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NEWS STORIES Below are recent news stories about ATV safety. If you have seen any news stories or developments you think we should post, please email us at mail@safetynet.org. [7.8.08] The Senate voted Tuesday, June 24, to expand regulations for operators of all-terrain vehicles in Massachusetts. The bill will require all ATVs and snow vehicles to be registered by Sept. 1, 2008, and enforce strict age requirements in the use of these vehicles. In just the past two weeks, four children under the age of 16 were admitted to Massachusetts hospitals after ATV accidents. “This legislation, passed by the Senate, will undoubtedly save the lives of many children and stem the tide of the preventable brain injuries and paralysis that have become commonplace in the trauma centers of this Commonwealth,” said Dr. Peter T. Masiakos, a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital. Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, said the bill imposes regulations needed to keep ATV users safe and to ensure that negligent users are held accountable. “It is our obligation to make sure that unlawful use of snowmobiles and recreation vehicles is not a threat to public safety,” she said. “This bill will lessen unlawful ATV practices that harm our children and unnecessarily damage our environment.” In 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation created an Off-Highway Vehicle Working Group to address growing concerns about the illegal and unsafe use of snowmobiles and recreation vehicles. Much of this bill stems from their work.[ read more ] [7.5.08] Fewer children are turning up in emergency rooms nowadays after getting hurt in bicycle crashes. Conversely, the number of walking wounded in need of bodily repair is up among juveniles riding all-terrain vehicles. What’s the difference? Safety leaders point to the use of headgear as one reason, a key provision in an extensive bicycle law that appears far more comprehensive than the one governing four-wheelers. In West Virginia, helmets are only required for riders under 15, but over the years, a cultural change has inspired widespread usage of them by adults as well. A bareheaded adult on a bicycle is a rare sight.[ read more ] [4.12.08] Many frown on kid use, but there are no laws in Kan., where 1 child died recently. In Kansas, 16 people were injured and one person died in ATV accidents in 2007, compared to 12 injuries and seven deaths in 2006, according to the Kansas Farm Bureau, which tracks the incidents. No statistics were available yet for 2008, but last week, 13-year-old Shynia Randles died at Syracuse Sand Dunes Recreational Park when an ATV she was driving was hit by a dune buggy. Randles was wearing a helmet. [ read more ] [4.10.08] Teenagers must be at least 17 to receive a driver's license. Set the same restriction for ATV riders. Once again, a South Jersey family is dealing with the loss of a child killed in an ATV accident and a community is in mourning. [ read more ] [3.30.08] CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Kim Smith doesn't need a study from West Virginia University to know that at least 10 children a day start out on an all-terrain vehicle and end up in a hospital bed: Her son is one of the statistics. Smith is a national outreach coordinator for the Concerned Families for ATV Safety, a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by parents dedicated to reducing injuries and deaths among children. The group wants Congress to conduct an inquiry into the costs of childhood ATV accidents and to ban their use by all children under 16. [ read more ] [3.30.08] Kim Smith doesn't need a study from West Virginia University to know that at least 10 children a day start out on an all-terrain vehicle and end up in a hospital bed: Her son is one of the statistics. [ read more ] [2.20.08] The numbers are in, and they're not pretty. ATVs killed 111 children under 16 and injured 39,300 seriously enough to send them to the emergency room in 2006. Parents should never allow their children under the age of 16 to drive or ride as a passenger on an ATV. [ read more ] [2.15.08] Deaths in all-terrain-vehicle accidents are on the rise. Children under age 16 sustained nearly 30% of serious ATV-related injuries in 2006. "How much more proof do we need that children under 16 don't belong on ATVs," said Renée Jenkins, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Like many safety advocates, Ms. Jenkins scolded the CPSC for putting more emphasis on training youth riders rather than restricting their ability to operate four-wheelers. [ read more ] [1.31.08] A proposed state law that would regulate the use of off-highway vehicles by minors is a poor substitute for parental supervision, say both a Yuma OHV service manager and a Yuma area law enforcement officer whose department would enforce the law. [ read more ] [1.30.08] This is every parents nightmare, and it's not that rare. "Well every year they're finding about 136-thousand injuries and of those injuries 40-thousand plus have been in children under sixteen. So we've got to kind of stop these injuries some how," says Barbara Marumoto, (R) East Honolulu Representative. [ read more ] [1.23.08] ANNAPOLIS -- After hearing about three county deaths in three years from all-terrain vehicle crashes, Delegate Rick Weldon is supporting legislation that promotes ATV safety. Weldon, a Republican representing Frederick and Washington counties, and Delegate Paul Stull, a Republican representing Frederick County, have thrown their support behind a bill requiring children younger than 16 to wear helmets while riding ATVs. The bill could change, however, as lawmakers struggle with complex factors leading to ATV injuries. [ read more ] [1.14.08] GASTONIA, N.C. -- The tragic death of a 7-year old Gaston County girl over the weekend has some questioning the safety of all-terrain vehicles. In some stores, more ATVs are being sold now than ever before. [ read more ] [1.10.08] GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- Doctors have called a young Gaston County boy a miracle. In July, he darted in the path of an on-coming car while riding an ATV without a helmet and survived. Now his family is struggling with some very difficult news: Doctors will not be able to save his leg. Seven-year-old Andrew Hastings is all boy. He loves playing football, basketball, and running. “We used to call him ‘Flash’ because he's so fast,” said Andrew’s mother, Jaira Elizabeth Hastings.“I used to be,” said Andrew. [ read more ] [12.19.07] Middle Valley resident Lee Ann Flinn was shaken after her 5-year-old son smashed his ATV -- a Christmas present -- into the side of a neighbor's parked truck. Fortunately her son, Noah, was wearing a helmet during the accident earlier this year and suffered no injuries, though the family had to shell out $1,200 to fix the neighbor's truck, she said. "It scares me to death," she said. "I will not let them (on the ATVs) unless an adult's out there." Local toy safety experts and doctors said that although all-terrain vehicles are marketed to adolescents and children, parents should be aware that even the smaller models designed for younger children may be a risky holiday gift. [ read more ] [12.19.07] Curtis James has spent the last couple of years collecting enough photos of unsupervised children riding all-terrain vehicles to fill an album."To me, it's criminal negligence," James said. "I'd like the district attorney's office to take it seriously... Anytime a person lets their child out on the road out on the four-wheelers, they're putting their kids' safety and well-being in danger" [ read more ] [12.14.07] When Sue Rabe read an article about a 10-year-old boy in Wyoming whose Yahama Rhino rolled over on him this week while he was doing chores on the family farm, she commented, "It's typical for kids to be on these adult size things on a farm." That boy survived but Sue and Tom Rabe's son Kyle, aged 10 also, wasn't so lucky. Their family's ATV flipped and fatally pinned him underneath on May 6, 2002. The Rabes live in rural Oregon on 170 acres of farmland and the area kids visit each other by riding ATVs on a network of dirt and gravel road and through farmer's fields. Tom Rabe fills in the details of the accident.[ read more ] [12.11.07] Riding an all-terrain vehicle can be a fun but dangerous sport. Three
people were killed this year while off-roading in the Las Vegas Valley.
Some argue that there are not enough regulations to protect riders.
For example, Nevada doesn't require helmets. [12.10.07] In about 10 months of 2007, doctors at Penn State Children's Hospital treated more kids injured in all-terrain vehicle accidents than they did in all of 2006. Despite industry and rider claims that ATVs are safer than ever, the number of children injured locally matches the highest year on record at the Hershey hospital. [ read more ] [12.9.07] Despite the number of injuries and deaths from all-terrain vehicle accidents, Mississippi remains one of five states that does not have safety regulations for ATV riders. Nine bills that addressed ATV safety were introduced by the 2007 Legislature. None came out of committee. State Sen. Gray Tollison of Oxford said he had hoped to pass a safety bill out of committee in the last session.[ read more ] [12.2.07] The Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to make mandatory the restrictions ATV manufacturers voluntarily follow governing the sale of age-appropriate engine sizes. Dr. Dale Woolridge, a pediatric emergency physician at University Medical Center, has seen a steady stream of bumps, bruises, broken bones and head injuries from ATV crashes in his five years here. "My personal experience is that it is a huge problem and that it is increasing," Woolridge said. Local authorities do not track ATV accidents separately from other non-car crashes, but nationally the number of serious injuries and deaths is up sharply in recent years. [ read more ] [11.27.07] Parents are being warned once again to think twice about buying their youngsters an all-terrain vehicle for Christmas or any other special occasion. But manufacturers of the popular off road vehicles respond that they can be safe when riders are prudent. Researchers at the Unversity of Arkansas said that, based on 500 case histories of young people treated after ATV accidents, youngsters under 16 should be barred from riding the vehicles.[ read more ] [11.25.07] The Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to make mandatory the restrictions ATV manufacturers voluntarily follow governing the sale of age-appropriate engine sizes. Dr. Dale Woolridge, a pediatric emergency physician at University Medical Center, has seen a steady stream of bumps, bruises, broken bones and head injuries from ATV crashes in his five years here. "My personal experience is that it is a huge problem and that it is increasing," Woolridge said. Local authorities do not track ATV accidents separately from other non-car crashes, but nationally the number of serious injuries and deaths is up sharply in recent years. [ read more ] [11.22.07] An all-terrain vehicle marketed for children as young as 12 was recalled yesterday because it might harm riders. [ read more ] [11.08.07] Children's Hospital reached a milestone yesterday it never wanted to approach -- already this year more children have been admitted to the Oakland facility for serious and sometimes life-threatening injuries sustained in all-terrain vehicle accidents than in all of 2006.[ read more ] [11.07.07] For Katie Kearney, a legislative effort to stop children from riding all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles is more about improving parenting skills than it is about punishing kids. Under proposed legislation, Massachusetts would have the toughest restrictions in the nation on ATV and snowmobile use by children. The measure sets the minimum driving at 14 and aims to hold parents accountable.[ read more ] [11.04.07] “Although it agrees with taking steps such as registration, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants to go further by requiring licenses to operate ATVs and a ban for kids younger than 16. “ATVs are motorized vehicles and need to be regulated as such,” Dowd said. “Getting these things downscaled (to match a rider’s size) doesn’t work because you’re not getting to the main risk factor, which is the rider’s age. You have 10-year-olds who are big enough to drive a car but we don’t let them because they don’t have the proper judgment yet.”[ read more ] [11.03.07] Ever since their 13-year-old daughter Sara was killed when she drove a friend's ATV into a tree, Duane and Cathy Hennarichs wanted to save other children - and their parents - from a similar fate. On Friday, a Palm Beach County jury helped their cause by finding that the family that owned the four-wheeler Sara rode to her death in September 2003 was negligent and ordered them to pay the Hennarichses $3.6 million.[ read more ] [10.31.07] Keri Brown: WV has the nation's highest all-terrain vehicle death rate. Eleven people died in all-terrain vehicle crashes last month, which was a record high in the state. A new study released by a non profit group in D.C. takes a closer look at the costs of ATV accidents. (4:52) [ listen ] [ transcript ] [10.29.07] While millions of ATV riders focus on the thrill and excitement of riding fast through trails, ATV riding has proved to be a dangerous activity that claimed the lives of 11 people in September and 43 so far this year.[ read more ] [10.23.07] ATVs are particularly dangerous for children under the age of 16. This age group accounted for more than 40 percent of total ATV related injuries and deaths in 2000. Children who are not licensed to drive a car should not operate off-road vehicles. [10.19.07] The number of children hospitalized because of ATV accidents has increased by at least 70 percent, and probably more, since 2000, said the director of the injury control research center at West Virginia University.[ read more ] [10.07.07] Although ATV deaths in West Virginia are down compared to last year, there were 11 ATV-related fatalities in September — more than any month since records started being kept in 1990, officials say.[ read more ] [10.02.07] On its Web site, Concerned Families for ATV Safety has published a map showing where children have been killed while riding all-terrain vehicles. Orange made that map this month when 13-year-old Forest "Eddie" Ray died after wrecking his "four-wheeler." We’re concerned more Orange County children could lose their lives in the same way.[ read more ] [10.02.07] SALEM - Four bills aimed at legislating ATV safety were stopped dead in their tracks before all the sponsors came together and rewrote a fifth bill that will result -- during a period of five years -- in all ATV operators passing a safety test, or meeting an alternative means of qualifying for an operator's card.[ read more ] [10.01.07] Kim Smith and the Concerned Families for ATV Safety, a national group started by three mothers whose sons were killed on ATVs, are spearheading a billboard campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of ATVs. The advocacy group has been working to educate parents and lawmakers across the country about the dangers that ATVs pose to children.[ read more ] [09.30.07] MAGIC VALLEY-- The last time Tyler's mother, Gail, saw her boy at the hospital he was writhing in pain, legs kicking like he was riding a bicycle, she said. Gail reached down and touched the ankle of her son for the last time. She said she thought Tyler knew she was there, but she can't know for sure. She simply hopes. After the last-ditch effort to save Tyler's life had failed, an emotional surgeon told Gail, "Never let anybody you know or love get on an ATV."[ read more ] [09.26.07] Driving an ATV can be a dangerous trip, especially for children. In the past 2 weeks, two children died in ATV accidents. [ read more ] [09.19.07] MIDDLETOWN -- No one should suffer from an accidental loss of a child. That's why Karen Thompkinson decided to take action after learning her friend's son, Dominick Gonzalez, died in an all-terrain-vehicle crash.[ read more ] [09.18.07] As a parent who lost a child in an all-terrain vehicle accident, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the Steger family of East Avon, who lost their 9-year-old son in an ATV accident.[ read more ] [09.04.07] A 13-year-old girl who disappeared while riding an all-terrain vehicle was found dead in a mine shaft early Sunday, and her 10-year-old companion was rescued with serious injuries, authorities said. [ read more ] [09.04.07] On Aug. 8, 2004, my family was devastated to learn that our 14-year-old son, James, had been killed while on vacation with a friend when he lost control of the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) he had been driving.[ read more ] [09.02.07] In March 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission called together the nation's top safety experts to confront an alarming statistic: 44,000 children riding all terrain vehicles were injured the previous year, nearly 150 of them fatally.[ read more ] [08.31.07] As the parent who lost a child in an all-terrain vehicle accident, I would like to take issue with The Daily Times' recent article on this topic ("Officials continue to warn of ATV dangers," Aug. 21). Unfortunately, this story really missed the mark in explaining the full extent of the dangers ATVs pose to children.[ read more ] [08.27.07] A 3-year-old Vermont boy was killed Friday night when the 4-wheeler he was riding on with his grandfather flipped over.[ read more ] [08.21.07] Emily Marshall was 12 when the all-terrain vehicle she was driving rolled over on her, pinning the young girl beneath its nearly quarter-ton bulk. The accident that killed the West Amwell girl on Friday has left her father shattered, wondering how to cope with the loss of his child.[ read more ] [08.16.07] The death toll of children killed riding all-terrain vehicles, known as ATVs, now exceeds the number fatalities of kids riding bicycles, according to a new analysis released by Concerned Families for ATV Safety. Although many more kids ride bicycles than ATVs, the analysis conducted by Dr. Jim Helmkamp, director of the West Virginia University Injury Control Research Center, found that from 2000 to 2004, ATV-related accidents killed an average of 171 per 100,000 children 15 or younger each year, compared with 152 killed in bicycle-related accidents.[ read more ] [08.12.07] CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Children under the age of 16 are seven times more likely to ride bicycles than all-terrain vehicles, yet ATVs cause more deaths among youngsters than their peddling counterparts, according to a new study.[ read more ] [07.31.07] The death rate of kids using all-terrain vehicles in the United States increased significantly during a recent five-year span, according to one report, adding fuel to efforts by a parents' group to restrict and ultimately ban the use of the machines by anyone under 16.[ read more ] [07.24.07] The rising tide of injuries from all-terrain vehicles is a familiar topic for our region, but the issue is getting national attention as well. West Virginia and Kentucky have led the nation in ATV fatalities in recent years, with 138 and 143 deaths respectively between 2002 and 2005, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Considering the relatively small populations of our states, the numbers are even more troubling.[ read more ] [07.18.07] Fourteen-year-old James Anderson was having the best summer of his life. The fun-loving boy with the infectious smile and wavy golden hair was a star pitcher for his pony league team and had just finished playing a tournament in New Hampshire. Afterward, James and seven of his teammates went to a friend's lakeside vacation home where they planned to swim, go boating and goof off. [ read more ] [07.05.07] Over three years after issuing a Safety Recall Notice with respect to its 660R Raptor ATV and related rear brake failure, Yamaha Motor Corporation continues to deny customer's claims of injury. [ read more ] [06.28.07] Though the ATV industry suggests that children as young as 6 years of age should be allowed to ride ATVs, pediatricians agree that young children are not emotionally or physically equipped to handle them. Dr. Christine Nelson, a pediatrician at Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia, California, points out that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 16 should not ride an ATV because they lack maturity and judgment. [ read more ] [06.01.07] Over Memorial Day weekend, 18 people -- including 5 children under the age of 16 -- were killed on ATV accidents. This Seattle Post Intelligencer article explores the reasons why children are unable to safely ride ATVs. [ read more ] [05.29.07] Dr. Kate Cronan, chief of the Division of Emergency medicine at duPont Hospital in Rockland, Delaware, discusses the dangers ATVs pose to children, and suggests that children younger than 16 ought not use ATVs. [ read more ] [05.20.07] It's a mountain -- a mountain of evidence that adult-size ATVs are killing children. All the carnage linked to ATVs, nearly 8,000 deaths and 2 million serious injuries, cannot be ignored or dismissed any longer. The Oregonian's four-day series "Deceptively dangerous" was a powerful call to action that must be heard over the persistent roar of the ATV lobby. [ read more ] [05.18.07] The group Concerned Families for ATV Safety has released a web video urging new safety standards that would keep children under 16 years of age from operating All-Terrain vehicles, or ATVs. [ read more ] [05.18.07]
Concerned Families released a new video about the Senate Commerce Committee's recent hearing on ATV safety. The video highlights the urgent need for common sense safety standards to keep children under 16 off powerful and deadly ATVs.
[05.16.07] After her 10-year-old son, Kyle, died on the family's all-terrain vehicle five years ago, Sue DeLoretto Rabe formed a group of moms who had lost kids on ATVs to push safety measures in Congress and states. [ read more ] [05.14.07 issue] It was supposed to be fun. hanging out with his cousin on a sunny Texas afternoon in 2005, B. J. Smith, then 15, decided to go for a spin on his uncle's new all-terrain vehicle. [ read more ] [05.11.07] This four-part Oregonian series reports on the dangers of ATV use and the lack of adequate standards. [ read the whole series ] [05.09.07] Despite decades of debate over how to curb deaths and injuries caused by all-terrain vehicle accidents, safety advocates and manufacturers said Wednesday that they've reached only modest common ground. [ read the whole series ] [04.17.07] Despite warning labels, size restrictions and state laws, more than 40,000 children are seriously injured each year riding all-terrain vehicles. [ read more ] [04.16.07] An 8-year-old girl was pronounced dead Saturday evening after an all-terrain vehicle crash in Tarrant County. [ read more ] [04.02.07] Authorities say a 14-month-old Georgetown County boy has died after the throttle on the four-wheeler he was riding on with his grandfather got stuck and crashed into a vehicle. [ read more ] [08.17.06] Safe Kids Kansas reminds parents: no children under 16 on ATVs of any size. Topeka, Kan. - Each year, in the United States, more than 100 children ages 16 and under are killed and approximately 45,000 are injured on all-terrain vehicles. [ read more ]
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