(upbeat music playing)
-: Hello. I'm Susan Harris from Nebraska Extension.
And in this segment of ATV Aware,
we're going to talk about helmets
and other Personal Protective Equipment.
First, let's talk about how we can be safer on an ATV.
I'd like you to consider for a moment.
All of the things that help keep you safe
when you're in a car,
let's see we have a seatbelt,
and it's the law to use them in Nebraska.
Most cars have a heavy frame over the top
but that helps protect in a rollover accident.
And a car's center of gravity,
usually hits a person somewhere on the leg area
and its tires have several feet between each side
keeping it fairly stable, even on fast turns.
Now let's look at what ATVs have to offer,
hmm...not much of anything.
And what it does have is working
against you in your effort to be safe.
That leaves a person quite vulnerable
to accidents and injuries, even death.
At the very least we should consider things
we can do to help keep us safer.
I always ask my students, can you fix your arm?
If you break it? The answer is yes.
Can you fix your leg if you break it?
Again, the answer is yes.
Can you fix your brain if you break it?
Absolutely not. And your best defense is a helmet.
Did you know most injuries happen
to the head, neck and shoulder areas?
You know, many of us require our young children
to wear helmets when they ride anything.
Why do we think we're immune to head damage as adults?
It happens and a helmet can absolutely prevent it.
Other important Personal Protective Equipment
would be eye protection, long sleeves, gloves
long pants to protect legs
from engine burns and other scrapes.
And then boots that cover your anchor ankles
and offer support.
One recommended piece
of protection is a crush protection device.
As shown here,
this hairpin shaped bar sits lower
than the top of the head to prevent catching on branches.
But in the case of a rollover, either sideways or backwards
this handy bar will serve
as a way to create space between the ground and the machine.
Because many people aren't necessarily killed by a rollover
but by the weight of that heavy machine landing on them.
This could be a lifesaver.
Lots of people feel safer in a UTV or a side-by-side.
They have some of those features a car has
and it seems okay to hop in and go.
We even let our children drive these machines like toys.
Here's the deal, injury and death rates
are climbing for these vehicles.
Can you guess the number one reason why?
What does this offer that many people don't use,
a seatbelt of course.
Speaking from experience and nearly losing my son
to a rollover accident that occurred in the blink of an eye.
I'm telling you the seatbelt is such an easy precaution.
Just buckle up, please.
Yeah, so why don't most of us use helmets on an ATV
or seat belts in a UTV.
Like I said, we feel immune to accidents.
We've been able to get away with it up until now
and we think we're safer than everyone else.
I'm here to tell you that I presented ATV Aware
at nearly a hundred venues now.
And at each one, I hear at least one story
of what went wrong as a result of not using
Personal Protective Equipment.
It's such an easy fix.
Please don't wait until you're a statistic.
It's better to say. I'm glad I did than oh if only.
I hope you make it a habit now and make it a long life.
I'm Susan Harris educator for Nebraska extension
(upbeat music)