See below............act now




*********************************************

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2003
Release # 03-112

CPSC Media Contact: Bruce Richardson, (301) 504-7908

CPSC To Hold Regional ATV Safety Hearing in West Virginia;
ATV Injuries Double in Five-year Period, Deaths Continue To Climb

WASHINGTON D.C. -- All-terrain vehicle safety is the focus of a regional
public hearing the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission will hold in
Morgantown, W. Va., on June 5, 2003. ATV-related injuries in the U.S.
have doubled in a recent five-year period and deaths also continue to
climb.

"We recognize the growing popularity and diversity of uses for
ATVs by the American public, but we are concerned about the
disproportionate increase in the number of deaths and injuries
associated with their use in recent years," said Hal Stratton, CPSC
chairman.

ATV injuries requiring an emergency room visit increased by 104
percent from an estimated 54,700 in 1997 to more than 111,000 in 2001.
In 2001, about a third of these victims were under 16 years old. In this
same period the estimated number of ATV drivers increased 36 percent,
driving hours grew by 50 percent and the number of ATVs increased by 40
percent, according to a recent CPSC analysis.

For 1999, the last year for which death records are substantially
complete, CPSC has reports of 357 people who died as a result of ATV
use, up from 251 in 1998 and 241 in 1997.

"We want to hear from people who use ATVs for recreation, on their
farms or ranches and in industry. We want to understand their
motivations. We also want to hear the perspectives of medical
professionals and emergency service providers, state and local public
health and safety professionals, distributors and dealers, and any
others who feel they have a stake in this important issue," Stratton
said.

Interested persons from Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania also are
invited to participate in the West Virginia hearing.

"West Virginia and Pennsylvania ranked in the top six states for
ATV-related deaths between 1982 and 2001," Stratton said, "so it makes
sense to hold a hearing in that area." (Pennsylvania and West Virginia
recorded 264 and 194 deaths, respectively, in that period. Ohio
recorded 124 deaths and Maryland 25 deaths.)

"The field hearing gives local people a voice and an opportunity
to participate when they otherwise might not have been able if we
limited our hearings to Washington D.C.," Stratton said.

The Consumer Federation of America and other groups petitioned the
CPSC in September 2002 requesting a ban on the sale of adult-size 4-
wheel ATVs sold for the use of children under the age of 16. The
commission sought written public comments on the petition from October
through March 16, 2003. The West Virginia hearing will provide an
additional opportunity for the public to express its views about this
petition.

Requests to make oral presentations at the regional hearing and
the text of the presentation must be submitted to the CPSC, Office of
the Secretary, no later than May 29, 2003. The hearing is from 10 a.m.
to 7 p.m. at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia
University Health Sciences Campus, in Morgantown.

ATV Facts

* In the 1980s the CPSC held hearings in several locations around
the country to address hazards associated with ATVs, namely as
they related to the then-popular three-wheeled vehicles.

* In 1987, the commission filed a lawsuit under section 12 of the
Consumer Product Safety Act to declare ATVs an imminently
hazardous consumer product. The lawsuit was settled in 1988 by
consent decrees between the commission and ATV distributors.
The consent decrees expired in 1998. The consent decrees
contained provisions addressing both three-wheel and four-wheel
ATVs, and led to the elimination of the manufacture of
three-wheeled ATVs.

* After the consent decrees expired, the commission entered
into "ATV Action Plans" with individual distributors who had
been subject to the original consent decrees and three other
distributors who had subsequently entered the market. In the
consent decrees and action plans, ATV distributors agreed to
use their best efforts to see that adult-size ATVs (vehicles with
engines larger than 90 cc) would not be sold for use by children
under 16 years of age.

* Since the expiration of the consent decrees, the commission
has continued to study and gather information about ATV-related
injuries and deaths. It also continues to monitor the ATV dealer
market to make sure that industry complies with the agreement
not to sell adult-size ATVs for children.

* From 1997 to 2001, ATV-related injuries rose 104 percent, from
an estimated 54,700 to 111,700. Over the same five years:

* the number of drivers rose 36 percent from 12.0 to 16.3 million;
* the number of driving hours rose 50% from 1,575 to 2,364 million; and
* the number of ATVs rose 40 percent from 4.0 to 5.6 million.
None of these exposure measures accounts completely for the rise
in injuries.

* Subgroups that have been associated with greater risk for injury
continue to be at greater risk in 2001; for example, drivers under
the age of 16, drivers with less than one year of driving experience,
and recreational drivers.

* CPSC was petitioned by consumer organizations in September
2002 to ban the sale of adult-size 4-wheel ATVs sold for use by
children under age 16.

* CPSC will consider its recent injury/exposure studies and all
other information, including that obtained at the regional hearing
in West Virginia, in responding to the petition.

*********************************************

 

Deaths will increase with the sale of atvs increasing, sad but true.

 

G'day Magisfungus2004,
Thanks mate for the info.
I'd like to know how many injuries/deaths are a result from improper use.
eg-
1. no helmet.
2. passenger.
3. riding on road (0r any other surface a quad is not designed for).

Thanks from down under, Geoff.

 

Add to Geoff's list- alcohol.

 

I agree with you Scramblerize. I noticed they didnt say how many atvs sold last year. The % is still the same on injurys I asume.

 

ATVs have double or tripled in popularity in the last 5 years so thats why more poeple have been hurt or killed.

Oh and riding on a road is safe, I mean its wide, stright and and flat. Not inculding cars.

 

Right on Modquad.. I may get ragged on for this but, I dont agree with any operating of any motorized vehicles while under the influence of any kind. I have seen my share of dangerous operaters.

 

Ditto Geoff, why don't they break down all the reasons for the deaths?? Wonder if WV has a high death toll because of the steepness of the terrain, the ability to legally ride on streets in alot of towns and also one of the largest trail systems in the country?? Duh.... I am not complaining though, because I love to ride in WV and at Hatfield McCoy, but since there is so much riding going on there it should be expected that the death toll will rise. I just wonder what the statistics are for kids under 16 that can legally buy motorcycles, and why would that be so much different than ATV's?? Granted they weigh alot more, but I have had many more accidents on motorcycles than on atv's. Who knows? Yes passengers are bad, but now that manufacturers are coming out with 2 seaters, wonder what will come of that?? I think the manufacturers are really trying to keep us with safe and useful quads and they really drive in the safety factor to anyone that buys a new one, besides every atv sold today has tons of warning stickers to keep us informed of the dangers. I think if someone lets their kid ride an atv, it is their choice and they can't blame the industry as a whole because something happened. They were warned ahead of time and if something happens, it is their fault completely. Wonder why you don't see new crotch rockets or Harleys coming out with all those warning stickers pasted all over them saying, watch out for all the idiots driving out there because you can get run over and killed?? Yet, it happens everyday? HUM

 

Sorry MinnesotaRipper.
I totally disagree. These bikes are not safe or designed to be on the roads, especially when they have fixed axles.

Thanks Geoff.

 

Here we go again, Big Brother is going to save us all from ourselves. O.K., I'm going to show my stupidity so hang on. I have lost a couple of family members in car accidents, but never on a atv. I have lost a friend on a tractor, but not an atv. I lost a friend in a silo, but not an atv. I will be the first to agree that an atv in the hands of some people is the worst cinerio in the world. But a butter knife could kill you so lets start regulating them. Don't get me wrong, I think the warning labels are good, and I think that people need to be educated on atv's but lets not let them go to far. Here comes my biggest fear, they can send man to the moon, they think they know how to clone a man, they can make smart bombs, they can take pictures of earth from outer space, but they haven't cured cancer. Now, I don't know about you, but I have lost a dozen members of my family and friends to this. Where do you think my priorities lie. Lets take the money they spend trying to save a few and put it towards saving a whole lot more. Sorry I get dumber with every word I type.

And I guess my first line should have probably stated that I feel bad for anyone that gets hurt or killed on atv's. I don't take I't that lightly and I'm not about to let someone under age or uneducated in proper use of an atv take mine for a spin, I'm probably one of the more stringent in that area.