The car's driver, Amanda Michelle Troupe, 29, could face homicide charges, investigators said. They were awaiting the results of blood tests to determine whether she had been drinking.
The woman's car crossed the center line about 9 p.m. Saturday before hitting the four-wheeler, said Joann Lacey, a State Patrol dispatcher.
The off-road vehicle was built for one adult rider, said Gordy Wright, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Public Safety. None of the youngsters was wearing a helmet.
One of the children killed, 14-year-old Coranne Megan Nelson, was illegally at the wheel of the ATV, investigators said. She should not have been driving the vehicle on a public road.
``It's just an awful tragedy,'' said Mayor Max Lockwood. ``All the families hope this leads to a better understanding of safety. The kids were in a rural neighborhood, and children just like to hop on those things and ride around in the country.''
The driver of the car was injured in the crash; her condition was not immediately disclosed. Two other people in the car suffered minor injuries.
The other victims were Dustin Varnedore, 11, and his 13-year-old sister, Kayla; Lindsay Joiner, 13; and Courtney Arsenault, 10. Heather Bass, 13, was listed Monday in critical condition.
Sheriff Rob Smith had to hold back tears as he talked with reporters about the accident in southern Georgia, about 170 miles southeast of Atlanta.
``These young people were just beginning their life and some of them are my neighbors,'' he said.
The collision happened on a bend in the road about 10 miles from Douglas. On Monday afternoon, the scene was still strewn with debris, including a child's tennis shoe, a cloth ponytail holder and a baseball cap.
Donna Reynolds, a safety specialist with the Georgia Farm Bureau, said she often sees children and adults riding ATVs on roads. ``People are riding ATVs everywhere and people look at them as a toy,'' she said. ``They are not toys. Period.''
At West Coffee Middle School, where four of the children went, counselors went into classrooms Monday to talk to students. The pupils took a break from classes to write condolence cards to the families.
