Utility tasks vehicles, or UTVs, can be dangerous if not operated with safety and precaution in mind. Not only will taking a safety-training course prepare you for operating a UTV – it may also decrease your insurances rates if you decide to get a policy for your vehicle. During the training process, you want to make sure you learn everything regarding UTV safety – from wearing the right clothes to knowing how to carefully negotiate a turn. UTVs are not like ATVs – and they are certainly not like driving on-road vehicles. The last thing you want is to purchase a UTV and then not know how to operate it – you could injure yourself, someone else or you could damage your UTV. Here are five UTV safety-training tips.
- Make sure to always wear a helmet. Even if you are only going a few miles per hour on a UTV, you want to make sure that you keep your head protected. You just never know – a mechanical failure could have you flying off your UTV. Not only do you want to wear a helmet, but you also want to wear thick clothing that will protect your skin from scrapes and abrasions.
- Never practice UTV safety measures on the open road. UTVs weren’t really meant for the streets – they were meant for more rugged terrains. By practicing on the open road, you are not only putting yourself at danger for collisions with other vehicles – you are also not getting the full off-road experience. If you really want to learn how to operate a UTV, you want to practice on a back road or dirt road. That way you can learn how to take sharp turns and overcome obstacles.
- Always supervise non-adults. If you read through your UTV guide, you will probably notice a mention or two about not letting children 16 and under operate a UTV unsupervised. So, if you are teaching young children how to drive a UTV, you want to always keep your eyes on them. Also, you want to make sure that they wear helmets and other protective gear. Children are often too lightweight to control the heavy mechanics of a UTV, which can present many risks, like falling and becoming trampled.
- Maintain a low speed. When you are training and don’t know how to fully operate a UTV, you want to stay under a certain speed limit until you get the hang of operating the vehicle. This is especially the case if you are on rugged or shaky terrain. If you don’t know how to fully negotiate certain obstacles, you could end up causing the UTV to flip if you are going too fast.
- Never operate a UTV under the influence of alcohol. This should be an obvious safety requirement, but many people still don’t grasp the importance. Even though you may be traveling at a low speed, it is still important to be sober and operating at your fullest capacity. Driving a UTV takes focus and all your attention.
