I put this list in the chronological order of what I see happening the most, not what I think will ruin your trip the fastest. In my opinion, they all come to the top of the list when they happen, so pretending only one or the other is the worst that's going to happen is probably not good logic.
1. Not Wearing Any ATV Safety Gear
Matt Finley
ATV safety equipment is essential to protecting you in a crash. A helmet, goggles, body armor (chest protector), gloves, boots and long sleeved pants and shirt are the ATV gear that will take the punishment if you hit the ground.
At the absolute very least you should wear a helmet. Your head is up pretty high when you're sitting on a quad, and if you flip, fall or otherwise get knocked off your quad you're pretty likely to hit your head. There are many different types, styles and colors, so you should be able to find one that's really "you".
2. ATV Too Big for the Rider
Matt Finley
3. Getting Tanked Before an ATV Ride
Matt Finley
There's a time, and a place, for just about everything and an ATV ride is not the time nor the place to get buzzed.
Yeah, we know... getting slightly buzzed helps you relax, it helps you flow, makes you more fluid, right? Yeah. But "fluid" and "relaxed" are not what you want to be when you're doing something that could potentially kill you if you're not paying attention.
Drugs and alcohol impair your ability to react quickly and in many cases correctly. That can easily cause a crash.
4. Riding Double on an ATV
Matt Finley
Most ATVs are not meant for more than one rider with the general exception of SxS' which have two (or more) seats and are clearly made for passengers.
To look at the seat of a sport ATV you would think it was made for 2 people because it's so big but it's not. The seats are that big because the rider needs to move his body around to make the quad go the way he wants. This is also the reason that it's so dangerous to let kids ride adult sized quads; because they don't have the physical strength or the body weight to move that big of an ATV around.
5. Hey Y'all Watch This!
Matt Finley
So far I haven't been able to find accurate statistics for people that have wrecked their ATVs because of showing off. I know there are people doing it because I seem them from time to time. I'd venture to guess there's more out there than we think. They're just not letting anyone know they were really showing off when they crashed.
The problem with showing off is that you're not really concentrating on what you're doing. And when you're doing something that requires all your concentrating, well, you get the idea.
