A dirt bike is designed to travel off-road.   It is in fact a light weight motorcycle equipped with rugged tires and suspension with the express purpose of thrill seeking and off-road exploring.

Dirt bikes have been around since the 60s and are still thriving.   Both Children and adults alike thirsting for adventure and the call of open terrain enjoy this sport.

It is not uncommon to see young people as young as seven or eight years get on a dirt bike and handle it expertly and with ease.   However, injuries happen often. Studies in the U.S. by the Consumer Product Safety Commission have emerged with impressive figures: up to 4 out of 10 people who are involved in dirt bike accidents are children under the age of 16.

The main safety standard of course is to learn proper riding techniques. Unfortunately the responsibility for enforcing that standard as well as other safety precautions rests with parents. The young rider must be supervised at all times while riding an off-road machine.

And while it is illegal in the U.S. to ride a dirt bike on the highway there are still many hazards a child could face off road. Children should not be allowed to have passengers on their dirt bike, which is a major cause of serious accidents.

It is good practice to make a pre-trip check before using your dirt bike each and every time you go out.   Check tire pressure, gas level, test the brakes and front and rear lights.   Please consult the respective manufacturer's manual for details on your dirt bike.   But this is also the responsibility of the parent.

Ensure that children never ride without a helmet and gloves, eye protection and protective clothing.   And it is imperative you use equipment designed specifically to protect a dirt bike rider, rather than using equipment designed for other activities such as football.

Bikes are age and size specific, be aware when buying and updating the bike that you do so according to the child's age.   There is no rule as to what age a child must be to ride a dirt bike or what size would be appropriate, but you should use a little common sense.   A 4 stroke 70cc dirt bike packs enough punch for an adult to have fun in it - but may be unappropriated for a small child.

Fortunately, most youth dirt bikes can be equipped with safety controls such as:

• A regulator that sets the maximum speed as low as 5 MPH
• A cable connector that allows an adult to run with the child and shoot to kill the engine (great feature for young riders)
• A remote control that can kill the engine by the press of a button within 200 feet (great to keep older children under control)

Riding off-road vehicles can be fun and healthy exercise. But to reduce the risk of injury, good training, supervision and following the manufacturer's instructions are a must.