UTV Safety Tips

If you’ve recently invested in a utility vehicle or you’ve been thinking about doing so soon, there are some important safety tips you’ll want to learn about before you start riding. Whether you use your UTV for work or for leisure, safety should always be your top priority. After all, you want to feel confident in your ability to protect yourselves and your passengers when you operate your side by side. Peak Honda World has provided some helpful UTV safety tips below. If you’re still in the market for a powersports vehicle, be sure to visit our dealership near Denver and Aurora, CO. We also serve our friends in Centennial.

Gear Up

One of the most critical aspects of remaining as safe as possible when you ride your UTV is to be sure you’ve invested in the right gear. It’s common knowledge that you should always be wearing a helmet when you operate a powersports vehicle. You’ll want to choose a helmet that’s DOT-rated and will offer maximum protection in an impact event. This applies to every rider that’ll be on the utility vehicle, too. 

Motocross helmets are a popular choice due to the fact that they’re lightweight and breathable, which is the type of protection you need in an open-air vehicle like a UTV. If your helmet does not cover your whole face, you’ll want to get a pair of goggles or a mask to keep debris out of your eyes. Don’t forget a sturdy pair of boots and gloves. Ideally, you should be wearing long pants and sleeves to protect your limbs from low hanging branches.

Stick to the Path

It can be pretty tempting to venture off the beaten path into nearby forests or hills, but you should resist the urge to do so. When you ride a UTV, you’ll be safest when you stay on designated paths. This is especially true when you’re riding on public lands. You certainly don’t want to cause unnecessary damage to fragile ecosystems with your machine. 

The predictability of the path keeps you safe and allows you to go faster, which isn’t too bad of a trade-off. Unseen obstacles off the trail, like holes or ditches, can damage your suspension or cause you to be thrown from your side by side. In order to remain safe, it’s best to stick to the beaten path.

Drive Sober

Whenever you operate any kind of heavy machinery, it’s crucial to have all of your reflexes and focus readily available to handle any issues that you encounter. Just as driving under the influence is forbidden when driving a car on the road, the same concept applies to utility vehicles. 

Don’t forget the alcohol isn’t the only substance that can impair your judgment. There are some prescription medications and health conditions that can make it dangerous to operate a UTV. Check with your physician to find out if you can safely operate a side by side with certain medications. As always, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Choose the Right Vehicle

We should also note that not every utility vehicle is exactly the same. As a matter of fact, most UTVs aren’t even equipped equally. You should take plenty of time to familiarize yourself with your machine’s capabilities prior to riding. This will help you better avoid dangerous situations. For instance, when you tow a load that’s beyond your vehicle’s capacity, you could face major problems. You don’t want to winch a load with the wrong side by side. To put it simply, there are several recipes for disaster that you can avoid by getting to know your vehicle and its limits.

If you’d like to learn more or you’re still shopping around for the perfect UTV, stop in and see us. Peak Honda World is conveniently located near Denver and Aurora, CO. We also serve those in Centennial.