Since their
introduction to the public four decades ago, All Terrain Vehicles
(ATVs) have become increasingly popular. They are very appealing
to riders because of the amount of danger one feels while riding.
This danger, however, should not be taken lightly. ATVs carry with
them a number of safety issues which every rider ought to be
concerned about. Despite the ongoing effort of ATV companies to make
these vehicles safer, accidents are still happening on an
all-too-regular basis.
ATVs originally came
as both 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers. It did not take long, though, for
the industry and the public to realize the risk of the 3-wheeler.
With no true center of gravity, the 3-wheeler was an accident waiting
to happen. It was widely assumed that once ATV companies permanently
removed the 3-wheeler from the market, accidents would sharply
decrease. While there has been a decrease in the number of deaths and
injuries due to 4-wheel ATVs, enough have happened that the vehicle's
safety is still a legitimate concern within the industry. For
example, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed
that in 2004 alone, there were an estimated 136,000 serious injuries
in the United States that were directly related to ATVs. The
preceding year, 2003, saw 740 people lose their lives due to ATV
accidents.
The troubling aspect
of this rather high number of deaths and injuries attributed to ATVs
is that the industry and the CPSC recently agreed on a series of
action plans designed to improve ATV safety. These action plans
represent an agreement between the ATV industry and the CPSC to crack
down on several issues that affect the safety level of ATVs. Some of
the things that are now required of companies that sell ATVs are the
labeling and safe marketing of ATVs. In addition, the CPSC has been
given more say as to what ages may ride certain types of ATVs. The
problem, however, is that a large number of companies that
manufacture and distribute ATVs are based in Asia and Italy. Because
of their international status, they are not required to abide by the
laws of the CPSC. In other words, many of the companies that are
making ATVs are exempt of any oversight by the U.S. government.
Due to the CPSC's
inability to control the safety guidelines concerning the ATV
industry, focus has now shifted to state control over the age of
riders. Many states have recently enacted legislation that
specifically governs the usage of ATVs on state-run land. Some of the
factors that states deal with are the ages of riders and the
type of engines they use. Several states mandate that the use of
machines greater than 90cc by riders under the age of 16 is strictly
prohibited.
Those who criticize
these blanket policies concerning riders' ages claim that these rules
do not adequately address the issue. For example, critics claim that
many early teen males are bigger and sometimes stronger than
fully-grown adult females. To protect themselves from this line of
thinking, some states are simply prohibiting any minors (those under
the age of 16) from driving ATVs. Advocates of ATVs, however, argue
that training riders at an earlier age only stands to improve safety.
They argue that children exposed to ATVs at an early age will
gradually gain the expertise necessary to be safe drivers of ATVs
when they reach adulthood.
In 1988, the
All-terrain Vehicle Safety Institute (ASI) was formed. This
organization seeks to address ATV safety issues by providing training
and education for ATV riders. Most states now require that new users
of ATVs undergo this type of training. This is one more in a series
of attempts by the industry and the CPSC to improve the safety of
ATVs. The need to do provide instruction in ATV riding and driving
increases as the sport's popularity continues to grow.
