I'm Safe

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released a study on ATVs: All-Terrain Vehicles: How they are Used, Crashes and Sales of Adult-Sized Vehicles for Children’s Use. Among their findings, the GAO reports that ATV injuries and fatalities have increased substantially during the past decade, “but not as rapidly as the number of ATVs in use, which nearly tripled.” The report notes that approximately one-fifth of the deaths and one-third of the injuries during 2008 involved children. Most frequently, crashes involving children occurred when the children rode adult-sized ATVs.

As a result of their study, the GAO recommended that the CPSC take three actions: 1) When data becomes available, assess whether or not there is a correlation between possible increases in size, power of weight of ATVs over the years and the severity of injuries. 2) Conduct undercover checks of ATV dealers to determine their willingness to sell adult-sized ATVs for use by children. 3) Consider ways to strengthen the CPSC’s enforcement of age recommendations including additional requirements for ATV manufacturers and distributors.

We've attached a downloadable PDF of the report below, for your convenience.