With more and more people enjoying the thrill and the freedom of riding ATVs, and with the prime summer ATV riding season upon us, it is important to reemphasize the importance of ATV safety. Safety is the key to an enjoyable riding experience.

"Our number one concern will forever be the safety of our riders and, therefore, a critical element of the ATV safety dialogue needs to be early education and appropriate training," said Bennett Morgan, general manager for the ATV business at Polaris. "This is especially important for young riders."

Following are some suggestions for riding ATVs safely, not only through the summer, but throughout the entire year:

-- Always wear a helmet

-- Never drive an ATV with a passenger, and never ride as a passenger

-- Never drive an ATV on paved roads

-- Prohibit children under 16 from riding full-size, adult ATVs (with engines larger than 90 cubic centimeters)

-- Always supervise children when riding

-- Complete a certified hands-on safety training course

-- Always ride at a safe distance from other ATVs

-- Always ride within your experience level and overall trail and environmental conditions

-- Never combine riding ATVs or any other vehicle with drug or alcohol use

"The best way to avoid an accident involving children is to keep under-aged children off of oversized ATVs," said Morgan. "Children should be trained to ride an ATV and use an appropriate-sized model for their specific age and size. And we can't dismiss the importance of having parental supervision at all times."

Each Polaris Youth ATV is engineered for safety and includes heat shields; an engine control tether cord (similar to that on watercraft vehicles) so that if a child driver falls off, the engine immediately shuts off; and parents can set the speed control on each model to fit a child's riding ability. With every youth model purchase, Polaris provides a helmet, an orange whip flag so children riders are more easily visible, dealer safety training and a safety instructional video.

"This is a wonderful sport that families can enjoy together safely with training and appropriate precautions," said Morgan. "We ask all riders to be safe, mindful, respectful and have fun on the trails."

For more information about ATV safety, visit the CPSC web site at www.cpsc.gov or Polaris web site at www.polarisindustries.com.