Safety Group Questions ATVS and Children's Use

Experts are calling them weapons of destruction and they can be found in many neighborhoods across the Tennessee Valley.

You may remember back in June when 9 year old Talon Grissom died when his ATV skidded into Dolly Pond Lane and a SUV hit him. Talon was not wearing a helmet and was airlifted to TC Thompson Children's hospital where he later died. It's cases like Talon's that have Safe and Sound, a group with the hospital focusing on these so called toys which many say are the perfect recipe for tragedy.

" Make absolutely no mistake, it is not a toy. Not at all a toy. An ATV can turn deadly very quickly and we have seen that happen," said Becky Campbell, the Coordinator for Safe and Sound.

In the past year TC Thompson has seen it happen 4 times. They've also seen 24 children hospitalized after ATV accidents . Now they're telling parents it's more than just helmets, kids cannot operate these weapons of destruction.

The Atv's can go as fast as 70 miles an hour and fully loaded they can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and the only thing stopping someone 16 years old from getting on is a sticker that says if you are under the age of 16 that increases your chances are serious injury or death.

" But we have to be the parents. We have to be the adults and tell these kids, 'I love you enough to say no. We want to see you grow up and have a life of your own,'" said Marisa Moyers, Coordinator with Pediatric Trauma at the hospital.

The Pediatric Trauma Staff says they've seen many parents who don't realize how serious the single act of mounting an ATV can be until it's too late.

"But the child finally became brain dead and the parents walked in and said, ' Ok you can do the brain transplant.' But we couldn't do that and then when they realized that their child was gone, they were devastated," said Moyers

" There is simply no way to make ATV riding safe for children," said Campbell.

Researchers say with kids under 16 being 4 times more likely to die on an ATV parents have to band together and lobby to create a law forbidding children from riding them.

Safe and Sound found Tennessee law says children under 16 must ride with a helmet, Georgia law requires helmets and eye protection but Alabama has no restrictions.