Contact: Det. Kevin Bennett
Phone:  373-7823

GPD Hosts ATV Seminars November 24
GPD Part of State Pilot Program for ATV Safety/Education Training

GREENSBORO, NC (November 21, 2007) – In the first step to creating a state pilot training program for users of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), members of the Greensboro Police Department, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina 4-H will conduct three seminars about ATV use Saturday, November 24, at Gander Mountain, 2223 Vanstory Street.

The seminars will be held at 10:30 am, 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. Each is free and open to the public. Members of each agency will discuss the state’s ATV law, the training required before using an ATV, advice on proper safety equipment, and legal engine size and age limits.

State law requires that anyone born on or after January 1, 1990 must receive a safety certificate from successfully completing a half-day, hands-on ATV RiderCourse sponsored or approved by the ATV Safety Institute (ASI) before driving an ATV. At this time, only the ASI course is taught in North Carolina and it is often inconvenient for local residents to attend.

According to Greensboro Det. Kevin Bennett, the North Carolina Insurance Commissioners Office has asked GPD, shefiff's office and the 4-H to create a state ATV RiderCourse at a central location in Guilford County. The first class, expected to be held in January 2008, will eventually be replicated statewide. The goal being for local counties to conduct their own training to make sure everyone who needs the class will have easy access to it.

So far, Detective Bennett and Guilford County Sheriff Corporal Scott Herndon are two of only a few ASI nationally certified instructors in the state. Bennett says there will soon be six more; three from the GPD and three from the sheriff’s office.

Meanwhile, the GPD, sheriff’s office and 4-H have begun a publicity campaign to let county residents know about the law and its requirements. They are also soliciting corporate sponsors for the program. The timing is crucial, Bennett says, because 25 percent of all ATVs are sold 45 days before Christmas.

From 2002-05, there were 103 deaths in North Carolina due to ATV accidents, Bennett says. Of those, many were children under the age of 16.

“That’s just not acceptable,” says Bennett. “With our program, no one will be left behind. Everyone who should be trained, will be trained and then we should  immediately see those statistics drop.”

The two major causes of ATV deaths are not wearing the appropriate helmet and safety gear and riding vehicles that aren’t the correct size for the driver. Often accidents involve the AVT rolling on top of the driver and crushing him or her.

To help explain the importance of using the appropriate equipment when he’s conducting seminars such as those on November 24, Bennett uses a life-size mannequin fully dressed with the appropriate safety equipment. He also brings along a battered helmet from an ATV accident to show the damage that can occur to the human head.

Graphic? Yes. “Whatever it takes to get parents to understand the importance of choosing the right equipment and safety training for their child, we’ll do,” Bennett adds.

For more information about ATV safety and the pilot program, contact Bennett at 373-7823.

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