Upcoming Victoria Day weekend prompts ATV safety warning from province
It may only be Monday but many Albertans are no doubt already looking ahead to the upcoming May long weekend.
It's with that in mind the province is asking people to prioritize safety if their weekend plans include use of an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).
"ATVs pose a risk to all users — and particularly those under 16 years of age, who have not yet developed the strength, skills or judgment needed to safely operate an ATV," said a Monday news release from Alberta Health Services. "The risk of serious injury is high."
According to the government, Alberta saw 6,908 ATV-related emergency room and urgent care visits between 2015 and 2020.
During that same time, there were 563 ATV-related hospitalizations for children and youth (16 years and younger) in Alberta and 13 deaths.
The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that no one under the age of 16 years should operate an ATV, even a child-sized or youth model.
Albertans older than 16 are advised to take the following precautions to reduce their chances of becoming injured when riding an ATV:
- Wear a proper-fitting, safety-approved helmet, jacket, long pants, goggles, boots, and gloves;
- Learn or refresh your ability to use controls, ride terrain, turn and climb hills by taking an ATV operator course;
- Don’t use alcohol or drugs before or while riding;
- Check that your ATV is in good working condition and is equipped with an appropriate headlamp;
- Don’t be a passenger or carry a passenger on a single-person ATV;
- Be aware of hazards around you and ride during daylight hours;
- Follow posted signs, stay on the trails and be aware of the weather and trail conditions; and
- Take a cellphone or working two-way radio with you, as well as a first-aid kit. Let people know where you’re going and when you expect to be back.
For more information on ATV safety you can visit the province's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.