The last few weeks for me have been overwhelmingly exhilarating in many ways. It all began with my venturing to the 2008 High Lifter Mud Nationals, then heading off to the East Coast to race my first-ever GNCC and was rounded off with a long journey to Washington State for the most recent WORCS race. But even with all of these great experiences, I couldn't seem to escape something that was truly bothering me. It actually irritated me to the point that I asked Thad to let me have this column for the August issue.
In my time here at ATV Rider, I've become the resident side-by-side guru to many in our office. By no means do I think I'm the side-by-side authority, but I do have more seat time than most and have a true passion for driving them. With that said, I'm greatly affected when I see television commercials and ads by random legal offices seeking out those who have been injured due to rolling a Rhino. Have you seen these? They're everywhere! Every time one of these devious commercials roll on TV, it painfully shifts my thoughts back to those horrifying days of the mid-'80s when shows like "60 Minutes" and "20/20" would attack the infamous three-wheeler. What grieves me most are those irresponsible riders who respond to these advertisements. I'm not saying that people don't get hurt at times while riding in vehicles like the Rhino, but probably more often than not, the injuries are due to a lack of skill, not wearing proper safety gear and even carelessness. I've been in situations myself when I've felt overconfident because of the cage that surrounded me.
Now, if I crashed and injured myself because I was overconfident of my ability, does that give me honest reason to hunt down the manufacturer and say it's built an unsafe product? Absolutely not! That's like buying a brand-new car, driving it irresponsibly and crashing it and getting hurt. Was it the fault of the car's manufacturer or was it your lack of common sense telling you "Hey, you're going a little too fast and driving recklessly." People must learn to accept the consequences for their own actions.
An even larger concern are people who allow their kids to drive these machines. I've heard numerous stories, whether true or false, of small children being seriously or even fatally injured in rollover incidents. These machines are nothing more than scaled-down sport vehicles. A 10-year-old has no business hauling his or her friends around, either in the passenger seat or piled in the bed for that matter. Would you allow them to take off in your car or truck while you sit around chatting with friends? Do you really think they have the experience or even developed a sense of responsibility at this age? I don't think so, and unleashing them in a vehicle like this should be no different.
Most states don't allow people to drive an automobile until they are at least 16 years old. Even then, there are limits as to how old their passengers can be until they have X many years of driving experience. Side-by-sides have a warning label that encourages parents to not allow anyone under the age of 16 to operate these vehicles. Do you think they spend the time and energy to put these labels on just because they feel like it? It's scary to think of kids getting hurt or killed because of driving accidents. Why don't people comprehend these warnings? I've heard rumors of families suing the manufacturers for the harm or death of loved ones. My deepest sympathy goes out to these families for their loss, but whose fault is it, really?