Landowners who feel connected to the great outdoors on their all-terrain vehicles should keep some critical safety tips in mind.

Safety is especially important in mountainous counties of Southwest Virginia, according to Curt Porterfield, training coordinator for Virginia Tech Environmental Health and Safety.

“Just in the area, ATV-related injuries and deaths are up nearly 30 percent since 2021,” he said. “The average hospital stay from an ATV-related injury is about 7.5 days, costing an average of $127,000.”

Five hundred people die in the U.S., and another 100,000 are seriously injured while operating ATVs every year.

“And 11,000 of those emergency room visits account for children,” Porterfield said.

He added that adults should lead by example. Of disclosed ATV injuries, only 10.3 percent of adults reported wearing their helmet—a critical safety measure, as an average human skull is comparable to the hardness of a watermelon.Selecting properly sized personal protective ...