Diving into ATVs

Lakeview Hospital presents newest House Calls podcast focused on recreational vehicle safety

More spinal injuries occur from ATV accidents than diving accidents each year. ATVs are fun recreational vehicles when used appropriately, but they can result in serious trauma when accidents occur. Lakeview Hospital ’s upcoming House Calls podcast will address ATV safety and the relevant Louisiana laws. This episode will also discuss the importance of safety awareness related to driving golf carts in subdivisions.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in 2018, there were an estimated 81,800 ATV-related emergency department-treated injuries in the United States. Approximately 26% of these injuries involved children younger than 16 years of age.

“As parents consider purchasing ATVs as Christmas gifts for their children, we want to underscore the importance of ATV safety,” said Jenny Gensler, host of House Calls. “In this podcast, entitled ‘Diving Into ATVs,’ we remind parents that ATVs are heavy, complex machines that come with the need for a lot of personal responsibility, good judgement, as well as an understanding of the legal liabilities of ATV ownership. In addition, because we have seen a huge uptick this year in ER visits related to golf cart accident injuries in both kids and adults, we will talk about safety as it pertains to using golf carts as recreational vehicles in subdivisions and neighborhoods.”

Tips from the CPSC on how to be safe on an ATV include wearing a helmet and eye protection, never allowing more riders than the ATV was designed for, getting training from a qualified instructor, staying off paved roads, and never letting a child under 16 ride an adult ATV.

House Calls is an ongoing series of conversations addressing topics that are relevant to all of us, such as health insurance, smoking cessation, heart health, distracted driving, do-it-yourself project safety and more.

Listen to the Podcast