SUPPORT US
Alaska Safe Riders / Membership & Funding
The telephone rings. The call all parents dread; the State Troopers informing them their beautiful and beloved 10-year old daughter has suffered an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) accident. Fear and panic grip mother and father as they make the long flight to Anchorage from their small Alaskan village. The horror of this new reality sets in when hearing of multiple skull fractures. Sick dread escalates as they listen to the monotonous beep-beep-beep of life support equipment in their daughter’s room. They wait. Praying, crying, and watching as the minutes, hours and then days tick away. Hope, overshadowed by paralyzing fear, consumes them. Their precious baby, so full of life, with a loving family and many, many friends, now holds on with only the help of medical devices.
Eight long days and then… the beeping suddenly stops. The heartache never does.
This is just one of many tragic, yet preventable recreational vehicle accidents that happen here in the state of Alaska far too often.
The Alaska Safe Riders / 907 Safe Riders, a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to safety training for ATV’s, Recreational Off-road Vehicles (ROV), and snowmachines is dedicated to reducing accidents like this.
We invite you and your organization to support our mission: Reducing deaths and injuries from tragic accidents and aiding the public in enjoying a safe and fun experience when riding here in the State of Alaska.
We have a dedicated Board of Directors well known across the state for their contributions to both sport and business. Please, take a moment to review the attached biographies to learn more about these exemplary individuals.
Alaska has the highest per capita injury and death rate for ATV, ROV, and snowmachine accidents in the nation. This means an average of 19 deaths and hundreds of severe injuries, many resulting in life-long, chronic conditions. Some die from the initial trauma, or later succumb to exposure, drowning, avalanches, crevasse falls or other challenges experienced in our extreme terrain. A five year review of ATV and snowmachine use in Alaska by the University of Fairbanks found 2,335 registered traumas across the state for just these two categories; traumas resulting in millions of dollars in medical costs each year, borne by individuals, insurance companies, native corporations, the State of Alaska and the US taxpayers. One of the most tragic is traumatic brain injuries (TBI), sometimes requiring life-long care and assistance. An injury that in 88% of cases, could have been avoided by using the most basic item of protective gear; a helmet. According to a study conducted in Alaska for snowmachine accidents, 58% of all injury-deaths involved individuals riding under the influence. No state education programs addressing these issues and targeting the heaviest affected populations currently exist. Alaska is in desperate need of a training program emphasizing backcountry safety and accident prevention.
With the help of people like you, this non-profit organization will provide a network of educators, instructional classes, and helmet distribution across the state. Classes will target schools, the youth of Alaska, the general public, women’s groups, snowmachine clubs, and local dealerships. The curriculum development will be from experienced instructors, certified safety professionals and snowmachine experts. It will focus on the latest knowledge for operation, safety practices, and accident prevention for all areas of the backcountry, trail systems, and roadways of Alaska. This will be an active, hands-on program with results-oriented outcomes to develop skills, safety practices and an emphasis on the importance of riding free from drugs and alcohol. These programs will be provided across the state, from remote villages to urban and rural locations, on and off of the road system. Our ‘train-the-trainer’ focus ensures communities will have local individuals able to offer ongoing classes in their region. Special prioritization will be given to regions with the highest levels of accidents and injuries. High profile professional racers, freestyle, and other celebrity riders will be recruited to help promote and be guest instructors to boost the attendance and interest in our programs.
We’ve received endorsements and commitment from snowmachine and ATV riders, dealers, professional riders, clubs, and communities. We now need the support and funding from individuals, communities, dealers, native corporations, tribal organizations, corporate businesses, the State of Alaska, and other foundations to develop this program to its full potential.
