Dirt Bike School Instructor Kyle Negus shows kids as young as six years old proper safety training for OHVs.
The state of Nevada is facing a difficult reality—kids, teens and adults are suffering traumatic brain injuries from off-highway vehicle (OHV) accidents at alarming rates and not only does Nevada not have a sufficient number of medical centers in proximity to rural areas where most of these accidents are happening, but Nevada also lacks the proper helmet laws to keep people safe.
According to Renown Children’s Hospital, which services over 100,000 square miles and is located over three hours from Humboldt County, a significant rise in frequency and severity of OHV-related injuries in children in the last five years has been seen.
Jorge Montano-Figueroa, RN, BSN, Pediatric Injury Prevention Specialist for Renown Hospital explained during an interview that unhelmeted injuries have been found to have two times the severity of helmeted injuries and that 60 percent of the accidents that Renown sees are occuring in rural areas, usually meaning that it can take over 60 minutes for the patient receive care.
“Unfortunately, over the last five years, we’ve seen an increase in children being injured on OHVs. In general, the biggest ones that we’ve seen are ATVs and side by sides— we’ve had a significant rise of patients coming in severely injured,” explained Montano-Figueroa.
Locally, a partnership between the Nevada Outdoor School (NOS), the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), and the Nevada OHV Commission allows for Humboldt County to hold grant-funded events where kids, teens and adults can get hands-on safety and skills training on OHVs, hopefully educating kids and adults about the risks of riding OHVs without helmets and providing a foundation of safety and skills knowledge when riding.
HCSO Sergeant Kyle Negus is an instructor for the Dirt Bike School (DBS) program (which includes training for ATVs, dirtbikes, and side by sides) that NOS and the HCSO hold multiple times a year, and explained that although OHV riders are required to have helmets on public roads, as well as other things like registration, and lights that officers can enforce, there are no helmet laws that officers can enforce for off-road riders.
“Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 490 is kind of a problem in itself—the statute that is over all OHVs— in that it doesn’t read very well,” explained Negus.
“Unfortunately right now law enforcement doesn’t know that law very well and the public doesn’t know it very well... As far as the county is concerned, that makes law enforcement apprehensive to make stops [for helmets] because the law’s not easy to decipher.”
Without the adequate helmet laws officers are left at a disadvantage when trying to enforce them and kids and adults are left with the misconception that it is acceptable to ride without helmets when off-roading.
The next DBS event will be held on Sept. 30 and is completely free. DBS is designed for riders of all experience levels, with the portion for kids ages six to 11 taking place from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and riders ages 12 to adults from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Winnemucca Events Complex. Riders should get registered by Sept. 29 (visit www.dirtbikeschool.org and click on the “Find a RIDERCOURSE Near You) and must have a helmet, eye protection, gloves, boots and pants, but Negus said that some loaner bikes are available upon registration by emailing him at kyle.negus@humboldtcountynv.gov.
Negus said that only two of the officers at the HCSO officers are familiar with NRS 490, himself and Srgt. Mario Murillo (another DBS instructor), and that legislators are trying to address its ambiguity, but the slow moving wheels of government are a challenge for officers and the public until any kind of change can be made.
Melanie Erquiaga, Nevada Outdoor School’s Executive Director, explained that there is a higher perceived level of safety when riding in side by sides so many riders, adults and children, go without helmets whether they are riding off-highway or on public roads and the number of accidents is continuing to increase. This is why it is so important to educate adult and young riders on the risks.
“There’s a roll cage [on side by sides], which yes, it will protect you as you’re rolling over but if you’re not secured in there with a seatbelt, and you’re not wearing a helmet it just becomes a crushing device. So with that sport growing and more and more people buying them and using public lands—which is a good thing— there’s also a little bit of ignorance as far as safety is concerned,” explained Negus.
Even experienced riders can take something away from the DBS, according to Erquiaga, with the program allowing experienced riders to get certifications and get a refresher on basic skills that they may have forgotten or never learned in the first place. Riders 16 and older with a driver’s license can do an online certification and other riders who have grown up riding can do an in-person evaluation that helps them prepare to ride safe.
“We know that it’s not just the beginners that are out there doing unsafe things,” Erquiaga said.
NOS has given away free helmets at many different events all over northern Nevada in efforts to address the increasing number of injuries and is continuing to work with Renown, the OHV Commission, HCSO, and other partners to continue to provide training and safety knowledge at events and through schools.
Nikhil Narkhede OHV Program Manager for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Off-Highway Vehicles Program was contacted but did not provide any comments about the programs.
The big picture, according to Erquiaga, is making sure riders and parents understand the true risks of going without helmets and the irreversible damage injuries can cause and helping to make wearing a helmet on any type of OHV the new norm. Having adults understand the significance of proper helmet safety sets the example for kids and teens and could prevent severe head trauma for someone in the future.
“We really need to get in front of as many people as we can…The main mission of the four of us in Nevada with a statewide kind of initiative is putting helmets on kids,” said Erquiaga.
Negus said that neither session of DBS was full during the last event in July and he wants more people to come out and experience the program. July’s session only had seven people total participate even though there are 12 spots available.
“The amount of injuries and or deaths that we’ve had in the county over the past five years, let’s say, if we can reduce that number, even if it’s just one, I think it’s a valuable program to have in our county and honestly, I don’t think enough people take advantage of it,” said Negus.