I have said it many time and I will say it again…Riding ATVs is a rough sport. We are riding a powerful machine on sometimes unpredictable trails. Many ATV riders are fortunate, they have not had a serious crash in their riding careers. Others are not so lucky, and have to work hard at healing their shattered confidence after a crash.
Image by ATVCourse.com
After a crash it is normal for riders to feel a sense of fear and a lack of confidence when getting back on their ATV. Fear is a very useful emotion that warns us of danger. But, excessive fear can be paralyzing and irrational which is not good when riding ATVs.
Having an ATV accident for the first time, shakes our thinking process. As ATV riders, we have an inherent competitive nature and tend to think we are invulnerable until something comes along to challenge that notion, like a tree, rock, root, log, mechanical failure, steep hill or an unexpected dropoff of the trail.
We all experience different reactions after an ATV accident but there are four common reactions some riders may exhibit:
- Avoidance Reaction – Avoid riding their ATV again.
Freeze Reaction – Within the first ride or two after the accident the rider may freeze when encountering a similar situation on the trail.- Hyper-Vigilant Reaction – Feeling jumpy and extremely conscious of every move the rider and/or their ATV makes.
- Excessive Anxiety Reaction – The butterflies are going crazy in their stomach, their heart is pounding and they feel as though they might pass out. It may look very much like a panic attack.
One of the first steps in healing your confidence after a crash is to analyze what happened. ATV accidents are caused by many different reasons. Analyzing what happened tends to have a calming effect, your mind starts thinking logically instead of emotionally.
Was the accident a fault of the ATV, the rider or the situation. A mechanical failure is a fault of the ATV, but could be a fault of the rider if the ATV was not maintained properly. Riding ATVs requires a lot of energy and concentration.
Therefore rider fatigue or a lack of concentration could result in an accident. Riding beyond ones skill level or over confidence could also cause an accident or any combination of things. You may never totally realize the true cause of an accident, the point is by carefully going through what happened you may be able to avoid an accident in the future.
The next step in healing your confidence is to take it slow, go back to the basics of riding ATVs. Remember what you learned when you analyzed what happened and correct any issues you have control of. Each ride will improve your confidence a little more until you are back to the level that you were at before.
Some accidents can be so devastating that the person is not physically able or just does not have it in their heart to ride anymore. For those of us that still have the burning desire to ride then practice responsible ATV riding and ATV safety.
I’ve had this very experience! I’ve only been riding for a couple of years on an ATV and finally starting getting my rythym done so I got cocky, and sure enough I rolled it! Thankfully we were going down a hill that was pretty washed out and I landed in the deepest part of the rut under my ride. It took me months to get over the fear of riding through wash outs and trenches. I still get nervous when we ride that trail! I’ve ridden horses for most of my life so I knew I had to get back on (or walk!), and even with a horse after years of riding, when you get thrown or bucked off, you still lose a little bit of your confidence, and trust in the animal. But you are correct in assessing the situation. I was able to think back and figure out where I went wrong and when I hit that part of the trail now I’m really concentrating on not making that mistake again!
I’ve attached a video of my boyfriend and one of his incidents where we ride. The boys ride what they call the “red” areas which are basically ride at your own risk, I do avoid those! This time he was wearing the GoPro helmet camera and since he wasn’t hurt it’s pretty funny! In the video (and excuse the language, I don’t know how to bleep them), he does assess what happened. The bad thing is I’m not sure what he was thinking when he tried to get out of situation he was in! That and his son just sat there and watched, didn’t help at all which wouldn’t have led to the end of that hill!! Enjoy! Hope the link comes through.
I’m loving your blogs by the way. Great advice, and vents!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HruP6DS-XMY
Jennifer B. recently posted..Turkey Bay Roll Over 3_25_12
Thanks Jennifer. Assessing the situation for what went wrong really helps especially if it was something you did wrong. When the ATV is a fault it is much harder to regain trust in the machine.
Oh I should have let you know that we ride at Turkey Bay which is at Land Between the Lakes in Cadiz, KY. They REQUIRE everyone to wear safety gear, and if the atv is made for only one person, then only one person may ride. They are very strict and do patrol the main trails. I’ve witnessed them kicking people out! Good for them!!