Maggie McKay (Host): All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, can be so much fun, but also dangerous if used recklessly. So today, Dr. Farzaneh Khorsandi, Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering, will give us some guidelines on ATV safety.

Welcome to Let's Talk with Carle Health, a podcast featuring Carle doctors, partners, and other experts, bringing you topics important to your health and wellness. Today's podcast is made possible through funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health via the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety Emerging Issues Program.

Learn more about the Carle Center for Rural Health and Farm Safety by visiting carle.org/farmsafety. That's Carle, C-A-R-L-E.org/farmsafety for resources, information, tips, and much more. Let us help keep you and your family healthy and safe. I'm Maggie McKay. So, welcome. It's great to have you here, Dr. Khorsandi.

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: Hello, Maggie. And thanks for having me.

Host: Absolutely. Let's just start with what are some important statistics our listeners should know about ATV safety?

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: When we look at accident numbers involving ATVs for both fun and also on the job, we are talking about 500 to 1,000 fatalities and about 100,000 injuries annually in the United States. And it's shocking to know that around 20% of these incidents involve kids. And when it comes to farming, specifically since the focus of this podcast is on occupational safety and health and farms, ATVs are big concerns on farms. They are one of the leading causes of fatalities and injuries among farmers and especially users. In fact, if we have agriculture in one side and all other industries in another side, the number of fatalities and injuries of uses in agriculture is higher than all other industries combined.

Host: Wow. So, what is an ATV and what makes them unique?

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: Let's start with the name. We know them as ATVs, which is an abbreviation for all-terrain vehicle. But the correct name for them is quad bike, which is a better name. Because, you know, ATVs or quad bikes, they are not designed to operate on all terrains. And we should keep it in our mind when we ride them. And for definition, based on California government, ATV is a small vehicle with either three or four low-pressure wheels, a narrow frame, which should be less than 50 inches, weight less than 900 pounds, and handlebars for steering.

It's also essential to know that ATVs either have one or two straddle seats for riding. And they're used for various tasks on farms, like herding livestock or checking irrigation systems. What makes them unique is their size and also flexibility. They also come with some risk. Their speed can reach up to 90 miles per hour. And on farms, their speed is around 10 to 30 miles per hour, which is much less than the maximum speed. And also, they are very prone to rollover accidents and the safety structures like rollover protective structure or crash protection structures are essential for these vehicles.

Host: What is the most common incident type?

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: If we focus only on farms and ATV incidents on farms, about 80% of them are rollovers, and the operator pinned under the ATV and dies because of asphyxiation. Chest injuries are very common in agricultural ATV incidents and occurs in about 60% of the cases.

Host: Dr. Khorsandi, what size is appropriate and why does that matter?

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: Picking the right size of ATV, especially for kids, is very important. Traditional recommendation often suggests fitting ATVs for use based on engine size or even speed, which are not very accurate criteria for fitting right ATVs for kids. But we conducted a study for four years. Results of our study showed that we should fit each specific ATV for each individual kid, which means that, you know, for example, we should see if each individual kid can reach each control on the ATV and activate them properly. And in our lab, we developed a checklist to ensure kids can ride ATVs safely. We should make sure that each specific kid can ride a specific ATV. And if they are not tall enough, or they are not mature enough to ride the ATV, we should not let them to ride.

Host: Dr. Khorsandi, what kind of PPE or personal protective equipment should people have when they're driving an ATV?

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: When it comes to protective gear for ATVs, there are some essentials like helmet, eye protection, gloves, boots, and protective clothing. And the specific requirements can vary from state to state. For example, in California, wearing a helmet is mandatory for ATV operators on public lands.

Host: And what about supervision? I've got to think that's crucial.

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: I'm going to focus on California. There are clear rules for ATV riders based on age. For example, for riders between 14 to 17 years old, they must either get an ATV safety certification or be under direct supervision of a parent or guardian or employee if they are working on a farm. And their parent or guardian, they have to complete an ATV safety course to supervise the kids when they are riding the ATV. And for riders age 13 or younger, they always need to be directly supervised, by a parent, guardian, or farmer, or employee who is supervising them. And it's all about ensuring the safety, especially for younger riders.

Host: Is there anything else you'd like to add in closing when it comes to ATV safety?,

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: I would like to add a couple of points. First of all, it's very important to make sure that each specific kid can ride a specific ATV safely. The other point is using the proper PPE. It's very important to wear helmet, eye protection, gloves, boots, and even having a crash protection device or rollover protective structure is very important. In addition to these points, it's very important to ride the ATV with appropriate speed for each specific place or terrain.

Host: Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your expertise.

Dr Farzaneh Khorsandi: Thank you so much, Maggie, for having me.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Farzaneh Khorsandi. And if you'd like to find out more, please visit carle.org/farmsafety. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Maggie McKay.

Thanks for listening and count on Carle to be your partner in health and wellness. And join us next time on Let's Talk with Carle Health.