Children killed in a car/atv accident (1 Viewer)

[Steve Ridges]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,97943,00.html

While this is a sad story and all, the first question that came to my mind is how in the world do you get 6 kids on an ATV??

I've had a couple of Polaris Sportsman 500 ATVs(one of the biggest) and I can't imagine getting more than 3 people on at the most.

I hope people don't start trying to ban ATV again because of this. This is a case of existing laws/rules not being followed...not a need for new legislation.

 

[MarkHastings]

I hope people don't start trying to ban ATV again because of this

There are too many things wrong about the incident in the first place to even consider this a shocking tragedy. Stupidity is almost always fatal.

 

[Noah Gottula]

Why are you being so harsh on them? They were kids. They were doing what kids do. I know I rode my dirtbike on roads for short distances when I was younger and I wouldn't label myself as stupid. Who knows how busy this road is, it says it was a rural road, (gravel/paved?), maybe cars are hardly ever seen on this road. Plus it clearly stated that the driver of the car crossed over the center line and hit them. Granted it might not of been the smartest thing for them to due, but i dont we should jump so quickly to judge them as stupid.

 

[Dan Hine]

I know I rode my dirtbike on roads

The key there is that it's singular. You didn't say "I remember when 5 of just jumped on my dirtbike and took off." There is a big difference and hopefully you see it.

 

[Noah Gottula]

Thats not the point, even it there was only 1 kid on the ATV and he got killed, I would still see this at an unintelligent decision on the part of the kid, but very sad none the less. All im saying is that it calling them stupid and saying this is not a tragedy seems a little too harsh in my book.

 

[MarkHastings]

There is a big difference and hopefully you see it.

Exactly. They were also 11 to 14 - Maybe when I was 5, I didn't know any better, but at 14 I had a good grasp at the things that could be dangerous and deadly.

Are teenagers REALLY that clueless? I hope not. I hope they have enough sense (at least one of the 6 should have) to know that what they were doing was stupid.

 

[MarkHastings]

All im saying is that it calling them stupid and saying this is not a tragedy seems a little too harsh in my book.

Please re-read my post. I did not say they were stupid, I said they DID something that was stupid and I did not say that it wasn't a tragedy, I said it wasn't a "Shocking" tragedy.

Meaning that most people will read this story and quickly assume that all ATV's are "DEADLY" and "BAD". When you look at the story, it's quite different.

 

[Noah Gottula]

at 14 I had a good grasp at the things that could be dangerous and deadly.

Are teenagers REALLY that clueless?

Yes, I can safely assume that every single one of them on that ATV knew what they were doing could be dangerous. But as a teenager you put fears like that on the back burner, as most teenagers feel they are invinicible. I mean can you guys honestly say you didn't do something that you knew was dangerous, but did it anyway, when you were that age.

 

[Noah Gottula]

most people will read this story and quickly assume that all ATV's are "DEADLY" and "BAD"

Agreed, but theirs no accounting for the intelligence of the uneducated portion of the general public.

 

[MarkHastings]

I just took that part as unnecessary harshness

Sorry, I was just anticipating certain reactions. As Steve set the tone in the initial post, he knows that this story will get some harsh criticism about the safety of ATV's and as most instances show, everyone is quick to blame the vehicle and not the driver (or drivers).

Again, sorry for what seemed like harshness, yes it may seem harsh, but I can't see it as unecessary because I am anticipating a lot of slams against ATV safety.

(Just getting my jabs in before the bell rings )

 

[Malcolm R]

And where were the parents of these little children while they ran wild, illegally joyriding around the back roads without a license to operate such a vehicle?

They are the ones that should be facing charges, not the driver of the car.

 

[Henry Gale]

"The accident occurred on a road which separates Coffee and Irwin counties, about 10 miles northwest of Douglas, officials said. The collision happened on a bend of a rural two-lane road bordered on one side by forest and the other by pasture."

 

[MarkHastings]

Does it matter how populated (or rural) a road is when you're doing something as stupid as riding 6 teens on an ATV?

To clarify, I am not arguing because of HOW they died, I'm arguing because of what they were DOING when they died.

 

[wally]

From the news copy:

"People are riding ATVs everywhere and people look at them as a toy," she said. "They are not toys. Period."

I agree, I had a co-worker that purchased a kid sized (although still several hundred pounds) ATV for her 5 year old son. Within a month the kid had rolled it a couple times and had a broken arm.

Might have been stupidity on any number of peoples part. Might have just been bad luck. Any way, a tragic story.