August 4, 2006
USA - The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted to accept proposals from its staff on new safety rules for ATVs and rejected a request by anti-ATV groups to ban the sale of full-size ATVs for use by children under 16. In late May, CPSC staff made recommendations to the three-member commission to improve ATV safety nationwide. They noted that formal training may reduce an ATV rider's risk of injury by half.
The three-member commission voted to forward the rules process at a July 12 meeting. The commissioners also used the meeting to formally reject a petition for the ban filed by Consumer Federation of America, Bluewater Network, and the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition.
The proposed rules, which will now go out for public comment, include rewriting 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 CPSC's move was applauded by the All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA).
“The decisions by the safety panel constitute a major victory for the ATVA in its efforts 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,” the organization said in a prepared statement.
