applied a tourniquet to her son’s arm and surgeons were able to re-attach the limb. A local newspaper titled its story, “Quick Thinking Mom, Skilled Doctors Made the Difference.” Obviously, everyone was happy that young Tyler survived the crash, but a more appropriate headline would have been, “Boy Should Have Never Been on ATV in the First Place.” To that end, in July of 2018, I wrote a column calling for ATV laws to be more restrictive, but my words fell on deaf ears.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 4,000 people died in ATV accidents between 2004 and 2021, and 504 of those were in North Carolina, most of who were children and teens. Meanwhile, lucky crash victims like Tyler were among the 517,000 ATV riders who made it out of the emergency department injured, but alive. The problem is that no one seems to care about statistics. Lawmakers refuse to outlaw ATVs, parents continue to purchase these death traps for their kids, and young people continue to make poor decisions when riding them. And that brings me to our most recent ATV-related tragedy.
Late last month Layne Jones and Jayden Reynaldo hopped onto a 4-wheeler and went for a piggyback ride along a local highway in Transylvania County. The boys, both 16 years old and both members of the Eastern Randolph High School football team, suddenly lost control, ran off the road, and crashed into a tree. They were killed instantly. To compound the tragedy, there’s no indication that their deaths will yield any significant reforms when it comes to the sale and use of ATVs. If that weren’t the case, then legislators would have already paid more attention to the aforementioned statistics and widespread warnings by reputable individuals and organizations.
For example, at a 2010 meeting of the American College of Surgeons, it was reported that when comparing ATV accidents versus motorcycle accidents, the same injury from an ATV crash is 50% more likely to result in severe injury or death. The reason? Motorcycles are mainly operated by adults and ATVs are mainly operated by minors. Shockingly, under North Carolina law, children as young as 8 years old can operate an ATV if the engine is less than 70cc. Hey, while we’re at it, why don’t we just let children operate handguns, so long as it’s a small caliber?
State lawmakers need to get off their collective asses and enact serious ATV reforms, including: no one under 16 can operate any kind of all-terrain vehicle; you must have a valid North Carolina license to operate an ATV; and, anyone between 16 and 18 must be supervised by an adult when operating an ATV.
After Tyler Hughes crashed his 4-wheeler in 2018, I interviewed a pediatric injury prevention specialist for my Triad Today television show. He stated clearly that, “Parents should keep their children away from all ATVs.” Yet what did 13-year-old Tyler tell a Winston-Salem Journal reporter while he was recovering from surgery? He said, “I can’t wait to start riding again.” Tyler could be forgiven for his disregard of the dangers that ATVs present. Lawmakers and parents cannot.