How to stay safe while riding ATVs this summer [Video]

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, can make for fun times. However, the vehicles can also be dangerous if the proper safety precautions are not taken.

In just the first 10 days of June, there have been at least two separate ATV-involved accidents in North Central West Virginia. In Harrison County, a rider was flown to the hospital after a rollover accident on June 4th, and on June 10th, an ATV driver was killed in Monongalia County following an accident.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, ATVs are responsible for more than 100,000 trips to the emergency room across the country. Between 2018 to 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that there have been over 1,600 deaths on ATVs.

In West Virginia, a senate bill passed in 2020 allowing riders of ATVs and other off-road vehicles to ride on most roads in the state, excluding interstates and counties with ATV bans. …