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WARNING
Indicates a potential hazard that could result in a serious injury or death.
Sound Judgment
Be aware of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Drowsi-
ness and impaired judgment can be caused by a wide variety of medi-
cations. The same is true of allergy, cold, flu, and headache
medications. Your physical size and weight can’t protect you... just
one antihistamine 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. Something 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
ATV 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 ATV 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 that ignorance of the law is no
defense. Your best defense is to check out your local, state, or provin-
cial ATV laws before riding. It’ll also make sure that you can con-
tinue to ride in your favorite areas. The quickest way to have a land
area closed is by riding over the regulations.
Group Behavior
People always do crazier and riskier things in a group than they
would consider doing by themselves. When you’re ATV 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 behaviors 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 envi-
ronment, 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
judgment affected; reaction time slowed; inability to perform compli-
cated tasks.
3-4 DRINKS
Depth perception, glare recovery, eye movement, and focus
affected; decreased judgment and control.
5+ DRINKS
Coordination deteriorates, loss of critical judgment, and impaired
memory and comprehension.
*According to the ATV Safety Institute.
Don’t ride:
1. When you’re tired
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