Three years after introduction, the Massachusetts House of Representatives, overwhelmingly voted to ban use of ATV’s by riders under the age of 14. The current State law allows riders as young as 10 to operate ATV’s which can be extremely dangerous. Across the country, 77% of all ATV related injuries and deaths involved riders younger than 14.
Under the new law riders 14-16 will only be allowed to ride ATV’s with an engine capacity under 90cc, or in a sanctioned race supervised by someone over the age of 18. While there are opponents to the measure, I would expect to see this law quickly passed. Massachusetts has had a high number of tragedies involving young children and off-road vehicles, such as ATV’s. In the last few years, Massachusetts has investigated over 300 reported accidents and 21 fatalities caused by ATV accidents.
I have previously discussed the laws surrounding ATV accidents in Massachusetts, and I have a great deal of experience in handling these types of cases. ATV accidents result in very serious injuries, and even death. It is imperative that you contact an experienced ATV accident attorney right away.
If you have been injured as the result of an ATV accident in either Rhode Island or Massachusetts, contact my office right away for a free consultation.