If you have a utility vehicle that you enjoy riding around in, you might be tempted to take your kids with you for a little fun. However, in the wrong hands or in the wrong environment, utility vehicles can be very dangerous, especially for little ones. So if you’re wanting to drive your kids around in your side-by-side or other utility vehicles, here are three safety tips that you should know before you head out.
Make Sure Your Kids Are Big Enough
The very first thing that you should think about before you put your kids into a utility vehicle with you is their size.
Ideally, your kids should be big enough that they can sit in the seat of your utility vehicle with their feet firmly on the ground and their back firmly against the seat. Depending on the utility vehicle that you have, this might mean that your kids really shouldn’t be riding around in it until they’re at least school-aged.
The reason for this is for the safety of your child. If you were to get in an accident in your utility vehicle and your child isn’t seated safely, they can more easily be thrown from the vehicle and get severely injured. So while they might not like having to sit out when they are young, this is really in the best interest of your young children.
Wear The Right Protective Gear
While there are a lot of parts of your utility vehicle that are meant to keep passengers safe, the protective gear that is worn on their bodies is arguably the most important.
Before you start moving your utility vehicle at all, it’s vital that everyone in the vehicle has the right protective gear on. This should include things like long pants and long sleeves to protect their skin, close-toed shoes to protect their feet, goggles to protect their eyes, and a helmet. In some states, helmets are required by law, so make sure you know the rules for where you live, too.
Stay Off Paved Roads
Once you finally have your kids safe in your utility vehicle and are ready to take off on a ride, you should choose the safest routes to take with your kids.
One place that you shouldn’t be when on a utility vehicle is a paved road. While you might think that driving on a paved road would be a safe surface for you, other vehicles won’t necessarily be expecting to see you there. This could result in cars running into you on paved roads, which won’t be safe for your utility vehicle or the passengers. So to help keep this from happening to you, it’s best to stay off of paved roads as much as possible.
If you’re thinking that you want to take your kids on a ride in your utility vehicle, consider using the tips mentioned above to help everyone stay safe in this situation.
Originally posted on July 6, 2022 @ 4:34 am
