ATV trail riding is a fun and exciting sport that can
provide hours of entertainment for the whole family. There is nothing like a
good day on the trails, out in the sun and wind, to bring the family together
or to meet up with friends or to make new ones. But ATV trail riding isn’t all
fun and games; there is a large degree of safety precautions involved. While
you’re having fun you still have to remember that you are working with a
motorized vehicle and, although it is designed for recreation, that vehicle
needs to be treated with the same respect and caution that you would a car or a
motorcycle. For this reason, before you hop on that brand new ATV and hit the
trails, you might want to consider taking an ATV safety training course.
Unlike a car or motorcycle, no license is required to
operate an ATV. Many people learn how to ride from older siblings, parents or
friends. While learning from friends or family isn’t a bad idea overall, there
might be some finer points to driving ATV’s that your family or friends might
have left out.
While you might find some places that will offer an ATV
safety training course not all courses have certified trainers. The ATV Safety Institute
(ASI) was founded in 1988 with the intent to provide a course that would
educate riders about the safe operation of their vehicles and the hopes that
once the students completed the course that the numbers of accidents and
injuries on the ATV trails would be reduced. The idea seems to have worked,
since 1984 many of the accidents involving ATV riding have been greatly
reduced. ASI is also a non-profit organization.
When you purchase your ATV most of the manufacturers such as
Honda, Arctic Cat, Yamaha and others will offer you the opportunity to take the
ATV safety course free of charge. If you don’t own an ATV and might be
considering buying one for yourself or a family member, you may still take the
course for a small fee. As with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation where the
course provides the motorcycle, some ASI courses might include the use of ATV’s
donated either by manufacturers, local motor sports shops or private donors.
Check with your instructors first to find out if you need your own ATV or not.
An ASI course will take you through all the basics of
operating and riding an ATV and only takes half a day to complete. Certified
instructors will teach you step by step each required skill in a controlled
environment. You will begin with the use of proper safety equipment and how to
start and stop your vehicle properly. Later on you’ll move up to going up and
down hills and over and around obstacles on a closed course. Each lesson builds
on the previous one, becoming more of a challenge as the course goes on.
Children as young as 6 years old can take the course. There
are special classes for the age group between 6 and 16 and parents are required
to be present during the classes. All ASI instructors complete a broad training
program and must meet all of ASI’s requirements before they are allowed to call
themselves a certified instructor.
