The forbidden lures teenagers and children around the world, but when state laws regarding all-terrain vehicles were broken, a Bedford County girl and Tazewell County boy suffered fatal consequences last week.

The deaths raise questions about ATV laws, safety measures and the lack of awareness among riders.

Sabrina Thomas, 12, of Montvale lost control of her four-wheeler about noon on Sunday on a county road in Hensley, W.Va. The ATV overturned and went over a 200-foot embankment. She was taken to Welch (W.Va.) Community Hospital and transferred to Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley, W.Va., where she was later pronounced dead, according to sheriff's deputies in McDowell County, W.Va.

Sabrina was riding a Polaris Sportsman 700, which has a large-size engine that is prohibited for drivers under 16 years old. She was not wearing a helmet, something required by the laws of West Virginia for drivers under 18, McDowell County Sheriff Deputy Ron Blevins said.

"She should not have been in that road," Blevins said.

Sabrina was a rising sixth-grader at Montvale Elementary School. Family members declined to comment.

West Virginia reported 143 ATV-related fatalities between 2005 and 2007, the highest number in the nation, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's latest report. Virginia ranked 18th with 47 deaths in the same period.

Closer to home, Jeremy Heath Smith, 17, died as the passenger of an ATV that struck an oncoming car Monday in Tazewell County.

Smith, of Richlands, was transported to Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands, Va., and then to Wellmont-Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn., where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the ATV, 20-year-old Justin Bandy, suffered injuries but was listed in good condition Tuesday. Tazewell County sheriff's deputies are still investigating the accident, and charges are pending.

Smith and Bandy were not wearing helmets, as required by Virginia's laws. They were driving on a state highway, something not permitted, according to Maj. Chris Boyd of Tazewell County Sheriff's Office. Preliminary information indicated the ATV was moving quickly.

"People are not wearing the proper safety equipment when they are riding the ATVs or they are pushing the ATVs to the limit," Boyd said. "They are riding in areas where ATVs are not designed to ride."

Boyd said two years ago the sheriff's office started receiving calls from people complaining about ATVs being operated on private property or on roads.

"People need to be aware that there are state laws that are already in place," Boyd said.

For two years, the sheriff's department has participated in Tour du Parc, an outdoor education program that takes place at the end of May and aims to educate Graham Middle School students on different conservation efforts. One aspect of the program is learning ATV safety measures.

"It makes the public aware that there are major issues," Boyd said.

Krista Henderson, quality management coordinator for trauma at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, said there has been an increase in ATV and motorcycle-related injuries in the Roanoke area from 2005 to 2008 .

Roanoke Memorial saw 61 patients who were victims of ATV crashes in 2008, nine of them under 16, and 85 percent of them not wearing a helmet.

The first ATV-related death at Roanoke Memorial since 2004 happened this year. So far in 2009, the hospital has seen 21 ATV accident victims, four of them under 16, and 81 percent of them not wearing a helmet.

"With ATVs, people don't really think they can be seriously injured," Henderson said.

In Virginia, 171 people died of ATV-related injuries between 1982 and 2007, and 36 children under 16 have died between 1982 and 2004. The state requires almost all ATVs to be titled and riders to wear a helmet. It restricts riders younger than 12 from driving medium-size engines and riders younger than 16 from driving large-size ones. ATV drivers are also prohibited to be on the road except to cross highways or for agricultural purposes.

The laws regarding ATVs vary by state, but all manufacturers and distributors in the United States have to comply with safety standards that took effect April 13 with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. Some of the standards include providing free training programs, advising and checking the age of buyers and monitoring dealers are obeying guidelines.

Tom Yager, vice president of ATV Safety Institute, said vehicle dealerships were already complying with the standards voluntarily. The problem was with companies overseas who were not being forced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Now, any company selling ATVs in the U.S. is forced to follow the rules.

"It provides a benefit to the consumer in that they can expect a certain level of quality and safety," Yager said.