Go Karts Are Fun But Are They Safe

							Title:
Go Karts Are Fun, But Are They Safe?


Word Count:
762

Summary:
Go karts are thrilling, but are the
y dangerous? By taking a few safety
 precautions you can eliminate just
 about all of the dangers.


Keywords:
go, karts, carts, kart, cart, karti
ng, carting, gokarts, gokart, gocar
ts


Article Body:
Go karts are fast, exciting and eas
y to handle, and there are tracks a
ll over the country catering to eve
ry age range from kids to teens to
adults. Gokarts are generally easy
to drive, easy to control and are h
ow you can experience the excitemen
t of Formula One racing without as
much of the danger.
Go-karts are just beginning to come
 into their own and are geared towa
rd beginners in either off road or
paved track go kart racing. They ar
e built to withstand years of use a
nd abuse and are terrific when it c
omes to performance, styling and lo
w maintenance.

There are many types of vehicles th
at are built for fun. These include
 ATVs, dirt bikes, scooters, mopeds
, mini bikes and go karts. If you a
re looking to find some excitement
with 4 wheels then you have to disc
ard the dirt bike, scooter, moped a
nd mini bike. And the all terrain v
ehicles are typically made for trav
eling off road. That leaves the go
kart. If you want to go racing like
 the big boys, with a mighty gasoli
ne powered engine and relative safe
ty, go karts are what you will want
 to be racing.

Whether you just want some cheap ra
cing fun or would like to someday b
ecome a professional race car drive
r, the go-kart is a great way to be
gin. Many NASCAR drivers today got
their start by racing go karts when
 they were as young as five years o
ld.

Carts have been around for a lot of
 years, but have increased in popul
arity only recently. Back in the ol
den days, carts were only available
 at the neighborhood Family Fun Cen
ter or Amusement Park. And these go
karts only had two speeds, slow and
 slower. But were they safe? Let’s
just say it wasn’t easy to get hurt
 traveling at just 5 mph.

But even at the slower speeds they
were still loads of fun. Imagine th
e thrill you can experience now wit
h the faster speeds and the bigger
and better track selections. Great
go-cart tracks have been sprouting
up all over. But have the increased
 karting speeds made the go carts u
nsafe?

They used to be so terribly slow th
at no helmets were even required. B
ut with the speeds attained today h
elmets are required at tracks every
where, even the kiddie’s tracks. Bu
t don’t let that scare you, they ar
e still extremely safe and there is
 never any need to go faster than y
our own comfort dictates.

You can control, for the most part,
 the amount of danger you experienc
e in a go kart. Your decisions, fro
m the go kart you buy, to the safet
y equipment you use, to your level
of caution expressed on the track,
determine how safe you will be. The
 faster you go the more chance of s
ustaining a substantial injury. So
taking every safety precaution is a
lways a smart idea.

Carting is generally very safe if y
ou follow a few simple rules. The n
umber one rule is “always wear a he
lmet.” In the event of a crash it c
an spare you from a serious head in
jury. Also, never forget to fasten
your safety harness. This will prev
ent you from being tossed out durin
g a roll. Never race at speeds that
 you don’t feel comfortable with. I
f speed is not your thing you shoul
d remain in the lesser levels of ra
cing groups.

If you decide to race, even in a ki
d’s competition, you should be wear
ing a fire safety suit, racing shoe
s and protective gloves. The shoes
and gloves should also be fire reta
rdant. There is not much gas in a g
ocart, but if it should happen to c
atch on fire the fire-safe equipmen
t you use could save you a lot of p
ain and discomfort.

Gocarts today all have roll bars th
at rise above the driver’s head. In
 the event that you lose control, c
ausing your go kart to flip over, t
he roll bars and safety harness can
 keep you from harm’s way. You may
think that it could not happen to y
ou because you are such a great dri
ver, but the other racers on the tr
ack may not be so great. This is th
e reason why a gokart has side bars
 that will protect you in the event
 that another racer loses control a
nd rams your kart.

With all of these precautions how c
an anyone get injured? It’s possibl
e, but the chances of experiencing
a serious injury are severely limit
ed by simply following a few safety
 rules. Go karts are just about as
safe as you want to make them.