2008 ATV Accident Data

[Dave S]

Here's some accident data for the '08 year.

Total number of ATV fatalities in '08: 17

Snowmobiles had 10

Average age of those involved in ATV accidents in '08: 43

8 out of 16 had alcohol present in their system.

5 of the 8 had a BAC over the legal limit (.08)

Average age of youth involved in fatal ATV accidents: 14

24% of 2008 deaths ranged from ages 10-19.

Total ATV accidnets reported: 263

Out of those, there were 284 injuries reported.

Viewing all the reports for 2008 showed that 15 out of 17 OHV fatalities were operators with no MN DNR ATV Safety training.(looking thorugh the booklet, none of the operators were listed as having been certified)

Some of the following percentages don't quite add up. There may be some variables involved that are not listed.

ACCIDENT CLASSIFICATIONS:

Personal INjuries: 91%

Fatals: 5%

Property Damage: 4%

TYPE OF ACCIDENTS:

Operator thrown from machine: 16%

Struck Fixed Object: 18%

Machine-Car Collision: 4%

Machine-Machine Collision: 6%

Machine Rollover: 56%

ALCOHOL INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS:

Yes: 25%

No: 75%

WHERE ACCIDENTS HAPPEN:

Private Unmarked Property: 24%

Gov. Marked Trail: 11%

Road Right of Way: 48%

Other: 17%

ACCIDENTS BY DAY:

Monday: 9%

Tuesday: 7%

Wednesday: 7%

Thursday: 7%

Friday: 16%

Saturday: 32%

Sunday: 22%

ALCOHOL INVOLVED IN FATAL ACCIDENTS:

Yes: 73%

No: 27%

ACCIDENTS BY MONTH: Approximate

January: 0

February: 5

March: 8

April: 11

May: 41

June: 32

July: 34

August: 45

September: 27

October: 25

November: 13

December: 5

Here's some things we can take from this.

1) there's still some work to do with safety training.

2) safety training for the kids is working (evidenced by the increase in average age from the program's inception)

3) Most people involved in fatal ATV accidents have not been through formalized safety training

4) ALCOHOL AND ATVs DON'T MIX

5) The majority of accidents still occur in the Road Right of Way.

6) You're never too old to take a safety course.

When you're out enjoying the trails, be sure to Ride Safe, Ride Smart and most of all, ENJOY YOURSELF!!

[trapperdirk]

I'm surprised at the average age of those involved in accidents . At 43 were usually trying to preserve all the brain cells we have left . The only conclusion I can come to is that there are more of us older guys riding because we can afford to plus we can afford the bigger machines . Yeah I know . We can drink more and do so at a sitting too .

Interesting stats .

TD

[rundrave]

I would like to know in which accidents those involved were wearing a helmet?

Interesting numbers though thanks for posting. Just another reminder to ride safe.

[Dave S]

rundrave,

great point about wearing the helmets. Unfortunately the data I received doesn't state whether or not helmets were worn.

A couple years ago, the average age was 50. Do keep in mind this is an average. There are many younger and many older.

[Dave S]

Another interesting point is the highest accident rate occurs in August when ditches open up to riding Class 1 ATVs. Ditches that are also considered the Road Right of Way, where the majority of accidents happen.

This can be a huge deciding factor when it comes to allowing ATV operation on county roads.