ATVs are designed to be low to the ground. When you’re riding around on trails or in the wilderness, this is a great feature as it lends your vehicle stability. When you’re near a major roadway, it makes you far less visible than is safe. You do have a right, however, to be anywhere that is approved for these vehicles. If someone injures you and you were on a roadway that was approved for ATV traffic, you should contact a personal injury attorney to see if your rights were violated. Oftentimes, ATV drivers assume that they don’t have this option.
Many people on ATVs wear colors that are designed to camouflage them for hunting or which aren’t particularly visible. Take a high-visibility vest along with you for when you’re on roadways that are shared with other traffic. It only takes a second to put one on and they’re incredibly hard to miss. Many car accident personal injury claims that are filed by the drivers of ATVs could probably have been avoided altogether if those drivers had made an effort to be a bit more visible. There is one other very easy way to increase your visibility that most ATV drivers forget to employ.
Many of the cases that come to a car wreck attorney have their origins in one driver or the other’s vehicle simply not being seen. One of the easiest ways to avoid this happening to you is to have your headlights on at all times. Even during the day, they vastly increase the visibility of your ATV and draw the eyes of other drivers. Some ATVs have very powerful lights attached to them and you shouldn’t deny yourself this advantage. Turn your lights on as soon as you fire your engine up, and make it a habit. You’ll be much safer.