An ‘expected surge’ in ATV-related injuries has Montreal Children’s Hospital on alert
The Montreal Children’s Hospital Trauma Centre is bracing for an “expected surge” in injuries related to all-terrain vehicles, saying it has already treated three patients with serious injuries since April.
The trauma centre saw a 50-per-cent increase in ATV-related injuries in 2025 compared with the annual average over the previous decade, the Children’s said Thursday. Of those, 40 per cent were serious and required hospitalization.
“Many children and teens sustained severe and in some cases life-altering traumas,” the hospital said in a statement, adding it treats patients from different regions, including Montreal, Northern Quebec and the Laurentians.
The trauma centre frequently treats traumatic brain injuries, spinal trauma, and chest, abdominal and pelvic trauma from ATV-related incidents. Facial and dental trauma are also common, as well as limb fractures.
The hospital said 76 per cent of its ATV-related cases in 2025 involved patients aged 12 to 18 years old, but that it treated children as young as two.
It also noted that 60 per cent of the children treated at the trauma centre were not wearing a helmet when the ATV-related injury occurred. Of the patients who required hospitalization, none were wearing helmets.
The majority of patients were from the Greater Montreal area and surrounding regions (70 per cent), and 30 per cent came from Northern Quebec.
The hospital says it agrees with the Canadian Paediatric Society’s 2025 position that children under the age of 16 should not drive or be passengers on ATV vehicles and that protective gear significantly helps reduce serious injuries and deaths.
“Quebec law requires helmets, gloves and protective gear, and sets 16 as the minimum age for ATV use,” the MCH said. “While Quebec’s regulatory framework provides clear minimum standards for ATV use on public roads and trails, awareness and application of these rules seems to remain inconsistent in practice.”
The hospital issued the following suggestions to prevent ATV-related injuries:
- Don’t let children under the age of 16 on ATVs, including for recreational use on private land.
- Wear a properly fitted helmet at all times.
- Adhere to Quebec training requirements for older teens operating ATVs while also recognizing that legal compliance does not eliminate the risk of serious injury.
- Never drive impaired, as it increases the risk of injury.
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