According to new research, two thirds of All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) users still don’t wear a helmet when they ride ATVs because they feel foolish wearing them on their own farm or don’t believe they ride fast enough to warrant them.

To help combat this issue and to ensure that the importance of wearing a helmet is highlighted among users when driving an ATV, Can-Am is introducing its seven golden rules for ATV usage as part of its responsible riding programme.

The report, carried out by Dr. Amy Irwin and Jana Mihulkova from the University of Aberdeen, found that 63.5% of respondents stated they owned a helmet, but only 29.9% of those surveyed reported wearing a helmet frequently or always.

The research pinpointed several underlying factors, ranging from personal perceptions about helmets and personal barriers that stop farm workers wearing a helmet when using an ATV on their site.

Personal perceptions:

The norms on site:

The barriers presented by helmet cost and comfort:

Daily issues:

7 golden rules

To tackle this issue in 2021 and beyond and to highlight the importance of responsible riding in general, Can-Am is committing to educate new and existing users with seven golden rules as part of its global responsible rider programme.

These rules are as follows:

James Dalke, BRP commercial manager for UK and Ireland, said: "As a brand, we are committed to upholding health and safety standards, and our partnership with EASI enables us to offer training to all Can-Am customers.

"The fact that people have a helmet and do not wear it and the reasons why they don’t, reflects a mindset that we are aiming to change through education, as ATVs are the vehicles of choice for farm workers to carry out daily tasks."