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Daniel Boone
National Forest
1700 Bypass Road
Winchester, KY 40391
Phone: 859-745-3100
FAX: 859-744-1568
Safety: ATV/OHV Safety
Vehicle Break-ins | Abandoned Mines | Other People
SAFETY TIPS
- Ride with a partner.
- Wear appropriate protective gear such as a helmet, eye protection, long-sleeved shirt, sturdy pants, over-the-ankle boots, and gloves.
- Be certain each rider has a map and knows where the group is headed.
- Before leaving the trailhead, choose rest stops and meeting places for your group, in case you become separated.
- Stay on the correct trail if you become separated, and let the group find you.
- Be prepared for vehicle break downs.
- Ride within the limits of your skill and endurance.
- Know how to properly operate and control your vehicle.
- Maintain a safe following distance.
- Keep headlights on at all times so others can see you.
- Provide direct parental supervision for riders under the age of 16.
- Complete a rider safety course before operating an ATV.
- Never carry passengers on an ATV unless it’s designed for that purpose.
- Do not use drugs or alcohol -- riding an ATV requires a high degree of skill and judgment!
TRAIL ETIQUETTE
- Ride only on trails designated with orange markers. No cross-country travel or hill climbs.
- Try to stay in the middle of the trail to avoid widening it.
- Yield to those traveling uphill when encountering others on the trail.
- Pack out your trash.
- Be courteous when passing other vehicles.
- Be considerate of horses, hikers, mountain bikers, and other trail users.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Awareness of environmental concerns has been growing for decades. It has affected how we relate to the outdoors. It affects those of us who use off-road vehicles. We all have a stake in safe, responsible riding and land use.
To keep riding areas open requires good relationships between public land managers, private land owners and others who share the land such as riders, campers and hikers. In most cases common courtesy and consideration of their interests is all that is necessary to ensure that everyone can enjoy the area. Here are a few tips to consider when you ride:
- Learn about the area you will ride in. Contact the public land manager or private property owner to ensure that you understand area restrictions and have permission to ride there. Get maps of the area, and stay on trails if they are provided.
- Keep your ATV quiet. ATVs are designed to be relatively quiet while still delivering maximum performance, smooth engine torque and spark suppression. Excessive noise stresses wildlife, and annoys property owners and other recreation users. It also contributes to your own riding fatigue. Less noise means you can ride farther more comfortably.
- Obey trail markers and closure signs. There are many reasons why an area may be closed to ATVs including the existence of fire hazard, refuge to wildlife or plant life and safety hazards for ATV riders. The reasons may not be obvious. If it is posted as closed, stay out.
- Always leave gates and fences the way you found them. This is especially important on private lands where livestock may be kept.
- Leave the area as clean as you found it. If you see litter, pick it up and carry it out on your ATV. Carry a rolled up plastic trash bag and a couple of bungee cords on your ATV. Why not leave the area cleaner than you found it?
- Be courteous to others you may meet on the trail. Always give right-of-way to hikers and horseback riders. Pull off the trail and stop your engine for horses. The rider will likely talk soothingly to the horse. It doesn't hurt for you to do the same to assure the horse you are no threat. Horses respond very positively to a calm, human voice.
- Approach livestock or wildlife on the trail slowly. Give them time to react and give them as wide a berth as possible.
- Whenever you talk to a landowner, take your helmet off. The helmet can make you appear to be intimidating and unfriendly. Be friendly and honest in all your discussions with the landowner & you are there as their guest.
From the ATV Safety Institute
Title: ATV Safety
Last Updated:
July 24, 2008
