i seriously dont think its going to be passed. there are too many of us atv riders and too little of them. i wonder if they have even looked at the other side of atvs. not the side with idiots wearing no shirts, no shoes and no helmet. atvs are a family thing too and many people use them as good utility machines. and to take that away would be outrageous. im not saying that all sport riders are bad, because i know the smart ones use the right gear. but letting a nine year old loose on a big atv is non sense. you dont do that. if they understand how to operate it, then they should be allowed. there are still more people that use them corretly then ppl that dont use them right.

 

They used all the shootout articles from the magazines, and I think quotes from this website in their report.

They state that 4 wheel ATV's are no more safe than 3 wheel ATV's. Obviously they have never rode either. They state that 4 wheel ATV's tip just as easily forward and backward as 3 wheel ATV's. Duh? The improvement on a 4 wheel ATV's is most noticeable in turning, and trying to pick two lines through a trail instead of three.

And the other two groups that are 'supporting' the report don't contribute to it. Just to have a paragraph in there about environmental impact. What does that have to do with the safety of kids? These guys probably funded the report.

Ban loud movies, and concerts. It's all bad. Tell Ben and Jerry to stop selling their ice cream because it is dangerous if you consume 3 vats in an hour.

They don't have any statistics about how much the industry has grown since the ban. Instead of calling about the rise in injuries, they should compare it to the rise in the number of ATV's sold.

It is no secret that we are in an economic time where more people than ever before spend more money on entertainment and recreation. Period. Fact.

3000 accidents per year is alot in a city of 3000 people, but its a pretty good number in a city of 10 million.

Get a perspective,

RM

 

One more thing,

Their report implies that the ATV 'industry' is doing something wrong. That's crap. My ATVs come with more stickers than features. (I live in Canada, so I also get French stickers).

The manual has huge warning pages on the dangers of ATV. How they are only for 'Off Road' use. Wear proper gear, etc. The bikes come with a safety video, and throughout the manual there are pages where it references the proper safe way to operate the vehicles, and take a safety course.

The safety course is advocated at each dealership.

The industry is doing things right. I am not saying it is perfect, and we shouldn't still pursue changes to make it better, but legislation is not the answer. Perhaps the companies include a voucher for a free helmet with the purchase of a new ATV, etc. The industry doesn't ignore the safety risks. It takes a pro-active, self regulating approach to it. Which is far cheaper to the public than some legislation and it's enforcement.

The dealerships shouldn't be held liable if the buyer wants to put his kid on it. The dealers definately shouldn't recommend it, or take it lightly. But the buck stops at the parents.

The machines are not toys. Period. They should be respected, operated by a trained and experinced rider.

Here comes the sarcasm....

My lawn mower comes with similar stickers. But my dart board doesn't...... Can't imagine why people are still allowed to buy rollerblades or snowboards, or even skis. Can someone quote the number of people who were injured skiing last year? Remember when snowboards were banned because they were dangerous. Now every ski hill has a half pipe! Or when jumping wasn't allowed on skis? Now the hill makes the jumps for you! How many people have broken their wrists on rollerblades?

Oh yah, better ban rock climbing / repelling, mountain biking, skateboarding, because there is some element of risk. And I could swear that skateboarding is targeted at people under 20. Better ban hiking or Harrison Ford will get tired of rescuing lost hikers. Better kill all the bears as they are a risk to humanity. Tell people to evacuate Arizona and New Mexico because they are the states with the most scorpions.


The report states that ATV's in the 80's started with no more power than a lawn mower. But they didn't mention that a lawn mower has blades of death running underneath it. It's like they think lawnmowers are safe enough. My kid will be taught respect for anything dangerous, and I count a lawn mower as a very dangerous tool.

They moan about the escalating engine size since the 80's. They also say the biggest machine in the 80's was 300cc. Yup a 350cc two stroke twin engine and a 500cc two stroke single were around in the 80's and they still are counted in the top of the horsepower comparisons. The report has no clear discussion on two vs four stroke and their displacements. They take it out of context (now it is 600cc's). In fact I think the quadzilla from the 80's came with more hp from the factory than any bike available today.

Perhaps it is the popularity of the sport that is causing the increase in the injuries.

I could go on and on, this irresponsible journalism and regulation happy orgainizations really steam my clams,

RM

 

On the website that BlasterMaster told us about there is a poll on the quad story. Everyone needs to go there & vote. The safty ***** are ahead now. Flood them with pro ATV votes!!
Here's the link again Go to the consumer page & the poll is next to the story

 

this is a scary topic, however i am 16 so i dont need to worry anymore.

but i was thinking, its not gonna happen

think about some of the other ''hazardous to dumb-a$$es'' toys/hobbies for example the trampoline they are dangerous, my own brother broke his arm on one,



but hey if they did stop production of atvs, we wontt be too effected, look around at all the 250r, 200x, 250sx, 350x, trimotos, tecates, and other 3 wheelers all still alive and getting modded so unless you have to have a new quad every year, it wont matter too much


now im just rambling on so i will shut up

( dont worry, i dont agree with some of the stuff i typed so dont get pissed at me for anything)

bye

 

Everybody that reads this needs to go back to the web site and vote in the pole (the one to the left of the story). For those of you that aren't sure vote NO. When I voted there was 58% that said yes and 23% said no...we need to be heard!

For those of you who don't think this will be passed, you are just jerking yourselves off! Wake up and write to your congressman, join a off road organization like the AMA and/or others. Get involved, there is power in numbers.

 

Here is the story again

Go back and vote, lets take it back and show the tree huggers that we will be heard.

 

I Hate those faggets, stupid tree huggers.

 

Yeah, I saw that, and I disagree. I'm 15, and 115lbs, at 5'8", and I can control my DS650 better than a lot of riders. Ask anyone that was in Aledo, on the 29th. This is bu!!****, you should be able to take a test, like a driving test.

 

Here is a letter I wrote to the editor of the local paper. I had to limit to 225 words so I had to edit out a lot of good stuff (and all the curse words). [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

ATVs Unfairly Singled Out?

I just read your article “Group wants to curb ATV use” and cannot help to think it was a little one sided. There was no mention of other injuries children sustained during the same period. Why were the numbers of injuries/deaths not compared to other childhood pastimes, such as bicycling, skiing, snowboarding or even playground equipment? It did not even mention how many more children there are in the United States in the same period. I would guess that as the population rises, more children might get hurt. It also did not mention the free ATV safety training offered by ATV dealers. There was not even an ATV dealer interviewed. Therefore I decided to do a little research.

I looked up the press release on the Internet. Of the three main organizations that authored this press release, The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition (www.naturaltrails.org), and the Bluewater Network (www.bluewaternetwork.org) do not list child safety or consumer protection in neither their mission nor goals. They both are anti-ATV by their own admission. They are both hiding behind the banner of our children’s safety to push their anti-ATV agenda. Nowhere in the article was that mentioned. In fact, the article did not even mention neither of those organizations was behind this report. Is this truly a safety concern or an attempt to ban ATVs?