Fox News: ATV-related deaths at all time high

[Billy Golightly]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171523,00.html






WASHINGTON — An estimated 740 people, a record, died in all-terrain vehicle accidents last year, the government said Thursday as it took a step toward oversight of the vehicles.

The estimated toll, which includes 470 documented cases, compares with an estimated 617 deaths in 2003, and estimates between 538 and 599 annual deaths in the previous three years, according to a report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (search) Thursday.

Also, an all-time high of at least 136,100 people went to the hospital last year for injuries involving the four-wheel motorcycles that have a wide seat and low stand, and a third of those hurt were younger than 16.

In 2003, there were at least 125,500 injuries.

"We have a serious national epidemic in this country of people getting killed and injured in very large numbers when they ride ATVS," said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety at the Consumer Federation of America (search).

The group is pushing for ATV regulation, especially for child use of the adult-sized vehicles.

The commission said it is considering putting in place federal rules for ATVs and is taking public comment for 60 days.

A patchwork of state regulations applies to ATVs, but there are no federal laws governing the vehicles, Weintraub said. The commission does have voluntary agreements with major ATV manufacturers to discourage sales of ATVs intended to be used by youngsters.

Commissioner Nancy Nord (search) said the high number of injuries and deaths "warrants an aggressive and comprehensive review by the commission of all aspects of the problem, followed by appropriate commissions action."

In a statement, the commission's chairman said an increase in ATV sales at least partly explains the increase in injuries and deaths. Hal Stratton (search) urged people to help the commission by offering "critical information and practical solutions."

The commission has not ruled out a 2002 petition by Weintraub's group to hold ATV dealers accountable for knowingly selling the adult-sized vehicles for use by children.

"There is much parents need to know about these machines and about the death and injuries that are occurring to children who ride them," commissioner Thomas Moore (search) said in a statement.

[LonesomeTriZ]

Well that is a no *****. With sales of ATV's on the up, what would one expect. Too many unskilled riders are throwing a leg over a machine they have no idea how to control.

[ATCWRENCH]

yea untrained riders on brand new 450 sport quads, some'em bads gonna happen my friend.

samething is gonna happen to the quads that happened to the trikes cuz of an a$$load of retards gettin on something they dont understand and try shreddin like the pros do and then they get hurt, then point there finger at someone else for their mistake when it was there own fault for not knowing what they were doing in the first place.

[1984kxtTECATE]

Well that is a no shitter. With sales of ATV's on the up, what would one expect. Too many unskilled riders are throwing a leg over a machine they have no idea how to control.


You hit the nail on the head. I see all too much of that. I know many of the sand guys can vouch for me, I have seen an 8 year old on a piped YFZ450, he couldnt even reach the pegs without standing up. So now that we have shown the goverment that other people who ride cant police themselves nor there actions we are all going to pay for it, harshly. I would imagine there gonna do that, if your 15 years old or younger 90cc's is your limit. The subject upsets me, becuase once agian that is another ding to our sport.

[wheelie king]

We had a local pair of kids in an accident here recently. At night. No safety gear. The rider was 12 and the passenger was 8. On a Gizzly 660, unsupervised. The 8 year old died.

Idiots who don't know how to ride, do not supervise, and do not respect the power of a machine.

[LonesomeTriZ]

Well, sitting around bitching about the stupidity of others will not change a damn thing. We have to get through to those who could be a liability to our sport. I preach so much some of the younger riders go the other way when they see me coming.

[wheelie king]

Good point, Louis. Me and my riding friends try and do the same. Kids and younger riders will listen and follow the example that is set for them. All it takes is one bad example, though. :(

[LonesomeTriZ]

Good point, Louis. Me and my riding friends try and do the same. Kids and younger riders will listen and follow the example that is set for them. All it takes is one bad example, though. :(

More like one bad excuse. :mad:

[wheelie king]

True. I definitley know what you mean. That's why I do what I can to change the stigma or perception that ATVs are "bad" . Whenever I get an opportunity, I defend them. However, the best defense/example is not riding like a jackalope, and more importantly, respecting local laws, safety (gear), and private property. We all need to make these things our priorities. Excuses are like, well....you know.

OK- just my 2 cents. Done preaching.

[1984kxtTECATE]

Also I forgot to add in my previous post, parents need to take ACCOUNTABILTY for their childs actions and there own decisons. Simply stating it was the ATV"S fault is crude and ignorant. There are warning labels all over the atv, with the apporpriate age stated on each label. Although there are exceptions, you do have a lot of 15 year olds who are 5'8" and weigh a 160lbs. So I belive if the goverment wants to take a step in the right direction, they should be contacting dealers and atv owners alike to get input on what is safe and what isnt. There will always be the irresponsible parent, but if we can cut back and educate first time owners we would defiantly be making progress.

[Rm250RF900R]

Think about all the people that get drunk or high and go out at night riding. I mean come on. Alcohol and atv's don't mix and if you do mix them 90% of the time you'll probably end up crashing. I remember a few years back some kids were drunk on snowmobiles on a lake in west boylston and they did a head on collision. Both died. I've seen kids that don't know how to ride go out and buy banshees. Guess what happens. They can't control the quad and crash bad. they need experience before they can get on a 350 twin 2 stroke. But they always want the fastest, coolest quad. Whatever happened with getting a little xr80 or something to learn on? :wondering

[TimSr]

Although there are exceptions, you do have a lot of 15 year olds who are 5'8" and weigh a 160lbs.

You have a lot of 13 year olds who are 6' and weigh 200 lbs. TimJr is 11, almost 5' and 110 lbs. According to CPSC, he will be old enough for his Raptor 80, and his E-Ton 90 next year. Problem is he outgrew them this year, and will be moving on to a small adult quad, probably Blaster or 300EX as soon as we can get them sold. Putting an adult size kid on a mini quad is more dangerous than putting them on an adult quad. If you dont believe me, ride one and tell me how easy it tips or flips with an adult on it!

I will never support any restrictions based on age, and Im not a real fan of basing engine size on experience though it should be considered. If a 6'5" who weighs 350lbs wants to start on a 660 Raptor, It would make more sense to me than putting him on a 250EX.

The smartest solution I can come up with is a formula based on riders weight vs machine weight. Most children injuries on adult machines are not from the machine being too fast, but being physically too big. When you put a kid on a quad, you have to ask, what is the likely outcome when (NOT IF) it rolls on him. I get so ticked when people want to put little kids on huge machines because they feel the kid is "experienced enough" to "handle it". I have to ask, what experience has to do with a 200 lb machine rolling on a 60 lb kid as opposed to a 600 lb machine rolling on him. TimJR was "experinced" enough for a high power machine years ago. Now he is BIG enough for a larger machine, and CPSC recommendations are just plain idiotic.

[deathman53]

this is like 1985 and 86 all over again, except there isn't a "safer" alternative. recent reports put 3 wheelers NO safer than quads, because of the skill required to ride a trike, any idiot can ride a quad. where I ride, I see the father and son on a raptor 660 and raptor 80 and neither has any idea how to ride the bikes and THEY say my trikes are UNSAFE. The kids go all over the track, not paying any attention. One guy yelled at me, then yelled at the office about my trike while his 10 yr old son was riding a 400ex, HYPOCRIT(spelling).

[Yardbird]

Yup this wreaks of the mid 80's problem. Funny how the "problem" has switched to the 4-wheelers. It's all about the rider and not the machine as far as I'm concerned.

[250r'en +TCB]

^^^ Exactly!!! These machines don't all the sudden shift into 5th gear, pin the throttle and wrap themselves around tree's!!! They are machines, they do what the rider demands! Honestly now!!! When they write the article they say "the ATV crashed", they should say "the rider crashed the ATV". God, it makes me wonder if I have kids, will they even know what an ATV is, or will it just be some story I have to tell them about "the good old days"....sad really

[slothminx]

I am 15, you would think that i would be supporting kids being allowed to ride what and when they want. I kind of agree with the young kids not being allowed on quads that are over a certain engine size. Some kids will have the forward thinking about what will happen when they pin the throttle aimed at a corner, others dont think about it not a though into their head. One of the conditions of me being allowed to ride is that im never alone and there is always an adult available to help out quickly. Allthough as TimSR has said it is about rider size, i agree, but you need to work up to having a larger/ more powerfull quad. Then you learn the respect you need for a machine, that if you do not take the responsibility when riding, will carry you to your death. I wouldnt even dream of jumping on a 450 quad and riding off, I know that i would need the time of getting and and getting used to how it feels, however embarassing and stupid i look to my friends :)

Will

[1984kxtTECATE]

You have a lot of 13 year olds who are 6' and weigh 200 lbs. TimJr is 11, almost 5' and 110 lbs. According to CPSC, he will be old enough for his Raptor 80, and his E-Ton 90 next year. Problem is he outgrew them this year, and will be moving on to a small adult quad, probably Blaster or 300EX as soon as we can get them sold. Putting an adult size kid on a mini quad is more dangerous than putting them on an adult quad. If you dont believe me, ride one and tell me how easy it tips or flips with an adult on it!


You just proved one of my earleir points, you are responsible and aware of what your child rides, and you know his limits. The main reson I stated what i did in my second post is a lot of people blame the ATV, and state they had no idea there were warning labels and such.

[DX Rider12]

This is bull. I'm 14 5'3 130lbs and I ride a 225 DR, it's all skill to me.

[Tri-ZNate]

I can vouch for knowing kids that go from a 100cc 2 stroke quad to a 400ex just like that. Its pure ignorance of the parents and kids thinking they can handle stuff too big for them.

[250r'en +TCB]

I believe that age has nothing to do with ability. The plain and simple fact is, there are 13 year olds I know whom I would be WAY more willing to trust than some adults! Now I'm not saying thats the general circumstance. most aduts are more responsible than kids. I personally believe that driving a car shouldn't be decieded by age. around here you must be 16 to get your license. I think at age 14 kids shuld be allowed to take the drivers test. By the way I'm not talking about the crappy one you have to take now, a new, harder one that will weed out people. Some people are fit to drive at 14, some 18, some 30 and some never. Just look at all the idiots we have on our roads these days!
What I'm trying to say is this: everybody is different, some people are matur and responsible enough to handle 250R at age 15, I think I am. And to be honest, I know of only a couple other people I would let drive mine. It all comes down to how a person was raised and their motor skills. Some people are simply better thatn others when it comes to driving.

[Aussieduner]

Its says it all on the warning decals and plates attached to the fenders of these new sport machines"Can cause INJURY or DEATH" dosent get any clearer than that.At my local dune riding spot a while back i saw as i arrived a couple of young guys on 2 wheelers jumping dunes,they were being a bit stupid but by that afternoon when i and my riding friends came back that way to head home one of them was dead on the bottom of a dune with his brother sitting with him.His body was grey as the rescue helicopter was landing but it was all too late he had broken his neck and had other injury's,i was really turned off riding for quite some time and im now very aware of my riding area and check it all out before i hit the gas so to speak,it can happen all too easy.

Aussieduner

[EvilMooseofDoom]

Hello all...
I don't have a lot of free time to post here, but I saw this thread, and thought I might say something....

First of all, please consider the source. Fox news is simply a part of Fox Entertainment, which the key word "entertainment" should be a bell ringer. This report is the reason I quit watching TV/Cable news stations years ago, and I am only 33. Yes, this report reads just like the 3-wheeler 'epidemic' of 1985-1986, but it also reads of the 'SUV' disaster of current times, or "global warming", or "global cooling" of the 1970's, or even Chernobyl as vacuum-headed anchorwomen and anchormen never investigate the validity of their stories, just as long as they can scare the hell out of someone using an inflated set of numbers to describe the body count left behind by the 4-wheeled menace. The first thing that should have been done here, is if parents are guilty of putting their kids on oversized bikes, without the skill level to match, along with gross negligence surfacing in the form of no helmets, boots, etc, and they get injured, then jail time should be introduced as a form of punishment. I can remember sitting in an emergency room with a broken hand, in a small town hospital, with my hand wrapped up in a cloth, waiting for 7 hours to get looked at, while in the bed next to me, an idiot 16-year-old kid was trying to survive a 45 mph punch from an oak tree, after he hit the tree facefirst while riding a quad without a helmet; it was his first ride, and he had it floored.
Obviously that won't happen, as something else that might be escaping your attention is also occuring: the environmentalist movement. They are usually assisting in funding studies such as these, as they want any and every engine-powered machine in a scrapyard, unless they are driving one. Make the machines evil, so idiot parents won't feel bad about getting their darling little 110-pound Johnny killed on his new and evil 660 Raptor. What to do about this?
Call your congressman, seriously. If you irritate your elected officials long and hard enough on an issue as small as this one, where they can't profit too much on it either way, it might go away. Otherwise, you can look forward to either licensing all riders, or even outright banishment of ATV's, although I don't see the ATV manufacturer's giving up without a fight....although I would not mind seeing a federally-mandated safety class being part of any new or used quad purchase if at a dealership...
In addition to this, I would also seriously recommend slapping any idiot parents you see out there who are endangering their kids...

[CoeShow]

This IS the late eighties all over again! I tried to spell it out then as I was very involved supporting Honda duing the initial "witch hunt" and in legal depositions.

The problem was NEVER with the 3 wheeler! Sure, they have a unique handling characteristic. I was certain that 4 wheel atv's were going to hurt even more people. Now inexperienced riders can go even FASTER on these 450 and 600+cc quads!!

It is very similar to gun laws being implemented. Guns don't kill people either.

You can search through puplic court records and find amazing data for "per capita" injuries.
The CPSC's own list showed that ATC related injuries and fatalities were significantly lower than skateboards, bicycles, boating, and many more activities that adults and children are involved in.

It's just all about stupid people doing stupid things and with little to no regard for their own or their childrens safety. Another problem stems from the continual reduction in allowable riding areas. It seems as though the governement continues to shrink the riding areas even though the manufactuers continue to sell thousands of new ATVS every year.

The more crowded the riding areas become, the higher the danger level becomes. Throw in some alcohol, some under age and unskilled non-supervised kids, shake, rattle and roll, and this is what happens every time.

I always knew this would happen. I always preached this even back when I was racing.

3 wheelers are not dangerous!! Adding another wheel WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

Too many folks look at ATV's and let their minds trick them into thinking that these machines are childs play. They think back to when they were very young and rode their tricycle around. The mentality is that NOW as an adult, the atv will be so easy to ride that ANYBODY can do it. Surrrrrrrre !!

Its clear that the quad wasn't the safety net after all. Again, 3 wheelers and quads aren't the problem. It's the STUPID people plain and simple.

At a later date I will elaborate on other unbelievable legal stories I was exposed to during my Honda days.........

Jet Skis are next. They are already under the microscope.......

[ATC crazy]

Although there are exceptions, you do have a lot of 15 year olds who are 5'8" and weigh a 160lbs.

Hell, when I was 15, I was 6'3" and 270lbs! I tried to ride my friends 90, and it was just too dangerous. I couldnt steer, the brakes wouldnt hold me, and the thing would barely get me up my driveway.


But Im suprised that they included the fact that ATV sales are up in that article.

Articles like that just piss me off...makes me want to go buy all the high performance ATV's out there for fear of them becoming extinct.

[Mosh]

yeah i agree with all of you. lets do a study,on how many deaths have occured in boat or sea doo accidents. or sky diving, or shark attacks in the ocean. is the govt. gonna say (ok no-one can go in the water now) or maybe we should ban the shuttle missions.the deaths are on the increase there too.the more people there are, the more incidents there will be. and lets look at riding areas. lack of them makes others get clogged up and crowded, therfore, upping the chances of collisions and so on.maybe they should concentrate on new riding areas for us to thin us out.i am sick and tired of these useless studies that constitute an investigation of some sort resulting in new lame rules, that in a matter of fact, still do not hinder idoits from finding another way to hurt themselves.the govt, needs to stop telling us how to live. i miss the good ole days when my dad and uncles threw us in the back of the pick-up and went somewhere and there was nothin wrong with that.we lived. now everything is a safety issue, or a health issue,bla bla. we can thank sue happy people for that. like gettin a million dollars over a spilled cup of coffee. come on!!

[trikes4life]

I had a few incindents this with inexpierenced riders. One was at a party and my cousin let his girl friends son take his rancher out and he was only 10. HE ended rolling it down an embankment and before that he was crossing the street and almost hit a truck because he wasn't looking. Another was i let one of my friends ride my fathers rincon around my flat track while i was on the back and he didn't have the muscle to turn the bend, it ws a wide bend. Ended up hitting a tree. Crushing the front skid plate.

[OldSchoolin86]

The truth is the sport will always be under the gun no matter what we do. These new race ready quads are cool but as long as they are mass produced and sold at a fair price there will be increasing numbers of deaths. We already saw this once and it's obvious it wasn't a lesson the manufactures. I'm not saying that we need to ban anything but this should be no supprise to anyone.

[250r'en +TCB]

^^^ Thats proubly the sadest, stupidest, retarded statement I've ever heard!!!! But it's true in every respect.............

[threewheelin-feelin]

i saw a report by the cpsc just like 3 days ago on the news about the death and injurys as high as they have ever been.....it will be the end of ATV's here soon

[1984kxtTECATE]

i saw a report by the cpsc just like 3 days ago on the news about the death and injurys as high as they have ever been.....it will be the end of ATV's here soon

Na, thell put a ten year production ban on quads, then all the companys will go back to trikes agian since that ban is no longer in place. :w00t: :TrikesOwn

[deathman53]

sad, very sad, I hope this doesn't happen. Atv's are finally starting to catchup with dirtbike technology. And no, they won't remake trikes, they are considered more dangerous than quads.

[monster 84r]

yeah, i wouldent count on fox for a totally acurate and unbiased opinion on atv safety. an issue of dirtbike magazine put it best by saying about half as many people are hospitalized for cycle and atv injuries, than baseball injuries.

but the new 450's and raptors are adding fuel to the fire. i see it all the time at my high school. some rich kid sees a 450r, and asks his parents to buy him one, even though i wouldent trust him on my trx125. while most these guys are my size and age (6'2'' 160, 15) they cant controll the bike, and more importantly: they dont respect the bike!!!

then the parents are outraged that their little johhny just flipped over and broke his arm because hes never ridden a bike before.

the bigger and faster sport atv's arent marketed for 13 year olds to show off on. their ment as race machienes, and require high experiance to operate. dealers need to think , "gee, mabe selling this punk hothead a yfz450 isnt a good idea". but money talks, and dealers want cash more than safety for the consumor.

parents are part of the problem too. i bet many of those under 16 year old deaths were due to parental neglegence. the teens see atv racing on espn and want to go haul 70mph down a road, and wonder why they wreck and get hurt.

[Rm250RF900R]

exactly. I see all these rich kids going out and getting banshees, yfz450s. These kids can't ride for beans! They have trouble on my little xr100r. Soon as the kid gets hurt, there rich soccer moms blame the atv companys and try to get law suits. It makes me sick!