From SAFE COMMUNITIES OF WOOD COUNTY
Wood County Safe Communities announced that the First Quarter 2021 Fatal Data Review Committee met on Thursday, April 8, 2021. The following crashes were reviewed:
- 23444 Bradner Road
- SR 199 at SR 6
- 7478 Cloverdale Road
The following countermeasures were recommended:
- Always use extreme caution when operating machinery
- Yield to oncoming traffic
- Obey all traffic control devices
- Come to a complete stop at all stop signs
- Proper usage of off-road motorized vehicles/all-terrain vehicles and laws should be followed at all times (4519.41 ORC)
With the increase in fatal crashes involving All-Terrain Vehicles, the committee offers the following safety reminders:
- These vehicles are made to be ridden off-road only
- ATVs can be unstable and hard to control, particularly at high speeds. Rollovers and collisions happen often, and some of these are fatal. Injuries from riding ATVs are common
- The single-most important piece of equipment you can wear for safe riding is the helmet. Head injuries are the most common causes of fatalities or permanent injury in ATV related accidents. Other parts of your body may heal or can be repaired; however head and neck injuries are significant.
- One of the biggest reasons driving ATVs is not safe on roads is the tires are not designed for use on streets
- ATV riding will always be risky — and because they’re fun, many kids and teens will want to try them. There are no guarantees that kids won’t get hurt, even with precautions and protective laws in place. But by making sure that riders follow safety rules and know how to use ATVs safely, parents can do their best to help protect them from being injured.
If you are interested in learning what the Fatal Data Review Committee’s responsibilities and roles are, email Sandy Wiechman, Safe Communities Coordinator. The committee is always looking for additional members to join these quarterly meetings to review crashes in Wood County.
