Some Manitobans say they disagree with the Canadian Paediatric Society's call for a national ban on children driving all-terrain vehicles.

The society is calling for a ban on the use of ATVs by those under the age of 16, arguing they don't have the strength or cognitive skills to safely operate the machines.

The group says an average of 447 children under the age of 15 were hospitalized every year over the past five years for ATV-related injuries.

As well, an average of 179 Canadians die each year from ATV-related trauma. Almost 40 per cent of those who died were aged 19 and younger, a report from the society states.

Chris Fox-Decent of the ATV Association of Manitoba says he does not dispute those numbers, but he says the number of people using ATVs for recreational use has also been going up in recent years.

"They are experiencing an increase on injury, but they're not taking into consideration the quantity of people that are choosing to access this sport," Fox-Decent said Thursday.

An estimated 28,000 people are registered to ride ATVs in Manitoba. Legislation requires children under the age of 14 to be supervised by an adult.

Potential benefits?

Fox-Decent argued there are many benefits to allowing young people to drive ATVs, as it would train them to be good drivers when they get older.

"They're less worried about operating the vehicle and driving the vehicle and navigating corners, because they have experience in that," he said.

"Now they can worry about the other drivers on the road, the signage, the lights. They can worry about everything else around them to keep them safe."

But Dr. Natalie Yanchar, the Canadian Paediatric Society's chair of injury prevention and a surgeon in Halifax, says doctors have been seeing a growing number of injuries despite efforts to encourage training and safety to young drivers.

"When we see see kids come into our emergency departments with injuries from an all-terrain vehicle flip or running into something else, I always hear the same thing: 'They're responsible, they've driven for a long time,'" Yanchar said.

"They know what they are doing, but something happens and … there's such a small margin of error allowed before something happens that can be devastating."

The society is calling for people under 16 to be banned from driving all ATVs, including models designed for youth.

'It's not really going to stop them'

John Mullin, whose teenage grandson was killed in an ATV crash last year near Swan River, Man., says the vehicles are a part of life for children growing up in rural areas.

"It's not really going to stop them. I think that they're still going to be forced to use them," he said.

"It's part of the farming life, to get around and check things and move back and forth."

Nick Mullin, 14, was killed after the ATV he was driving collided with a van as he was crossing a highway.

The elder Mullin said young people will still drive ATVs, even if it could mean breaking the law.

"If it's illegal, all you're going to do is turn the kids into lawbreakers because … they're doing something that their brothers or sisters have done before them, and they are going to continue to do it," he said.