Off-roading is great in Yuma, but be careful

uptick in ATV accidents lately is concerning

The weather is lovely outside, and visitors and Yumans alike are heading outside to take advantage of our open spaces.

• From the dunes to the desert, there are a LOT of people roaming around on ATVs, quads, dirtbikes and golf carts.

We get the appeal. Yuma County has amazing riding spaces, and we’re glad people are taking advantage of those spaces.

However, we’re also noticing an uptick in accidents involving off-roading vehicles, and, readers, it’s a little concerning.

On Nov. 22, a man was hurt in an ATV accident in a remote area of the Imperial Sand Dunes.

On Nov. 24, a woman was killed in an ATV crash, and her daughter was injured out near Avenue 9E and 40th Street.

On Nov. 26, Wellton Border Patrol agents helped a man after he lost control of his UTV and crashed.

This is just a sampling of what’s been in the Sun lately. It doesn’t take into account the crashes that are more minor, where someone wrecks on an ATV and gets banged up but isn’t injured enough to seek immediate medical care. It also doesn’t account for the people who have a family member or friend drive them directly to Urgent Care or Yuma Regional Medical Center. We hear about those accidents anecdotally all the time.

We want to make sure that people riding out in our desert spaces are doing so safely. We turned to the

ATV Safety Institute for some tips on what to do and what to remember when out riding.

• Always wear a Department of Transportation-compliant helmet, goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over the ankle boots and gloves.

• Never ride on paved roads except to cross safely and only where permitted by law.

• Ride sober – don’t drink and ride

• Never carry a passenger on a single-rider ATV, and no more than one passenger on an ATV designed for two people

• Ride an ATV that is age appropriate, and supervise riders younger than 16

• Ride only on designated trails and at safe speeds And, readers, we have a lot of visitors to Yuma County this time of year, from winter visitors to military people here for training to California residents looking to do a little off-roading.

To many of them, our terrain is new, or it’s been a while since they’ve been here. Be sure to give fellow riders some space on the trails, and share your knowledge with them. If there’s a tricky path ahead, help them navigate it. And if you see someone who is struggling, give them a hand.

Yuma’s outdoor spaces are amazing. Let’s enjoy them together, safely.