Safety Matters

Don't Forget Your Helmet, Among Other Things

Dan Miller
By  Dan Miller , Progressive Farmer Senior Editor
Riders wear helmets and sit within an Operator Protective Structure in this product photo of John Deere's XUV825i. (Photo courtesy of John Deere)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (DTN) -- This week a couple of side-by-side product photographs came across my desk showing driver and passengers riding in the vehicles without helmets.

I can't say it's the first time I saw a photo like that. But it did stand out because I had just returned from riding a new side-by-side from another manufacturer. Helmets, gloves, eye protection, long-sleeve shirts and pants and over-the-ankle boots were required gear. That's true in every one of the new-product ride and drives in which I've participated.

I'm not naive enough to believe most farm- and ranch-operated side-by-side, or even ATV riders actually wear much protective gear -- especially helmets.

And, I'm not trying to be a shill for helmet manufacturers. I've evolved from being invincible in my 20s to being a bit more aware of my immortality in my 50s. People laughed when you wore a helmet back then. I think helmets can be pretty cool today, especially the Raider MX Mossy Oak Infinity Off-Road Helmet I'm looking at. If anyone out there is thinking Christmas --my boss, perhaps -- its $111.01 on Amazon.com. Shipping to my home is free. Just sayin'.

The only time my brother wore a helmet was when he rode his motorcycle through the hallways of our high school, both floors, as a senior prank. That was epic and the helmet protected well his identity, if not his head.

These new photos I'm receiving are curious. The manufacturer assured me they conformed completely to their company's safety standards. OK. But it is my humble opinion that manufacturers -- and magazines -- must depict safe operations in all instances even when they know the real-world operators of their products might not follow the safety rules. That means we both err on the side of safety even if the "farmer" or "rancher" in the photo looks a bit like an Imperial Storm Trooper from Star Wars wearing a full-face helmet.

At DTN/The Progressive Farmer we've long emphasized farm and ranch safety. In 1990, the magazine profiled each of nearly 100 farm fatalities in one year -- many were children. In 1995, The Progressive Farmer founded the Farm Safety Day Camp program that has reached more than 1.2 million people. The Progressive Agriculture Foundation now operates that program independently.

It's been our stated practice -- although not always successfully achieved, even recently -- to publish only photos or videos showing safe farming practices. For example, we discontinued in 1990 the use of photos showing tractors without rollover protection systems or cabs. A photo I took of a man stirring herbicides with his arm is a practice that will never again appear in The Progressive Farmer. We had a beautiful, potential cover photo that was never used because it showed two people with an ATV, but no helmet in sight. Our Ask The Mechanic column often includes a Farm Safety Tip. Steve Thompson, the writer of that column, has come in close contact with an accident or two over his years working on equipment. He relates his personal stories as only Steve can.

I have rediscovered that I don't always practice what I preach. There are videos I did some years back that showed me driving a side-by-side. You guessed it -- this blogger was wearing no helmet.

It's easy to feel safe inside today's side-by-sides. They are all well built with a center of gravity much lower than they use to have. The rollover protection systems are first rate.

Driving across a field at 25 miles per hour -- when you're doing more work than recreation -- they feel very safe; almost feel like you're sitting inside a pickup, especially if the passenger space is fully enclosed. One manufacturer told me just a week back that 25 miles per hour has become a kind of unofficial dividing line. No helmet is necessary if driving under 25 mph. Over 25 mph, wear a helmet.

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I stand to be corrected, but I find no such published standard in the industry.

I've driven side-by-sides, built for both work and recreation, at up to 50 mph. They are a great mode of transportation. But I've been grateful for a helmet when I've banged my head into the roll cage. The odd branch on narrow trails has given my helmet some pretty good whacks. Stones and debris thrown into my face from other vehicles are common. I'm not sure a stone hitting me in the face at 25 mph feels any better than one thrown at 50 mph. I wonder if the stone that hit Goliath in the head was going less, or more than 25 mph.

When driven correctly, side-by-sides are safe and a highly capable work and recreational vehicle. But side-by-sides are not pickups. They don't have air bags, steel-reinforced side-door protection and crumple zones. Even wearing shoulder belts, arms, legs and heads tend to flop around in a side-by-side that is rolling side, to top, to side.

Tragedies do happen with these vehicles. According to the most recent numbers I could find from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there have been 170 deaths in recreational off-highway vehicles in the past decade. ROVs generally describe side-by-sides and utility vehicles.

The numbers don't distinguish between recreational or work accidents. But the CPSC notes that injuries and deaths have occurred even on open, flat terrain.

The risk of injury is higher with the unsafe operation of ATVs. The CPSC reports 11,688 ATV-related fatalities between 1982 and 2011. The good news is the number of deaths annually seems to be going down. But the real tragedy is that 2,865 ATV-related fatalities were of children younger than 16 years of age. About half of those were children under 12.

And yet, you see it all the time. The common headgear, even on ATVs, is ball caps and cowboy hats. The majority of 2011's estimated ATV-related, emergency-room treated injuries were to the arm (the shoulder down) and the head or neck (29% and 28%, respectively). I could find no similar information for side-by-sides.

To get some industry perspective, I called Polaris Industries. I've reviewed many of their new vehicles. And on those drives, Polaris makes it very clear that if I am going to drive a Ranger, Sportsman or that, way-fun RZR of theirs, I will be riding with my helmet on (and over-the-ankle boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, gloves and shatter-proof eye protection). I'll share a bit of my email conversation with a Polaris spokesperson.

DTN/PF: Has something changed in the industry regarding its recommendations about helmet use?

Polaris: No, the industry associations -- ATV Safety Institute (ASI) and Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) -- strongly recommend helmet use at all times. (Note: The CPSC also recommends a helmet be worn in all instances).

DTN/PF: If a side-by-side is equipped with a full cab or full windshield are helmets still recommended?

Polaris: Polaris always recommends full safety gear [including] helmets, eye protection, protective clothing (long sleeves and pants), gloves and over-the-ankle boots. Seat belts should always be worn and side nets or doors intact.

DTN/PF: Are sunglasses acceptable for eye protection?

Polaris: Eye protection, regardless of type, should be shatter-resistant in order to prevent injury.

DTN/PF: Regarding helmets, what are the requirements and practices regarding full-face and open-face helmets? For example, is it acceptable for a rider to wear an open-face helmet while driving an ATV?

Polaris: As long as eye protection is worn, an open-face or full-face helmet [is acceptable].

Ok, end of sermon. What about you? What about off-road vehicles? What safety practices do you follow? Was there a time when you were happy that you did wear a helmet? What are your thoughts on helmets?

Drop me a line at dan.miller@progressivefarmer.com

For more information about ATV and side-by-side safety you can go to: atvsafety.org or rohva.org.

While we're thinking about safety, see this link. This is from a man, a reader of The Progressive Farmer, about his son: www.progressiveag.org/uploads/documents/just%20say%20no.pdf

For info on some new side-by-sides, check The Machinery Matters blog.

Dan Miller can be reached at dan.miller@progressivefarmer.com

(CZ/GAH/BAS)

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Dan Miller