FEDERAL SAFETY STAFF SIDES WITH ALL-TERRAIN
VEHICLE ASSOCIATION ON PROPER ATV SIZES FOR CHILDREN
Pickerington, OH (6/7/06) –
The All-Terrain Vehicle Association has earned a major
victory in its effort to convince federal safety experts
that young riders should be allowed to ride ATVs that
are the proper size for the child's body size.
In testimony to the Consumer Product Safety Commission
over the past several years, the ATVA argued that current
CPSC age guidelines limiting children under 16 to small
ATVs prevented or discouraged youth from getting ATV-riding
training.
That's because free training is offered by manufacturers
to buyers of new ATVs, but only for family members who
are of the "proper" age for the purchased
ATV. In other words, if you buy an adult-size 300cc
ATV, only those 16 and older are eligible for training.
A child can be 5-foot-10, 180 pounds and be just weeks
shy of 16 years old, but can't take the free training
because children under 16 are limited to ATVs with engine
displacements of 90cc or fewer.
In late May, the CPSC staff made recommendations to
the full board to improve ATV safety nationwide, 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."
The staff report notes that formal training may reduce
an ATV rider's risk of injury by half.
"This is great news," said ATVA Director
Doug Morris. "The recommendation to the CPSC board
by its ATV Safety Review team validates what we've been
saying all along: that the guidelines must be changed
so that as many kids as possible can get ATV safety
training. And that will go a long way to reduce youth
injuries."
The three-member board will review the staff recommendations
in a public hearing at its Bethesda, Maryland, offices
on June 15. It's part of an initiative to write new
federal safety rules related to ATVs.
Besides suggesting changes in the CPSC's age guidelines,
the staff recommends 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.
The staff also recommends that ATVs sold in the United
States should conform to uniform mechanical requirements
for such things as brakes, suspension, controls and
lighting.
This proposed rule-making is the result of a petition
submitted to the CPSC by the Consumer Federation of
America and other groups that called for the CPSC to
ban the sale of full-size ATVs for use by children under
the age of 16.
That potential ban has been opposed by Morris and American
Motorcyclist Association/ATVA Legislative Affairs Specialist
Royce Wood, who testified in a commission hearing on
the issue. Rather than a blanket ban on the sale of
ATVs for use by kids, the ATVA supports a more thoughtful
approach that includes greater parental involvement.
"We believe that proper training, the use of safety
gear, parental supervision, and allowing children to
ride right-size vehicles would do much to reduce ATV-related
injuries and deaths involving children under 16,"
Morris has repeatedly said.
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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