ATV accidents involving children There is a crisis of ATV safety in America today, and it is a great threat to the health and well-being of our nation's children. All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were first made available to the U.S. in the early 1970s and have become increasingly popular since.
At first glance, the ATV may seem harmless, but the number of ATV-related injuries (http://www.accidentinjuryattorneyscalifornia.com/atv_accidents.html) and deaths continues to rise with their popularity.
More than 136,000 Americans suffer injuries related to ATVs (http://www.bestattorney.com) and more deaths per year and more than one third of victims are children under 16 years. Despite the growing epidemic, the ATV manufacturers continue to market bigger, faster and more dangerous for children biking.
ATVs are available in the U.S. for almost 40 years. They are three or four wheeled motorized machines specially designed for off-road travel.
ATVs are intended for use with only one occupant and are characterized by an open frame or frame that moves along the large, low pressure tires, and uses handlebars for steering. three-wheeled machines have not been manufactured since 1988, but still in use.
ATV engines ranging from 49cc to 950cc and can travel at a speed well above 70 miles per hour.
In mid-1980, ATV manufacturers were selling up to 600,000 three and four-wheel ATV each year in the United States. As ATV sales have continued to rise, the dramatic increase in ATV accidents related to follow.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) responded to the security crisis by negotiating a consent decree with ATV manufacturers in which they agreed, among other things, five major elements (http://www .cpsc.gov/library/atv2005.pdf)
- ATV manufacturers agreed to stop production of three-wheeled ATVs.
- ATV manufacturers offer safety training for all new ATV owners.
- ATV manufacturers recommend adult-sized ATVs only for those 16 and older.
- ATV manufacturers would label all ATVs with warnings, instructions purchasers that children should not ride adult-size ATVs.
- ATV manufacturers recommended engine sizes ATV according to age: ATV with an engine over 70cc must be used only by children 12 years and older, and ATVs with engines larger than 90cc should be used by age 16 and older.
The consent decree only covered a period of ten years and expired April 28, 1988. After the expiry of the consent decree, the ATV manufacturers have agreed to continue most of its components through voluntary action plans. These agreements embodied many important security features, however, unlike the consent decree, voluntary security plans are not enforceable by the CPSC.
In late 1980 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began to launch a series of ATV-related injuries and death for studies to be public.
The first report, "all-terrain vehicle exposure, injury or death, and risk studies," was released in April 1988. Some key findings in the study included 1988 (http://www .cpsc.gov/LIBRARY/FOIA/FOIA98/os/3548A4B.pdf)
years - about 95 percent of children between the ages of 12 and 15, injured in ATV-related accidents were operating adult-size ATVs.
- About 65 percent of children under 11 years injured in ATV-related accidents were operating adult-size ATVs.
- Children under 16 years accounted for nearly 50 percent of all ATV-related injuries.
ATV injuries and deaths have continued to increase since the first studies of the CPSC on ATV-related accidents in the 1980s.
According to the latest estimates from the CPSC, there b.
Posted on July 6, 2010.
