Many of you around the country have all kinds of relatives that have received an ATV as a gift over the Christmas season. A tremendous amount of these were given to seven, to thirteen or fourteen year old kids who are riding for the first time, or learning to ride.
Caution should be considered especially for safety issues. The younger ones really need close supervision. The older ones should be permitted to take the state certification on safety if your state has this available. Better to be safe than sorry. There will be enough sorry incidents. Rest assured this will be the rule.
Since their introduction to the public about forty years ago, The ATVs have become more and more popular. They appeal to all age riders because of the danger that is felt while riding. This danger cannot be and 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.
These things came out as 3-wheelers in the beginning models like the Honda Big Red etc. The accident rates were so high they were almost banned As it did not take long 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 and it happened very often.
It was widely assumed that once ATV companies permanently removed the 3-wheeler from the market, accidents would sharply decrease, not so. While there has been a decrease in the number of deaths and injuries due to 4-wheelers. Enough still happens that the vehicle 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, saw 700 plus people lose their lives due to ATV accidents.
The problems with this rather high number of deaths and injuries attributed to ATVs is now the industry and the safety commission recently agreed on a series of action plans designed to improve safety. Some of the things that are now required of companies that sell ATVs are the labeling and safe marketing of them. In addition, the CPSC has been given more say as to what ages may ride certain types.
The problem, however, is that a large number of companies that manufacture and distribute ATVs are based in Asia and Italy. And not subject to the US laws. 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 be strictly prohibited.
Many of the ones who criticize the riders age limits believe the rules do not properly address the real issues of the matter. A good example to consider, many of the early teenage males are larger and considerably stronger than a lot of females in their twenties. Because of this most states are outlawing riders under the age of 16. The advocates of the ATVs believe that early age riders will over time help safety due to their receiving the early on experience.
It was not until 1988 that the All-terrain Vehicle Safety Institute (ASI) was formed and thus addresses safety and encourages training for all riders. These attempts hopefully will increase the safety of the ATV industry.
The sport continues to grow by leaps and bounds as well as does the accidents. In order to avoid these accidents and sometimes tragedies only good things can happen if you insist that your kids get proper state certified training before being turned loose on their new ATV.
Tags: 3 wheeler, 3 wheelers, accident rates, center of gravity, christmas season, consumer product safety, consumer product safety commission, legitimate concern, product safety commission, true center