ATV Rider Safety Course Goal, Reduce Oklahoma Fatalities

An ATV safety expert held a free training course for riders Saturday morning at the Appalachia Bay Recreation Area at Keystone Lake.

Instructor Mike Klumpp says the goal of Saturday's event was to make sure ATV riders are doing everything right when it come to using an ATV the right way.  That's why he offers this free class all over Oklahoma.

Noah Obester hopes to have an ATV one day and his mother wants to make sure he knows how to operate it properly.

"I just want to learn how to ride an ATV safely, so there won't be any accident and so I can ride along smoothly and safely," said Noah.  

"He's interested in ATVs, I'm interested in safety, this is a perfect time, perfect opportunity for him to learn all he can," said Deb Obester

ATVs do not come in a "one size fits all" model and that is why an 11-year-old like Noah should not be riding a full size ATV according to Mike Klumpp.

"If he goes through a dip or a bump this ATV will actually launch him, throw him over the handlebars and he'll actually get ran over by the ATV. He needs to be on the proper sized ATV.  You can actually control this machine. Have a seat. Sit down, now stand up, you're going through a dip, he's got over 6-inches of clearance," Mike Klumpp said.

He says more than 20 riders died in ATV crashes last year in Oklahoma and he hopes safety courses like this one on Saturday will get people in the habit of wearing the correct gear and understanding how these machines operate.

For more information about this free course offered by Mike Klumpp check out the OSU 4H website.