Pickerington, OH (11/1/06) – The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is now accepting comments until December 26, 2006 on its nationwide proposal to increase ATV safety.

The original deadline was October 24, but the commission extended the comment period at the request of seven ATV manufacturers and distributors.

Earlier, the CPSC staff made recommendations to the full board to improve ATV safety nationwide, which are the proposed rules now out for public comments, including rewriting the restrictive age guidelines "so that children under the age of 16 can ride and be trained on ATVs which are more likely to fit them physically and which conform to their developmental capabilities."

Besides suggesting changes in the CPSC's age guidelines, the proposed rules recommend that all ATV buyers be given free safety training and information, and that smaller machines for use by riders under 16 should have automatic transmissions and speed limiters. ATVs for children ages 6 to 11 would have speed limits of 10 mph, while machines for children 12 to 15 would be limited to 15 mph.

Comments should be sent by October 24 by e-mail to cpsc-os@cpsc.gov. Comments should be captioned "ATV ANPR."

Comments may also be mailed or delivered, in five copies if possible, to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland; 20814-4408.

Comments also may be faxed to: (301) 504-0127.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Leland, project manager, ATV Safety Review, Directorate for Economic Analysis, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland; 20814-440; telephone (301) 504-7706; or e-mail eleland@cpsc.gov.

The ATVA, sister organization of the American Motorcyclist Association, is the only national organization devoted exclusively to fighting for the rights of ATVers. More members mean more clout to fight to protect your right to ride. To join the ATVA, call (800) ATVA-JOIN, or go to www.ATVAonline.com.

Fighting for your Rights All Terrain Vehicle Association P.O. Box 800 Pickerington, OH 43147-0800

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