In a recent discussion about ATV Safety I was explaining how dangerous it is to ride double on an ATV. The usual response to my statement claiming that the manufacturers do not want you people riding two up was "so why do they make the seat so big?"
That seemed like an honest question that deserved an honest (and possibly un-expected) response. After all, it was a very valid point: The seats on most quads ARE huge. They seem to invite you to bring your friend along with you.
But the truth is they're not for you to carry passengers. The reason they make the seats so big on an ATV is so you can move around on it. In order to make an ATV go where you want, you have use your weight to turn sharp and keep the quad from flipping over.
ATVs are designed for one person. Riding two people on a quad will make it unstable and hard to maintain control, making it very dangerous.
Image by Matt Finley