Polaris ATV 2002 Owner's Manual page 13

SAFETY
Key Safety Issues
S Never operate the ATV on hills too steep for the ATV or for your
abilities. Practice on smaller hills before attempting larger hills.
S Always follow proper procedures for climbing hills as described in
this manual. Check the terrain carefully before you start up any
hill. Never climb hills with excessively slippery or loose surfaces.
Shift your weight forward. Never open the throttle suddenly or
make sudden gear changes. Never go over the top of any hill at
high speed.
S Always follow proper procedures for going down hills and for brak-
ing on hills as described in this manual. Check the terrain careful-
ly before you start down any hill. Shift your weight backward.
Never go down a hill at high speed. Avoid going down a hill at an
angle which would cause the vehicle to lean sharply to one side.
Go straight down the hill where possible.
S Always follow proper procedures for crossing the side of a hill as
described in this manual. Avoid hills with excessively slippery or
loose surfaces. Shift your weight to the uphill side of the ATV.
Never attempt to turn the ATV around on any hill until you have
mastered the turning technique described in this manual on level
ground. Avoid crossing the side of a steep hill if possible.
S Always use proper procedures if you stall or roll backwards when
climbing a hill. To avoid stalling, maintain a steady speed when
climbing a hill. If you stall or roll backwards, follow the special
procedure for braking described in this manual. Dismount on the
uphill side or to either side if pointed straight uphill. Turn the
ATV around and remount, following the procedure described in
this manual.
S Always check for obstacles before operating in a new area. Never
attempt to operate over large obstacles, such as large rocks or fallen
trees. Always follow proper procedures when operating over ob-
stacles as described in this manual.
S Always be careful of skidding or sliding. On slippery surfaces,
such as ice, go slowly and be very cautious in order to reduce the
chance of skidding or sliding out of control.
S Avoid operating the ATV through deep or fast flowing water. If
you cannot avoid water which exceeds the recommended maxi-
mum depth (pg. 84), go slowly, balance your weight carefully
avoiding sudden movements, maintain a slow and steady forward
motion, do not make sudden turns or stops, and do not make sud-
den throttle changes.
S Wet brakes may have reduced stopping ability. Test your brakes
after leaving water. If necessary apply them lightly several times
to let friction dry out the pads.
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