Most Dangerous Off-Road Vehicle

[Shuckins]

In the last month or so, friends of mine have had their lives touched by tragedy related to off-road 4-wheeler accidents.

I just returned from the home of a former co-worker whose 24 year-old son was killed in a four-wheeler accident last night.

He was on a paved two lane county road that he was unfamiliar with, riding a hopped up four-wheeler.  He unexpectedly found himself in a curve, ran off the road and collided with a tree.  His father told me that his forward was crushed.  Undoubtedly, he died instantly.

He would have been 25 this Sunday.

Five weeks ago, the son of a high-school friend was riding his four-wheeler after dark, apparently going to a party, and backed off a cliff near Little Rock.  Searchers found him seven hours later, early in the morning.  The accident has left him a paraplegic.

I have no desire to ban these recreational vehicles, but I have known quite a few people over the years who have had deadly or near deadly accidents on them.  Can't count the number of times I have seen good old boys blasting down darkened roads at high speeds on a vehicle with handling that can only be described as tricky at best.

And of course, hardly anybody wears a helmet.

Just feeling really down right now.  What, if anything, can be done about the carnage associated with the use of these treacherous go-buggies?

[Ripsnort]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friends son.  Hopefully other youg men in the community can learn from this.

[Bronk]

Shuckins you have my sympathies.
Lemme tell you a little story when I Picked up my Triumph from the shop.

I am walking out back with the mechanic. He is explaining what was done to the bike . He glances over and i hear him say " aww S*** ".
I asked what was up, he just points.
This is what I see.
A 17-18 year old getting on a big bore crotch rocket. Undoubtedly his first bike. He couldn't touch the ground with both feet not even tip toe. He then starts the bike and tries to take off .. he stalls it. This happens 4 or 5 more times. He finally gets to the end of the parking lot which is off a 4 lane road.
He then proceeds to stall a couple more times trying to pull out onto the road. He finally gets out onto the road. What do you think I hear next?
Yup the bike screaming for all its worth because the road is straight.
I look at the mechanic and say "He is going to drop it on the first corner you know.".  He say "probably" then says "I don't understand how the salesman could sell him that.".
I am not one for more gov controls but I believe there should be a mandatory licencing for all motorcycles/ATVs.
They should have to pass a meaningful training program.


Bronk

[Shuckins]

Appreciate the thought Rip.  

The father is doing about as well as could be expected.  His wife has always been a little stronger about this sort of thing than he is...but they're both handling it better than some people I have known who have had similar tragedies.

[Shuckins]

I know what you mean Bronk.  Kinda makes you want to throttle the salesman doesn't it.

[john9001]

Originally posted by Shuckins

He was on a paved two lane county road that he was unfamiliar with, riding a hopped up four-wheeler.  He unexpectedly found himself in a curve, ran off the road and collided with a tree.  
 

thats not a bad vehicle, thats just bad driving, sorry.

[Maverick]

A vehicle, like a weapon, only becomes dangerous once a person gets involved. It's not the fault of the machine.

Sorry about your friend. It's never good to lose someone you're close to or that you know.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Maverick
A vehicle, like a weapon, only becomes dangerous once a person gets involved. It's not the fault of the machine.

Sorry about your friend. It's never good to lose someone you're close to or that you know.

hey, I still have that spot open for you if you come up this way.  Plenty of room for your camper and truck.

[Maverick]

Rip,
Dunno if I'll be up that way. Doc thinks I may have blown a disk in the lower back, causing a nasty case of sciatica. Back in Tucson right now for confirmation and or repairs. I hate being here this time of year. It was 107 yesterday.

[Brenjen]

Too bad that; I live in Arkansas too & 4-wheeler accidents are common here. I am 100% against more govt. control & I think once a person reaches the age of 18 or whatever the states in question recognize as an adult, they should be able to buy whatever they want.

 Education will help keep some accidents from happening & so will experience; but nothing can take the place of maturity & common sense.

 I know a lot of guys with 4-wheelers ( I have one myself ) & I can say first hand they are some of the best riders I have ever known, but also some of the most immature risk takers I have ever known....& god forbid you add alcohol to the mix.

 It isn't easy to nail down a fix, except for the loved ones of people who are prone to acting foolish keeping after them about being careful until they wise up or get killed. Sad but true. Sometimes they kill other people who were innocent & doing nothing careless themselves; at least that didn't happen in this case.

 Oh BTW, riding an ATV on Arkansas roads is against the law & there are warning labels telling everyone about riding on hard surfaces; that's enough govt. control.

[Hangtime]

Sorry to hear that Shuckins. Sounds to me like your describing the 4X4 as your typical kid CJ with a lift kit and oversize rims and tires..

..they are not safe road vehicles and require a judical amount savvy and experience from the driver if it's in GOOD mechanical condition. With a worn steering gear box, shot tie rod end, worn springs, a low tire... a death trap, no matter who's at the wheel.

Did they do a mechanical check on the Jeep after the accident?

Again.. my condolences.

[nirvana]

About 4 years ago my cousin, who was 16 or 17 at the time, decided to have a paintball match with his friends...on ATV's.  Anyone know how this turns out?  He flipped the ATV, exhaust landed on his ankle, leaving him with a nice 7 inch scar from a 3rd degree burn.  He also had burns across his back, road rash i'd suspect.  No one died but i'm pretty sure he hasn't driven an ATV since.

[Brenjen]

Did they do a mechanical check on the Jeep after the accident?

 I believe he's referring to an ATV 4-wheel motorcycle Hang, not a jeep.

[eagl]

I think two words are the only way to prevent these tragedies.

Parental supervision.

John had it right.  Bad driving was the cause of the accidents, not unsafe vehicles.  Those kids were endangered the moment they were left unsupervised with the vehicles, just the same as if their parents had given them the keys to the family car and let them go on the freeway.

It sounds harsh and insensitive, but that's the truth here.  You don't ban something just because their parents left their kids alone with it and they got injured or killed...  From that point of view, there are few things in this world that shouldn't be banned because almost everything we have or do can be fatal to children if left unsupervised.

Maybe we should ban houses because kids can climb up on them and jump off.  

Or maybe we can watch our kids when they're in proximity to dangerous things, so they are introduced to them in a controlled manner.

[Shuckins]

Sorry for the confusion Hang...it was an ATV I was talking about.

It's hard to educate someone who's already 25 years old.  He was a risk taker and had caused his family a fair amount of grief during his life.   Sad but true.


Brenjen, what area of Arkansas are you from?

Regards, Shuckins