367 Safety Tips for ATV Riders: Increasing All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Knowledge Through an In-Classroom Educational Intervention

Abstract

Study Objectives: All-terrain vehicle (ATV)-related injuries have almost tripled in the past decade with about one in 3 injuries involving children 16 years and younger. More children die each year in the United States from ATVs than from bicycle crashes. ATV safety education is considered essential to change this trend. However, many children receive little or no instruction. The objective of this study was to determine the short term effectiveness of an in-classroom intervention to educate young adolescents about the key principles of safe ATV operation. Methods: A multi-disciplinary ATV task force was formed and funding was secured from Kohl's Department Stores and their Kohl's Cares program through the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. A 40-50 minute interactive educational program was developed highlighting our ten “Safety Tips for ATV Riders” and targeting 12-15 year olds. The educational intervention included video or live testimonials from injured individuals or their families, and demonstration of an ATV tilt table highlighting ATV instability. An audience response system was utilized to obtain demographic information, and 3 multiple choice questions were utilized to assess knowledge and knowledge acquisition. Results: About 1900 students in 13 Eastern Iowa schools received the ATV safety educational intervention. The first knowledge question was “Most ATVs are designed to carry how many people?” for which the correct answer is “One.” The second question was, “According to manufacturer guidelines, what is the largest ATV engine size recommended for use by youth age 12-15 years of age?” for which the answer is “90cc.” The third question asked, “According to Iowa law, when can someone ride an ATV on a public road?” and the right answer being “For farming purposes.” The percentage of students with correct answers on these 3 questions pre-intervention were 52, 27 and 46% which rose to 93, 80 and 79% correct on post-exam, respectively. 44% of the participants said they were likely or very likely to use the ATV safety tips they had learned, while 36% said they were unlikely or very unlikely to do so. Conclusion: Most youth in the study demonstrated a deficiency in some ATV safety knowledge. However, our classroom educational intervention was able to increase short-term ATV safety knowledge and a significant proportion of participants felt they would use the safety information presented. Further study is needed to determine if such an intervention results in long-term knowledge acquisition and actual behavior change.