Calgary doctor urges strong anti-drinking message for off-road adventurers

<p>CALGARY – The approaching May long weekend has a Calgary trauma surgeon warning that drinking and off-roading is creating a tragic trail of injuries and death across Alberta.</p> <p>Dr. Richard Buckley says while society appears to be grasping the message about the dangers of driving automobiles while drunk, the same cannot be said about riders of all-terrain vehicles.</p> <p>Buckley says Alberta has a 17-per-cent death rate from accidents involving all-terrain vehicles – eight times higher than for cars.</p> <p>He says young males make up the bulk of injuries from ATV crashes, but many young woman who ride as passengers on the machines are also showing up in hospital.</p> <p>Figures show that between 1998 and 2008, 79 people died in ATV crashes in Alberta, while off-road accidents that cause injuries cost the province $6 million a year.</p> <p>Buckley says there is a need for better ATV training, the use of helmets and a strong message that alcohol and off-roading don’t mix. (CHQR)</p>