Let’s see:
Trauma doctors at the IWK Children’s Hospital say children under the age of 16 should be prohibited from driving all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
Children under 16 have died in ATV crashes. They have also sustained head and neck injuries that can lead to long-term brain injury or paralysis.
Scientific evidence shows that children under age of 16 risk injury or death when operating ATVs because they do not have the maturity of judgment required to operate a motorized vehicle. “We know that the brain develops over time,” according to pediatric surgeon and trauma specialist Dr. Natalie Yanchar. “That ability to to develop judgment and those judgment skills needed to make quick decisions – that develops over time and that doesn’t happen until you really reach adulthood.”
This is why children under the age of 16 are not permitted to drive a car.
Evidence shows that early training does not reduce a child’s risk of injury or death because children’s brains are not wired to make the rapid judgments necessary to operate a motorized vehicle.
In fact, ATV training gives parents and children a false sense of security which further increases the risk of injury or death.
According to scientific evidence, a child operating an ATV is 5 times more likely to die than an adult to die on an ATV.
Other provinces and states that have set a minimum age for operation.
So, what does Premier Rodo McDodo do?
He goes out and spends $230,000 of tax payer’s dollars to purchase 66 mini ATVs so that six-year old children can drive them.
Six year olds.
And he does this because he’s decided it’s safe for six-year olds to drive ATVs when they have had training. Rodo evidently doesn’t believe the trauma doctors and their studies that say children under 16 do not possess the developmental ability to operate ATVs safely, even if they are trained.
It seems that Rodo McDodo will ignore scientific evidence to keep his rural voters happy, even if that means putting children at risk.
What was that the pediatric surgeon said about brains developing slowly? Who was she talking about?
