How Old Kids Can Ride Quad? ~ Minimum age for kids to ride an ATV
Minimum Age For Kids To Ride An ATV
Everyone would agree with the fact that All Terrain Vehicles or ATVs are really attractive and stunning vehicles. Now if you are a parent and you have a kid then it’s very likely that their curious minds would try to explore the awesome looking vehicle sitting right in the garage. But if the ATV has been bought for the parent then much definitely the ATV would be like a giant to the little kid. If your child is often leaving the house door and running to the ATV to sit and play then you might be wondering if a right size ATV can be found for him and would it be a legal thing to let your kid roar around in an ATV. The answer to the first answer is much easier to find, yes there are dedicated ATV ranges from leading brands just for kids.
Making the kid have a test-ride
But just because your kid is sitting on the house ATV and being playful it doesn’t mean your child will be having an amazing experience riding the correct sized ATV. ATV specialists and paediatricians suggest first taking your child to an ATV selling showroom where a range of low powered Kids ATVs would be present in vibrant colours. Try to catch the initial reaction of your kids when their very first glances of him/her fall on the Quads. In most cases, the kid would become jumpy with excitement and stare at you with glittery eyes. Then it will be time to request the store executive for a test ride in a safe zone. Remember to put the safety gear on your kid before he/she sits on the ATV. The basic safety gear would include a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and clear wind goggles.
The showroom executive would be generous enough to explain the instructions to your kid and help him out in the starting phase. Let the kid have his experience of riding an ATV for the first time, if the kid seems to enjoy it a lot then you can finally think about getting an ATV for your kid.
In most regions, the minimum age of certified ATVs you will find is going to be suitable for 6-year-olds and above.
Now if your kid is less than 6 years and would absolutely love an ATV of his/her fit then there is nothing to feel low-hearted yet. You can still get a type of ATV that would be running on battery instead of gas and the power would be just about 12 volts keeping the safety in mind.
There is a strong guideline from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that kids below six years of age should not ride conventional ATVs in any condition. The vehicle would be more like a toy instead of a vehicle but that is how it’s meant to be, younger than six years old is just so young!
ATVs Available Mostly From Six-Year-Old
For kids between the age of six to ten years, you can look for traditional ATVs with an engine capacity of 70cc. This power is kind of the maximum and you should consider lower-powered ATVs upto 48cc. The ones that are 70cc will be best suited for kids above 10 years old. Ofcourse not all kids of the same age are going to be equal in weight and height.
The weight of the ATV is also a vital factor here, if the kid is between 4 to 7 years of age then a quad weighing around forty pounds would be suitable for the kid.
The suitable ATV weight for kids between 8 to 12 is around sixty-five pounds.
This is why you should always give priority to the riding comfort of the child and he/she should be able to properly manoeuvre the ride. You can test the suitability by checking if the kid is able to grip both the handlebars much more comfortably while being present on the ATV seat. Then you need to ask your kid to move the handlebar all the way to the left and then to the right, if you notice the kid not being able to accomplish it or having high difficulty then that’s a red flag right there to not get that particular ATV. Also, check if the kid is being able to change the throttle including the use of brakes with just one hand.
Your Child should also show maturity in the test rides by listening to you and following the basic rules of ATV riding. A major issue that makes riding unsafe is the lack of speed knowledge. This means if your kid is failing to show control on the speed and trying to reach the maximum limit often then as a parent you need to explain the consequences multiple times and even after considering the whole ATV buying situation with logical intelligence. Parents are the ideal candidate to conclude how much emotional maturity they would be able to showcase and this is why decisions need to be always taken by them.
The Legal Age Bar Is Based On The Residing Region
Not every State across the United States has the same legal age for riding an ATV. There are very few states who legally allow kids to ride ATVs at just 6 years of age. There are even rules in some states that kids would be able to ride their ATV only under the supervision of adults. When the Legal Age structure is checked on a broader scale then the actual age for the citizens is going to be 16.
California’s Rule for kids to ride an ATV
Like in California the rule suggests that children below fourteen years of age can ride ATVs legally but it should be ideal in terms of fit and size for the kid.
Mississippi’s Rule for kids to ride an ATV
On the other hand, in Mississippi kids under 16 can legally ride ATVs just if they wear a proper helmet.
New York’s Rule for kids to ride an ATV
In New York, the lower age bar is set at 10, and kids age 10 and above are allowed to ride only on private land until the age of 16. Adult supervision is also a necessity in New York until the age of 16. Wait, that’s not all, at New York your kid also needs to take a mandatory safety course before riding the ATV with limited freedom.
Texas Rule for kids to ride an ATV
But in Texas, there is no minimum age bar and your kid rides freely as long as he/she remains under the supervision of adults.
Wisconsin Rule for kids to ride an ATV
In Wisconsin there remains an engine limit, if your kid is below twelve years then using an ATV below 90cc would maintain the legality. But the public land restriction remains intact, but if your kid is above 12 then he/she can ride on public land with adult supervision and a helmet, the safety courses passing remains the additional effort.
Massachusetts Rule for kids to ride an ATV
The rule structure in Massachusetts is rather rigid and complicated. If your kid is below 14 then he/she can ride an ATV if competing in a supervised legal race involving kids ATVs of bounded engine capacity.
Kentucky Rule for kids to ride an ATV
At Kentucky, it’s much of an option between wearing a helmet and keeping an adult for supervision. Kids below 12 years can ride an ATV but the engine capacity needs to be 70cc or lower.
Michigan Rule for kids to ride an ATV
Michigan has more tight laws and kids below 10 years of age are not legally allowed to ride ATVs. The law gets more complicated as it’s mentioned that an ATV with four wheels or more is not allowed for the kids. This means a primitive three-wheel quad might be legal but you won’t find brand new models of it as the production got stopped several years ago by all the off-road vehicle manufacturing companies.
North Carolina’s Rule for kids to ride an ATV
On the other side, North Carolina has a legal age of 8 for riding an ATV but the engine capacity is restricted to 70cc. In Pennsylvania, the age bar is the same as 8 with no additional constraints attached.
Great ATV Models from Polaris for the kids to ride
Polaris Outlaw 50 and 70 EFI
This amazing ATV is dedicatedly manufactured and designed for young kids to have a comfortable experience. This vehicle has a 49cc four-stroke engine with a single-cylinder capacity. The All-Terrain Vehicle has various features including brake levers of dual type, automatic PVT and also electronic throttle control. But this vehicle isn’t produced anymore after 2019 and this is why the Polaris group has an advanced model of Polaris outlaw 70 with fuel-injected technology.
The presence of the EFI system makes the vehicle more reliable for the kids as the cold starting issue doesn’t trouble the parents and kids. A front and rear suspension of four inches provide ideal ground clearance and proper control at difficult trails. Polaris engineers had found that it’s much easier for the kids to handle disc brakes of a single lever and this is why they have refrained from implementing dual lever brakes.
The parents are more at ease after purchasing this vehicle because the speed limit can be easily adjusted by them. The tires embedded in this ATV are eighteen inches and thus much larger than the ones present in Polaris Outlaw 50. The vehicle has a sturdy design which the kids would love including the high-quality LED lights. The other great vehicles in the kid’s category are the Alterra 90 and DVX 90.
