ATV Accident Death and Injury Statistics – Arizona

Arizona ranks 21st on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of deaths associated with ATVs, spanning 1982 through 2015. During that period, 271 fatalities were reported. Like in many other states, the number of all-terrain vehicle accidents and associated injuries are increasing in Arizona. The problem is also a concern for children under 17 years old. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, 1,223 children were hospitalized or treated at an emergency room in 2007 and, between 2003 and 2008, the rate of fatalities overall increased 89 percent. There were over 400 people in Arizona injured in 2015 due to injuries resulting from ATV crashes, ranging from bruises to burns.

What the Law Says

In the state, ATVs are allowed to be driven on public highways. However, any operator or passenger under 18 years of age must always wear a helmet when on the vehicle. Passengers are legally permitted only if the vehicle is designed to handle the extra capacity. Also, every all-terrain vehicle must have a title and a numbered license plate.

State law also requires vehicles to have a headlamp at the height of 24 to 54 inches. Any ATV operated on a highway must have at least one hand- or foot-operated brake. Riders must also obey other rules of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, pertaining to the title (proof of ownership), an OHV Decal, renewal notices (issued by the Arizona Game & Fish Department), and title-only license plates for ATVs restricted to off-road use and registration license plates for street-legal vehicles.

More Arizona ATV Fatality Statistics

On public roads, there were seven fatalities involving ATVs in 2014, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There were six for each of the two years preceding that. Over a three-year period, there were 2.9 deaths per 1 million people, compared to West Virginia’s 33.4 at the top of the list.

In the News

Arizona’s rough terrain presents an additional hazard, along with reckless driving and inexperience. In May 2017, a 55-year-old man lost his life while attempting a jump on his vehicle, plunging 30 to 40 feet downhill near Heber, Arizona. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered blunt force trauma to the head. In November 2016, a Phoenix Fire Department captain lost his life in an all-terrain vehicle accident and, in April 2017, two ATVs collided in an off-road vehicle area, leaving one young boy dead and another hospitalized in critical condition.

Accidents that cause death or serious injury, therefore, occur in off-road and on-highway areas. Riders with less experience and training, and who drive recklessly, are more at risk of a crash. However, any vehicle can be lost control of, boosting the likelihood of major injuries, including burns. A fire or explosion can occur if a fuel line ruptures due to being in a vulnerable spot, or the impact causes a severe enough shock to cause such damage and ignite the gasoline.