#HelmetLaws

Comedian Ron White once had a joke about a guy who claimed he could withstand the wind from a category 5 hurricane. White’s punchline was, “It wasn’t THAT the wind was blowing, but rather WHAT the wind was blowing. If you get hit with a Volvo, it doesn’t matter how many sit-ups you can do.” It’s a funny bit, but also really quite true, and it has a bearing on whether or not you think UTV helmets are necessary.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say results of an online study indicate that more than half of young American ATV riders don’t always wear a helmet.

“Helmet non-use among youth is a particular concern because these riders have a greater likelihood of crashing than adults, and their likelihood of dying or sustaining a serious TBI is much higher,” Bethany West, an epidemiologist at the CDC, told Reuters Health. “We found that the most frequent riders had the lowest consistent helmet use.”