The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) 2015 Annual Report of ATV Deaths and Injuries (published January 2017) confirms that fatalities and injuries related to ATVs continue to decline. The Report finds a “statistically significant decreasing linear trend” in ATV-related injuries for 2007-2015.
For 2007 to 2012 reported ATV-related fatalities declined by 31 percent, and ATV-related fatalities involving children declined by 50 percent. Reporting for 2013 to 2015 is ongoing.
“Member companies of the ATV Safety Institute (ASI) are committed to ATV safety training and education and are pleased that ATV-related fatalities and injuries continue to decline. ASI and our member companies remain committed to continuing to work to further reduce incidents on these products through rider education programs, raising awareness regarding the importance of parental supervision, and continuing to advocate for ATV safety state legislation,” said ASI President and CEO Tim Buche. “Since 1984, the major manufacturers and distributors of ATVs in the United States have worked closely with the CPSC to implement ongoing safety initiatives. We appreciate the CPSC’s cooperation in these safety efforts, including the agency promotion of its ATV safety website (www.atvsafety.gov) that helps increase awareness about ATV safety.”
The industry’s voluntary ANSI/SVIA vehicle standard was made mandatory by the U.S. Congress in 2008. Federal law also requires all ATV manufacturers and distributors, regardless of where the product is manufactured (imported or U.S.), to adhere to the same safety standards and training programs established and followed by the ASI member companies for more than two decades. All ATV manufacturers must certify that their products conform to the mandatory standards, and file safety action plans with the CPSC.
The ATV industry is committed to the safety of its customers and will continue to promote and enhance its multi-tiered efforts to increase awareness of the proper operation and use of ATVs. Unfortunately, more than 92 percent of ATV-related fatalities involve one or more behaviors that the industry strongly and visibly warns against in its rider education programs, in all its literature, and on the vehicles themselves.
ASI urges all ATV enthusiasts and their families to follow the ATV Safety Institute’s Golden Rules:
1. Always wear a DOT-compliant helmet, goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots, and gloves.
2. Never ride on paved roads except to cross when done safely and permitted by law – another vehicle could hit you. ATVs are designed to be operated off-highway.
3. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
4. Never carry a passenger on a single-rider ATV, and no more than one passenger on an ATV specifically designed for two people.
5. Ride an ATV that’s right for your age.
6. Supervise riders younger than 16; ATVs are not toys.
7. Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed.
8. Take a hands-on ATV RiderCourse, and the free online E-Course. Visit atvsafety.org or call 800.887.2887.
