Putnam County 4-H and Upperman FFA Offer ATV Safety Education

Putnam County 4-H and Upperman FFA Offer ATV Safety Education

Putnam County 4-H and Upperman High School FFA are partnering with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Tennessee FFA Association, and Tennessee 4-H Program in a year-long innovative ATV safety program. The program is sponsored through the generous support of Ford Motor Company Fund.

ATV’s or all-terrain vehicles are designed to maneuver or operate on a wide variety of landscapes and terrains, many of which can be dangerous if proper safety precautions are not followed. ATV’s can be used for enjoyable recreation and to help us work, making them useful and a lot of fun when operated correctly.

From 1982 through 2016, there were a reported 3,232 ATV-related deaths of children younger than 16 years of age. Of those deaths, 1,411 children were younger than 12 years of age. In 2016 alone, an estimated 26,000 ATV-related emergency department treated injuries involved children younger than 16 years of age. Tennessee ranks seventh for the total number of reported deaths between 1983-2013. ATV related accidents are the fourth leading cause of trauma unit admissions to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. There were 67 trauma admissions from ATV’s in 2018 alone.

Putnam County 4-H and Upperman FFA members will be hosting a mock ATV crash and safety rally, a helmet giveaway, and also ATV safety trainings for high school and middle school youth across Putnam County to help our youth learn proper ATV safety gear, how to identify common ATV controls, ATV inspection tips, and safe riding strategies. We will also be present at other community events throughout the year. In 2020, we educated over 2,100 youth in the 4th-6th grade on proper ATV safety techniques.

Stay tuned to our Facebook pages at Putnam County 4-H (Tennessee) and Baxter TN FFA for updates on the ATV safety program, our helmet giveaway, and other upcoming events.

For more information, contact Trent Jones at the Putnam County UT Extension Office at 931-526-4561.