DIVIS
ION I -
SA
FE
TY
! WARNING
Indicates a potential hazard that could
result in a serious injury or death.
35
Sound Judgment
Be aware of prescription and over-the-
counter medications. Drowsiness and
impaired judgment can be caused by a
wide variety of medications. The same is
true of allergy, cold, flu, and headache
medications. Your physical size and
weight can’t protect you... just one anti-
histamine tablet can affect your judgment.
If your sense of adventure persuades you
to do illegal drugs when you’re riding
your ATV, this is a reality check. Some-
thing to think about—there can be legal
consequences that will take away all that
freedom you love. Don’t use alcohol or
drugs before or during your ride.
Your Physical Condition
Being physically exhausted is like being
drunk. Try to do something that’s detail-
oriented when you’re really tired, and
you’ll feel totally uncoordinated.
Reckless Riding
If you are involved in an accident when
you’re speeding, you have a 25% chance
of landing yourself in the hospital. The
faster you go, the more likely you are to
destroy your head and internal organs,
and skip the wheelies, jumps, stunts, and
any other showboating.
Laws and Regulations
Any police officer will tell you ignorance
of the law is no defense. Your best
defense is to check out your local, state,
or provincial laws before riding. It’ll also
make sure you can continue to ride in
your favorite areas. The quickest way to
have a land area closed is by riding over
the regulations.
Group Behavior
People occasionally do crazier and riskier
things in a group than they would con-
sider doing by themselves. When you’re
riding with others and things start to get
out of hand, decide whether you’re will-
ing to be injured or see your friends
injured.
SIPDE
By themselves, none of these safe behav-
iors and sound judgments will go very
far. But when you put them all together...
when you’re paying attention to how you
feel, when you’re monitoring the move-
ments of your ATV, and when you’re
constantly evaluating your environment,
then you’re practicing SIPDE. SIPDE is
an acronym that stands for:
THE EFFECTS OF
ALCOHOL*
The Number of Drinks that Impair
Mental and Physical Abilities
1-2 DRINKS
Mental processes such as restraint,
awareness, concentration, and judg-
ment affected; reaction time slowed;
inability to perform complicated tasks.
3-4 DRINKS
Depth perception, glare recovery, eye
movement, and focus affected;
decreased judgment and control.
5+ DRINKS
Coordination deteriorates, loss of crit-
ical judgment, and impaired memory
and comprehension.
*According to the ATV Safety Institute.
Don’t ride:
1. When you’re tired
S
I
P
D
E
S
CAN/
SEARCH
I
DENTIFY
HAZARDS
P
REDICT WHAT
WILL HAPPEN
D
ECIDE WHAT
TO DO
E
XECUTE THE
DECISION
