Insights

This season, keep on living so the gift keeps on giving

By: Steve Brown

Decide to drive & ride alcohol-free both on and off road

Some of you may be lucky enough to have a Black Friday Sale ATV delivered to your home or find a new snowmobile wrapped in a big bow in your driveway on Christmas morning. Before you race outside clad only in pyjamas and bunny slippers to try out your new toy, here’s a cautionary tale.

Back in 2020, pandemic restrictions made the holiday season harder by limiting family celebrations and travel. Fun places such as skating rinks, ski hills and your favourite restaurants were closed. Children were home-schooled and parents quickly became aware of their own shortcomings when it came to gluing bits of dried pasta together to make zoo animals…or worse yet, math. Many stir-crazy Canadians were looking for fun, safe outdoor activities, which lead to substantially higher sales of off-road vehicles such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and dirt bikes.

The origin of ATVs and snowmobiles was work in the agricultural, forestry, and mining sectors and these vehicles helped workers get to more remote or snow-covered locations, including those without roads (maintained or otherwise). More recently, they have become a popular means of outdoor recreation for adults and children. ATVs may include three-wheeled, four-wheeled and side-by-side models. Side-by-sides provide seating for passengers to sit beside the driver whereas passengers of three and four-wheeled ATVs sit behind the driver.

The rise in fatalities & risks of off-road vehicle use

You may be asking yourself, why are we focused on vehicle safety beyond public roadways? It’s because there has been a steady and concerning rise in the number of people, particularly young people, who are needlessly losing their lives. While highway deaths have steadily declined for the past two decades, deaths involving off-road vehicle crashes have gone up. A big part of the increase in off-road deaths is due to crashes involving ATVs (yes, also driven in the winter) and dirt bikes. Fatality data make clear that off-road vehicle riders dying in crashes are mostly men. In 2021, nearly 9 out of 10 off-road vehicle riders killed in a collision were male. Even more concerning is the sharp increase in fatalities among the youngest riders (under 16) and the oldest riders (65 and older).

Whereas the percentage of deaths involving drivers of highway vehicles who had been drinking has dramatically declined, deaths among drinking drivers of snowmobiles and ATV/dirt bike operators testing positive for alcohol have increased. In addition, although fatally injured snowmobile and ATV/dirt bike operators were less likely than highway vehicle drivers to test positive for drugs in 2021; this gap has narrowed. In, 2000, off-road vehicle operators were far less likely to test positive for drugs than highway vehicle drivers, but the same cannot be said today.

Not surprisingly, most of us tend to engage in recreational activities during the weekend when the work week is over, meaning that deaths due to off-road vehicle collisions mainly occur on weekends. Saturdays alone accounted for almost one-third of both snowmobilers and ATV/dirt bike rider deaths. Although at least some riders may have been engaged in work-related activities (e.g., farming, trapping, surveying), most of them would have been using these vehicles for recreational purposes.

Helmets & safety gear for every rider

While helmet use is more common among snowmobile operators, still almost one in four (23%) operators killed were not wearing helmets, and only half (50%) of ATV/dirt bike riders. Single vehicle collisions were most prevalent, occurring in 79% of snowmobile fatalities and 86% of ATV/dirt bike fatalities). While there may not be a lot of other vehicles where drivers off-road, you can be sure there are a lot of fixed objects like trees, rocks, fenceposts, wires, gates, and even wild or domestic animals. In short, operators are far more likely to strike a fixed object, land in water, or roll over than strike another vehicle. So don’t let the lack of other vehicles lull you into a false sense of safety.

Highlighting the merits of helmet use among off-road vehicle riders can help ensure they live to ride another day. Strikingly, common misperceptions among riders are quite similar to those among drivers and passengers of other vehicle types who don’t wear a seatbelt, and even those who drink and drive. You’ve heard them all before…I’m not going very far, it’s a short trip, there aren’t a lot of vehicles on (or off) the road, I’ve driven this route a thousand times. Or there is a misperception that because it’s not mandatory or on private property, it is somehow…magically…safe. Or they simply gamble that the odds of being caught by the police for non-helmet use are very slim. But never forget that the laws which should never be challenged are the laws of physics. Over any distance, any time or any place, the unexpected can still occur and a fall from a moving vehicle at speed can result in serious injury or death.

Young riders need education & supervision

It should come as no surprise that the youngest riders have the greatest risk. More than half of off-road vehicle riders under 16 years of age who died in collisions were the lone occupants of their vehicles; 58% of snowmobile riders and 64% of ATV/dirt bike riders. Unknown factors in these incidents include operator experience, physical strength (you guessed it; racing through snow on snowmobiles and ATVs is not as easy as it appears in chase scenes in the movies), or level of adult supervision. Deficits in any of these areas can compromise the safety of a young rider and this is why adult supervision combined with education campaigns encouraging gaining experience while managing risk can layer protection in a Swiss cheese model of safety.

Despite the long-adopted age restriction of 16 for drivers of motor vehicles in Canada, provincial rules governing off-road vehicle use are more varied. For example, you cannot operate an ATV on a public roadway with a passenger under eight years of age in Ontario. In other provinces (BC, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia), youth under 14 years of age cannot operate ATVs not designed for their height and/or weight. Despite these guidelines, parents/guardians need to set their own safety standards which younger riders can practice. The old do as I say, not as I do adage is unlikely to instill the importance of safety in young riders so it’s important that they see adult riders practicing what they preach by riding with helmets, sober and at safe speeds for the terrain.

Dark conditions & impairment are dangers both on and off the road

Did you know the largest number of fatal collisions involving off-road vehicles occurred between 6 pm and midnight? Akin to drivers on highways, it’s not only more challenging for off-road vehicle riders to see hazards. And just like motorcycles, it’s also more difficult for other drivers to see these riders in the dark, particularly in the absence of streetlights. Off-road vehicles are also smaller than passenger vehicles, making it harder to gauge their distance and speed.

Impairment is also more common in fatal collisions involving snowmobile and ATV/dirt bike operators compared to drivers of highway vehicles. One of the factors that may play a role is that although impaired driving laws in the Criminal Code apply to off-road vehicles, they can be more difficult for police to enforce because, well, Canada is the country with the second largest landmass in the world. So, some off-road vehicle riders might not change their behaviour if they believe that there is little risk of being caught, or they mistakenly believe impaired driving laws don’t apply in collisions on private property and trails as well as public roadways; but yup, they do.

There are risks no matter where you ride

In some provinces, ATVs are allowed to operate on some public roads whereas snowmobiles are not. Regardless, riders shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security because they are riding on private property or there is an absence of other vehicles or other riders:

More than half (52%) of fatally injured snowmobile riders (52.2%) died in collisions occurring on private property;
42% of ATV/dirt bike riders died in collisions on private property (compared to 43% on public roads.
A large majority of off-road vehicle fatalities occurred when the victim was the sole occupant (82% for snowmobiles; 75% of ATVs/dirt bikes).

In addition, most snowmobile and ATV/dirt bike occupants died in a single-vehicle collision, often crashing into a fixed object. And riding on or near a body of water warrants caution. Even when it appears to be frozen, it is still dangerous.

Snowmobile riders were more likely to die in submersion in water incidents than ATV/dirt bike riders.

Although it continues to be common for parts of Canada to intermittently receive huge dumps of snow throughout the winter, and all the fuss about the polar vortex (no, it doesn’t come from Canada), Canadian winters appear to be getting shorter and milder. This means continued awareness campaigns about the dangers of operating off-road vehicles on or near bodies of water are necessary. Special consideration should be given to vehicle weight, ice thickness and what to do if your vehicle falls through the ice.

Education & safety are crucial for all off-road riders of all ages

Recognition of the two key factors that put off-road vehicle users at greater risk is crucial.

First, the design of off-road vehicles doesn’t provide as much protection for operators as cars, trucks and vans do for occupants. While some ATVs have seatbelts, most do not.

And, off-road vehicles do not have airbags, nor do they have built in crumple zones that cars are equipped with to absorb some of the impact, which is all the more reason to wear a helmet.

Second, many off-road collisions occur in less populated areas. Riders can’t call for help if there isn’t any cell phone coverage. It’s also going to take longer for first responders to find you and take you to a hospital. While some newer ATVs are equipped with GPS features, it’s still up to riders to make safe choices. Handling off-road vehicles with care and not straying into unfamiliar areas are a good start. Even less remote rural areas can present hazards to off-road vehicle riders. Whether it is a chain or fence to deter people from riding onto private property or commercial fishing gear frozen near the water’s edge, these obstacles can prove to be dangerous to riders.

Even if riders are not injured or killed, operating off-road vehicles on someone else’s land may damage crops or equipment of landowners, some of whom may be fellow off-road vehicle riders. Speaking of fellow riders, look into joining a club of like-minded enthusiasts. They can advise how, when, and where to ride safely, and may even share some stories almost as interesting as this one.

It doesn’t matter whether your off-road vehicle is a holiday gift, a shrewd online purchase, or a long-time love. What does matter is that you and your loved ones safely enjoy the great outdoors this season, and whenever you ride.

#MySafeRoadHome author: Steve Brown, TIRF Research Associate & Data Collection manages TIRF’s National Fatality Database and has co-authored many publications on road safety topics including distracted driving, alcohol and drug-impaired driving, commercial vehicles, and vulnerable road users.