| Honda built the first three-wheel all-terrain vehicle | | | | operating their first quad and are under the age of |
| (ATV) in 1970. Also referred to as a quad bike or | | | | eighteen years old. Although manufacturers provide |
| quad, these were popular right from the start. Low | | | | training manuals and safety gear with most ATVs, |
| pressure tires, a straddled seat and handle bars | | | | they are not used and a lack of protection causes |
| seemed the perfect way to fly over terrain where | | | | serious harm. |
| street vehicles could never go. | | | | Ask Ozzy Osbourne about being careful on a |
| It didn't take long for accidents to begin happening | | | | four-wheeler, as he was involved in a bad quad bike |
| with young fearless riders pushing speeds as high as | | | | accident in 2003. He sustained a broken collarbone, |
| 100 mph over unfamiliar land in an effort to see how | | | | eight busted ribs and a damaged vertebra in his neck. |
| many stunts they could perform. As a result, in the | | | | Ozzy was not a young unseasoned driver but it goes |
| early 1980s, the suspension was improved and tires | | | | to prove that even older individuals can easily lose |
| were made at a lower profile. Wrecks and injuries | | | | control of a quad. A concert that Osbourne and his |
| continued to mount so in 1987, three wheelers were | | | | daughter had prepared and planned for had to be |
| no longer manufactured in an effort to provide more | | | | cancelled due to Ozzy's physical mishap. |
| safety for quad bikes. | | | | Over 70,000 quads fill our private properties and off |
| ATVs are not designed for street use and are even | | | | road sites today, full of skilled and unskilled riders. |
| outlawed on public streets in Australia, Canada and | | | | Care still needs to be taken. Always wear protective |
| the United States. They are designed strictly as use | | | | gear, especially a helmet and do not take |
| for a recreational vehicle although many have | | | | unnecessary chances just for the thrill of it. The |
| adopted the idea that they work rather well as farm | | | | profile tires have a higher center of gravity than a |
| vehicles. A quad bike is great for pulling a wagon full | | | | car and can throw you off course and into a tree in |
| of dirt or parts, climbing through ditches or making | | | | a matter of seconds. If you choose a quad to help |
| quick trips to the field. Unfortunately, this is where | | | | with transportation around the farm or to use strictly |
| many of the quad accidents occur. | | | | as recreational, read and operate according to the |
| From 1996 through 2006, there were twenty-three | | | | manual and visit your local area's website for any |
| deaths and thousands of injuries from workers and | | | | new regulations that may be taking place for ATVs. |
| joy riders alike that simply slid into situations where | | | | The Health and Safety Executive is talking of |
| they could not control the ATV. Most accidents | | | | improving training and protection for these vehicles |
| happen within thirty days of the driver ever | | | | so it is best to make sure you are in compliance. |