MACON, Ga. — ATV season is in full swing across Central Georgia, but that means more ATV accidents.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said those accidents peak in June, July and August. But one of the worst times for an ATV accident is Memorial Day Weekend.
This time of year is also busy with sales at a Macon's small business of 106 years: Capitol Cycle , which sells ATVs.
That worries Fairview Park Hospital's pediatric surgeon Andrew Bozeman.
"When the weather starts to warm up, kids like to get outside. Especially for summer break, we see an uptick in injuries related to ATV's," Bozeman said.
Carter Greene was one of those injuries three years ago when he was a junior in high school. He flipped his ATV, hitting his head and suffering internal injuries.
"I used to ride every, everyday if I could," Greene said. "It was something to do. Like where I live, there's not a whole lot to do."
Today, he's so haunted by his accident that he can't look at ATVs the same anymore.
"Take out like two or three feet of my intestines. And they also took out my appendix," Greene said.
Bozeman wants parents to prevent accidents by protecting kids' heads with a helmet.
"Very hard sometimes to repair a brain injury because those can have long term, devastating consequences," Bozeman said.
It's also important to choose a helmet where the straps connect on the bottom, and it fits snug on the head. Marketing Manager of Capitol Cycle Robert Jennings said that's because helmets break in and get more loose over time. Capitol Cycle employees can fit helmets to any customer's head. Jennings also recommends protective eye gear to prevent debris from hurting you.
Bozeman said parents should decide if they'll let their child ride an ATV based on maturity level, and not just age alone.
"Just because a child demonstrates an interest in riding an ATV, they may not have the maturity to do so. And if a child is less than 16, they absolutely.... need adult supervision," Bozeman said.
Greene said he doesn't want other kids to go through what he did three years ago.
"When you ride these things everyday, you get really, really comfortable on 'em. And you just lose your fear for what can happen to you," he said.
This summer, he hopes kids and adults don't go riding without a seatbelt and helmet.
It's also important to remember it's not legal in Georgia to drive your ATV or UTV on city streets or local roads without authorization. That's because there's not the right amount of friction on paved roads, and that makes it more dangerous for drivers.