(upbeat music)
Susan: Hi there, I'm Susan Harris
from Nebraska Extension.
And in this segment of ATV Aware, we are going to talk about
why we should only have one writer on an ATV.
So I travel the state with my simulator
and I do lots of programs about ATV safety.
And when I ask children or even adults,
how many people that ATV seat is designed to hold,
the answer is usually two
because that long seat sure lends itself
to accommodating two people, right?
Well, not really.
The seat is designed that way
because unlike other modes of transportation,
the unique characteristics of an ATV
require that the operator uses body weight
and position to stay upright.
One thing you should never do on an ATV is just sit there.
You should constantly be leaning and moving your rear end
all over that seat, front to back side to side,
just to avoid tipping the center of gravity
outside the wheel base of your ATV.
So what exactly does that mean?
Well, consider this rider,
on most ATVs the center of gravity hits a person
at chest level, right about where his emblem is.
Think about that, chest level.
That's really high compared to a tractor
where your center of gravity is around your ankles.
And we know those can tip over.
So imagine that spot on your chest
swings out beyond the wheel base
when the force of a turn throws you to the outer edge
of the turn, for example.
That's when you tip over.
Or when you don't lean uphill, when you're on a hill
you're not compensating for that change of center of gravity
and hill has become really dangerous
because you are a big part of the weight of an ATV
making it top heavy, especially with the smaller ATVs.
Sure. There's that sticker on the machine
but why is it there?
Here's the deal, ATVs are designed for one person.
The manufacturer builds them with a center of gravity
meant for that one person
unless it's a specially manufactured seat
original to that ATV.
Each time you add weight anywhere to your ATV,
it shifts the center of gravity to a dangerous level.
We just shouldn't let them ride with us.
One out of every four people injured on ATV is a passenger.
Here's why.
Center of gravity changes faster on an ATV
than any other vehicle.
And when you have a passenger or other weight,
it becomes less stable much quicker.
Loads are just like extra passengers.
Any additional weight lifts that center of gravity
even higher than your chest.
I know lots of farmers and ranchers put hay bales
or spray tanks on the back of their ATVs.
But guess what?
That is raising the center of gravity
and pulling it back more.
So attempting to go up the Hill or writing tricky terrain
becomes even more dangerous.
That liquid in the spray tank
it doesn't know which way to lean.
And in fact it's doing exactly the opposite of what is safe.
It's leaning downhill,
and you should always lean uphill.
So some people think they'll beat the odds
by placing another hay bale or weight
on the front of an ATV.
Contrary to what seems logical,
that only raises the center of gravity even more.
My colleague, Dr. Aaron Yoder does a great demo
where he shows a miniature ATV on a tilt table
with a rider riding sideways on a hill
and the rider tips over at 40 degrees.
But then he adds a hay bale on the front and on the back
and the guy tips over at only 30 degrees.
It's not just hills, any dips turns or some issues
will be made more dangerous
with extra people or extra weight.
The thing about ATVs is that they're not made for climbing
and unless you have a rock crawler version of an ATV
with a lower center of gravity,
more suspension, and lower gears,
steep hills are just not recommended.
If you do any hills use that body weight
and always lean uphill.
Even standing to go uphill to put more weight
over the front of the machine,
going downhill feet should be flat toward the front.
And you lean back again uphill as far as possible
but keep gripping the handles tightly.
When traversing a side hill, you're still leaning uphill
even moving your whole rear end
over to the side of the seat.
Remember having an extra person makes any situation
more dangerous for both you.
And now you know why.
I'm Susan Harris from Nebraska Extension.
Thanks for joining me.
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