LINCOLN MAN DIES ON ATV

(06/05/2006)

West Virginia's 2006 ATV death toll is now at 22 or 24, depending on which list is used. The latest is a fatality in Lincoln County that killed Tommy Elkins, 62. Elkins wrecked into a ravine near the Mud River. Officials who track West Virginia ATV deaths fear this year's total could surpass last year's record of 40, with hundreds of injuries reported in emergency rooms. The WV Legislature passed road rules which allows the vehicles on nearly all state highways that do not have a middle-line, and also allow travel on primary roads provided the ATV rides close to the berm. The state has the highest number of per capita use of ATVs in the USA, and in recent years ridership has shifted to young children for recreational use. Some safety experts believe such a move to mix and match ATVs with car and truck traffic creates a critical safety problem, saying the vehicles were designed for off-the-road use. ATVs carry a label saying double-riding causes the vehicles to become unstable, but double riding has become a customary practice. WV did pass an ATV law that requires riders under 18 to use a helmet and take safety classes. Few youth under 18 have taken the course.

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