Adventure Tourism Initiative Puts Focus on ATV Safety
Thursday, July 24, 2008 11:56 am LT. GOVERNOR COMPLETES ATV COURSE
AS PART OF ADVENTURE TOURISM INITIATIVE One of the few victories for the administration came with the creation of the Kentucky Adventure Tourism initiative shepherde along by First Lady Jane Beshear, a horseback riding enthusiast, Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo, and Senator Brandon Smith, two Eastern Kentuckians who see Adventure Tourism as an economic development tool for the state. Legislators were especially enthusiastic over the develpment of ATV trails, similar to the Hatfield - McCoy Trails in West Virginia.
The Trail brings riders to hundreds of miles of ATV suited trails.http://www.trailsheaven.com. Towns friendly to ATVs offer food and services geared to ATV enthusiasts. The Trails have revitalized small towns along the route and the program has not gone unnoticed by Kentuckians watching with envy from across the state line. It has been reported there are over one million ATVs in Eastern Kentucky alone. RIding has become a family activity that has not been without dangers. National statistics show that in 2006, 555 deaths and 146,00 emergency room visits resulted from ATV accidents. In Kentucky, between the years 1982 and 2006, 364 died in ATV accidents and those numbers are incomplete for 2003-2006. There are laws governing use of ATVs, but since they are generally offroad and on private property, the laws are difficult to enforce. If Kentucky is to grow ATV recreation as an industry, safety is an issue that cannot be ignored. That is why the Lt. Governor completed his ATV certification at the only training center in the state this week. The facility in Knott County in Eastern Kentucky is currently the only training facility in the state, but that will have to change if the state expects more riders to become certified. Riders at the Knott County facility learn to negotiate potentially tricky situations by completing a course filled with turns, hills and valleys. They are instructed in proper clothing and the importance of wearing a helmet. The safety campaign includes public service radio announcements recorded by the First Lady, Lt. Governor and Senator Smith, a website http://www.atvsafety.gov/state/kentucky. It was suggested gently to the Lt. Governor's office that West Kentucky's miles of open land would be a great place for a second training center. No count is available of West Kentuckians with ATVs, but our bet is that it is close to the numbers in Eastern Kentucky. State laws applying to ATVs are summarized below:
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