Cheyenne ATV Accident Lawyer

The power and design of ATVs and their lack of safety features mean that these vehicles can easily lead to injury or death. Some of the most common causes of ATV accidents include:

• Driving on paved roads: Some ATVs can reach highway speeds, but that doesn’t mean they’re meant to travel on highways. ATVs are off-road vehicles. They handle poorly on pavement, leading to skids, overcorrections, and similar accidents. Many lack turn signals, brake lights, and other safety equipment mandated for on-road passenger vehicles.
• Riding double: Most ATVs are designed to carry only one passenger. Putting multiple people on an ATV substantially increases the risk that everyone using the vehicle may wind up being hurt.
• Unsupervised riding/inexperienced supervision: Inexperienced ATV drivers are much more likely to wind up in an accident, leaving it up to older, more experienced drivers to educate and properly supervise newer drivers. Leaving a newbie driver to their own devices, or leaving that supervision in the hands of someone who isn’t an adult, can cause newer drivers to take risks or perform maneuvers that land them in the hospital.
• Operating in unfamiliar terrain: Drivers are much more likely to encounter dangerous obstacles if they don’t know the terrain. Rocks, rivers and creeks, trees, sand, and other environmental hazards can all do major damage to both ATVs and their drivers. In Wyoming, tourism organizations may bring guests along on ATVs to areas they aren’t familiar with, placing those guests at extreme risk.
• Failing to observe local laws: States and local governments often have laws to help keep ATV drivers safe, but those laws are useless if drivers ignore them.
• Flipping and rolling: A particular hazard for ATVs is the vehicle flipping, rolling over, or tipping. Any of these actions can lead to the driver or passenger being ejected, which makes it much more likely that they’ll sustain a major injury. In these cases, occupants can also become pinned under an ATV, which places them in additional physical danger.
• Manufacturer defects: If an ATV manufacturer is sloppy in a new vehicle’s design or testing phase, it’s the driver or passengers who often pay the price. Faulty brakes or brake lines, subpar materials, malfunctioning steering systems, and other mechanical errors can cause drivers to hit obstacles or encounter other hazards they can’t avoid due to the faulty equipment. Some ATVs are defective by design. For example, they may be prone to flipping over or be unstable on terrain.
• Intoxication: As with any other vehicle, operating an ATV while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a recipe for disaster. It makes it harder for drivers to react quickly to dangers and makes it more likely that they’ll run into another ATV, other vehicles like cars or trucks, buildings, bridges, etc.