CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Steven Cross' mother says he was a careful ATV rider, someone not likely to take chances.

Margaret Cross believes there was something wrong with the ATV he was riding when, on Friday, Cross crested a hill and sped at full speed, crashing into a tree near Ivydale in Clay County.

Cross is the 30th person in West Virginia to die of ATV-related injuries this year, said Dr. Jim Helmkamp, director of the West Virginia University Injury Control Center.

"We think that maybe the throttle stuck on the four-wheeler," Margaret Cross said.

He went into the woods with a friend to scout places to go hunting. After unloading equipment, they were on their way back when Cross struck a tree, ejecting him from his ATV, which then ran over him, Margaret Cross said.

"Something malfunctioned. He loved life, had so many friends," she said.

By November 2006 there were already more than 50 ATV deaths in West Virginia for the year, Helmkamp said.

That the number is substantially lower this year is a good sign, Helmkamp said.

"At this time last year we had about 43 deaths, for the rest of last year we only had two more," he said. "It certainly looks like the trend from the last couple of years has turned favorable. I don't know if maybe there has been more attention paid to safety, maybe the safety message is finally getting through."

Margaret Cross believes there was something wrong with the ATV he was riding when, on Friday, Cross crested a hill and sped at full speed, crashing into a tree near Ivydale in Clay County.

Cross is the 30th person in West Virginia to die of ATV-related injuries this year, said Dr. Jim Helmkamp, director of the West Virginia University Injury Control Center.

"We think that maybe the throttle stuck on the four-wheeler," Margaret Cross said.

He went into the woods with a friend to scout places to go hunting. After unloading equipment, they were on their way back when Cross struck a tree, ejecting him from his ATV, which then ran over him, Margaret Cross said.

"Something malfunctioned. He loved life, had so many friends," she said.

By November 2006 there were already more than 50 ATV deaths in West Virginia for the year, Helmkamp said.

That the number is substantially lower this year is a good sign, Helmkamp said.

"At this time last year we had about 43 deaths, for the rest of last year we only had two more," he said. "It certainly looks like the trend from the last couple of years has turned favorable. I don't know if maybe there has been more attention paid to safety, maybe the safety message is finally getting through."

Mark Holmes, program coordinator for the Governor's Highway Safety Program, said he believes the numbers dropped because people have become more aware of the need for safety while riding ATVs.

"The media has kept it in the public eye, as far as reporting crashes," he said.

About half of the 30 ATV deaths this year have occurred while riders were on paved roads, Helmkamp said. ATV laws in West Virginia ban riders from driving on roadways with dividing lines, but not on all paved roads.

"A number of [the deaths] are certainly illegal," he said. "There are too many occurring on those surfaces."

Helmkamp said banning ATVs from all state roads would decrease the number of deaths from ATV use.

"But what it comes down to is enforcement. Who is going to enforce this across the state," he said.

Police already have an unwritten understanding not to chase ATV riders on paved roadways if doing so would make a dangerous situation more dangerous, Helmkamp said. It is also difficult for police to enforce laws against ATV riders on paved surfaces because riders can so quickly drive off the road and escape, he said.

"Several states have been successful developing extensive trails throughout their states," Holmes said. "You can take your ATVs on there instead of on highways."