The Mercer County Health Department, in conjunction with the Mercer County Fair Board and Smithfield Hog Productions—Missouri, will conduct an all-terrain vehicle safety course for youth. The hands-on training course will be held during the Mercer County Fair at the lower grounds on July 15th from 2 to 5 p.m.
Parents should register their children with the health department. A link will then be sent for the ATV Safety Institute’s online training. The online training will take about two hours. Course topics include protective gear, environmental concerns, riding strategies, and local laws. The course is a prerequisite for the hands-on S-course.
The ATV Safety Institute’s e-courses are free, self-paced, and interactive. They address basic ATV safety principles and include riding experience videos from a first-person point of view, animation, learning exercises, and quizzes to self-test knowledge.
The certificate of completion must be sent to the health department before the safety course day on July 15th. Each child should bring an age-appropriate ATV and wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves, boots, a helmet, and goggles for the hands-on course. The health department will provide goggles and gloves to those in need.
The hands-on S-course is two and a half hours long and conducted by licensed ATV Safety Institute instructors. Smithfield will provide the instructors.
The S-course will allow students to practice basic riding skills in a controlled environment under the supervision of a licensed instructor. Students will practice basic safety techniques with hands-on exercises, including starting and stopping, turning, negotiating hills, emergency stopping and swerving, and riding over obstacles. There will be an emphasis on the safety implications relating to each lesson.
A child will receive a certificate of completion when he or she completes the online and hands-on courses. The Mercer County Health Department will also offer a certificate towards a new ATV helmet from Rob’s Cycle up to an $80 value.
Parents can register their children by going to a link on the Mercer County Health Department’s Facebook page or by calling the office at 660-748-3630.
