All-terrain vehicle owners who may want to upgrade their safe riding skills in response to a fatal accident on Sunday have a place to turn to in Prince George.
In fact, they have three of them.
Go to the Quadriders ATV Association of British Columbia website (www.atvbc.ca), and you'll find the names of Jeff Mohr, Don Sawatsky and Richard Bygrave as certified ATV safety instructors.
Over the course of an eight-hour day, they teach riders the basics of safely handling a vehicle that can weigh anywhere from 500 to 800 pounds and can be capable of travelling up to 100 km/h.
"Anybody that rides should take some sort of training," Mohr said Monday.
Students learn how to conduct pre-trip inspections to search for any mechanical problems, properly use safety gear, and the finer points of braking, handling and reading the terrain
Being an active rider and knowing how to shift your weight to more easily control the ATV is a key aspect.
As for safety gear, Mohr said the body armour that has become common among motocross riders remains a rarity for ATVers, but that doesn't mean it can't be used.
"There are a few that do it and I praise them for it because they are taking that extra precaution," Mohr said.
On Sunday, a 42-year-old Prince George man died from injuries suffered in an ATV accident off Monterey Road in the Hart. His seven-year-old daughter who was with him at the time escaped uninjured.
A preliminary investigation suggested the ATV flipped backwards on a steep part of the terrain in a wooded area used primarily by dirt bikers and ATVers.
When done properly, Mohr said ATVing is a great sport that gives people a chance to see some country they otherwise would not find themselves in.
"I feel really, really sad when somebody gets seriously hurt or passes away because of an accident on an ATV," Mohr said. "There are a lot of people out there who enjoy the sport and anytime somebody dies, we all grieve."
