Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Exposure, Safety Behaviors and Crash Experiences of Adolescents
Charles Jennissen, MD, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine; Sienna Schaeffer, BA, BS, Medical Student, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine; Katharine Champoux, BA, BS, Medical Student, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine; Pam Hoogerwerf, BA, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital; Kristel Wetjen, RN, MSN, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital; Lauren Mulford, BA, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Uche Okoro, PhD, University of Iowa Department of Emergency Medicine; Gerene Denning, PhD, University of Iowa Department of Emergency Medicine, Kari Harland, PhD, University of Iowa Department of Emergency Medicine
charles-jennissen@uiowa.edu
Charles Jennissen, MD, is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Dr. Jennissen grew up on a dairy farm in central Minnesota which plays a large part in his interest in safety and injury prevention, particularly regarding children and teenagers. He has been an advisory board member of I-CASH (Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health) for 23 years.
Learning objectives:
1. Participants will understand the increasing popularity of recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) and their use by adolescents. 2. Participants will describe when manufacturers recommend that one can be a passenger in or a driver of an ROV. 3. Participants will be able to discuss the frequency of seat belt use of adolescents in ROVs and what populations are at increased risk for not wearing seat belts and of having a crash.
Recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs), often called utility task vehicles (UTVs), are popular on farms for both work and recreational purposes. They are designed to be driven by those ≥16 years and manufacturers generally do not recommend passengers being <12 years old. Adolescents participating in the Safety Tips for ATV Riders (STARs) program in their schools were surveyed from Spring 2011-Spring 2018. 4,023 students from 18 school districts participated. The proportions having ridden an ROV by where one lived was: farm (85%) > country/not farm (73%) > town (60%), p<0.0001. Of those that were asked additional ROV questions (n=2,152), over one-quarter (26%) reported riding an ROV at least weekly. Of those riding ROVs in the past year, 29% had at least one crash (rollover, collision or ejection). Those living on farms had greater proportions having crashed (36%) as compared to those living elsewhere (26%) p=0.003. Never or almost never wearing a seatbelt was related to where one lived: farm (48%) > country/not farm (38%) < town (32%), p=0.0005. This puts those adolescents at greater risk for serious injury or death should they have a rollover. Our study identified farm adolescents as a population to be targeted for ROV safety education.