Post by Woody Williams on Jun 24, 2007 12:15:05 GMT -5
Anger over deaths, injuries renew calls for regulating off-road vehicles
By John K. Wiley, Associated Press
MOSES LAKE, Wash. — Weekend warriors who roar off the road for thrills and extreme jumps often land in emergency rooms, and that has prompted renewed calls for regulations of all-terrain vehicles.
Several central Washington state hospital emergency rooms are routinely slammed on summer weekends, when families load up their ATVs and head for dunes areas where the four-wheeled recreational rides are allowed.
There have been at least three deaths in Washington state this year at off-road areas. Two of the fatal accidents involved 10- and 12-year-olds.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there were 78 ATV-related deaths in Washington state between 1982 and 2005, with 18 involving children under 16.
There were 467 ATV-related deaths in the U.S. in 2005, the most recent year data were collected from hospitals and coroners. The results are incomplete and the commission estimates the real number may be closer to 750.
Injuries involving ATVs sent an estimated 137,000 people to hospitals in 2005, according to the commission. About a third were children under 16, most riding powerful adult-sized vehicles. But ATV advocates argue that the vast majority of the sport's enthusiasts ride safely, using proper gear and precautions.
The commission is considering regulations that would lift restrictions on the engine size of youth ATVs, allowing manufacturers to make bigger vehicles. At the same time, the commission would require installation of equipment to limit maximum speeds, based on the rider's age.
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants children banned from riding all ATVs, youth models and those made for adults.
Richland emergency room surgeon Dr. Steven J. Kincaid is among those who would support such a ban.
After one particularly grisly weekend in March — when two children were killed and dozens of people were taken to central Washington emergency rooms after off-road accidents — Kincaid called for stricter regulations.
"We had 25 injuries that one weekend," he said, reeling off a list that included broken bones, concussions and severe head injuries. "Every week they run, there a few injuries."
Kathy Heitmann, president of the Washington ATV Association, said the reaction to off-road deaths and injuries is disproportional to accidents that come with other outdoor activities and even teenage driving.
"Let's keep everything in proportion. Don't limit us, or eliminate us from having our options and enjoyment of the sport," she said of Washington's 36,000 ATV owners.
"I believe the majority of those are due to the influx of the sport," she said recently from her Auburn home. "There is more interest, and more states are making more areas available for people to ride off-road motorized products. With more users using them, the percentages (of injuries and deaths) are going to go up."
Heitmann, whose only injury in seven years riding ATVs happened when she broke her leg while hiking during a camping trip while her quad-runner was parked, said ATV riders are encouraged to wear helmets, boots and other safety gear.
Indicative of the sport's popularity, Grant County employs two "sand dune deputies" who are assigned to patrol ORV areas in the 2,791-square-mile central Washington county of about 75,000 people.
An estimated 3,000 ORV enthusiasts showed up at a recent weekend at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes ORV Area and sand dunes near Beverly in the western part of Grant County.
The Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine, has for two decades waged a campaign to force the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Congress and states to prohibit the use of all-terrain vehicles by children 16 and younger.
Kincaid said children just aren't ready for the demands of powerful motorcycles and ATVs.
"We don't let 12-year-olds drive automobiles. We don't let them drive motorcycles on the street," Kincaid said. "But those rules are seemingly thrown out, as long as they are off-road."
In March, a 10-year-old died in Grant County after losing control of the quad-runner he was riding at a high rate of speed and flipping over the handlebars. The boy's parents said he was an experienced rider and wore a helmet and other safety gear.
But Kincaid argued a 10-year-old simply doesn't have the skills required to harness the horsepower generated by modern motorcycles and ATVs.
"A 10-year-old riding a high-powered dirt bike is not physically or emotionally mature," he said.
Heitmann agrees, "to a small degree," but says a child's riding experience should dictate the size of machine they ride under parents' supervision. Some children who start riding smaller-powered machines with parents at age 3 or 4 are perfectly able to drive higher-powered machines before they are 16, she said.
Manufacturers attach warnings to their ATVs that no one under age 16 should operate the vehicles, but that should be left to the discretion of parents, she said. Most children start on machines with smaller engines — 50 to 90 cubic centimeters.
Kincaid, whose sons used to race motocross motorcycles, said many of the serious ATV and motocross injuries he treats are those under 16.
"Kids that ride are very enthusiastic, and almost 100% of time, parents are equally enthusiastic," Kincaid said. "Life is a little bit dangerous, no matter what you do. But I'm against a practice when it's not made safe."
By John K. Wiley, Associated Press
MOSES LAKE, Wash. — Weekend warriors who roar off the road for thrills and extreme jumps often land in emergency rooms, and that has prompted renewed calls for regulations of all-terrain vehicles.
Several central Washington state hospital emergency rooms are routinely slammed on summer weekends, when families load up their ATVs and head for dunes areas where the four-wheeled recreational rides are allowed.
There have been at least three deaths in Washington state this year at off-road areas. Two of the fatal accidents involved 10- and 12-year-olds.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there were 78 ATV-related deaths in Washington state between 1982 and 2005, with 18 involving children under 16.
There were 467 ATV-related deaths in the U.S. in 2005, the most recent year data were collected from hospitals and coroners. The results are incomplete and the commission estimates the real number may be closer to 750.
Injuries involving ATVs sent an estimated 137,000 people to hospitals in 2005, according to the commission. About a third were children under 16, most riding powerful adult-sized vehicles. But ATV advocates argue that the vast majority of the sport's enthusiasts ride safely, using proper gear and precautions.
The commission is considering regulations that would lift restrictions on the engine size of youth ATVs, allowing manufacturers to make bigger vehicles. At the same time, the commission would require installation of equipment to limit maximum speeds, based on the rider's age.
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants children banned from riding all ATVs, youth models and those made for adults.
Richland emergency room surgeon Dr. Steven J. Kincaid is among those who would support such a ban.
After one particularly grisly weekend in March — when two children were killed and dozens of people were taken to central Washington emergency rooms after off-road accidents — Kincaid called for stricter regulations.
"We had 25 injuries that one weekend," he said, reeling off a list that included broken bones, concussions and severe head injuries. "Every week they run, there a few injuries."
Kathy Heitmann, president of the Washington ATV Association, said the reaction to off-road deaths and injuries is disproportional to accidents that come with other outdoor activities and even teenage driving.
"Let's keep everything in proportion. Don't limit us, or eliminate us from having our options and enjoyment of the sport," she said of Washington's 36,000 ATV owners.
"I believe the majority of those are due to the influx of the sport," she said recently from her Auburn home. "There is more interest, and more states are making more areas available for people to ride off-road motorized products. With more users using them, the percentages (of injuries and deaths) are going to go up."
Heitmann, whose only injury in seven years riding ATVs happened when she broke her leg while hiking during a camping trip while her quad-runner was parked, said ATV riders are encouraged to wear helmets, boots and other safety gear.
Indicative of the sport's popularity, Grant County employs two "sand dune deputies" who are assigned to patrol ORV areas in the 2,791-square-mile central Washington county of about 75,000 people.
An estimated 3,000 ORV enthusiasts showed up at a recent weekend at the Moses Lake Sand Dunes ORV Area and sand dunes near Beverly in the western part of Grant County.
The Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports magazine, has for two decades waged a campaign to force the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Congress and states to prohibit the use of all-terrain vehicles by children 16 and younger.
Kincaid said children just aren't ready for the demands of powerful motorcycles and ATVs.
"We don't let 12-year-olds drive automobiles. We don't let them drive motorcycles on the street," Kincaid said. "But those rules are seemingly thrown out, as long as they are off-road."
In March, a 10-year-old died in Grant County after losing control of the quad-runner he was riding at a high rate of speed and flipping over the handlebars. The boy's parents said he was an experienced rider and wore a helmet and other safety gear.
But Kincaid argued a 10-year-old simply doesn't have the skills required to harness the horsepower generated by modern motorcycles and ATVs.
"A 10-year-old riding a high-powered dirt bike is not physically or emotionally mature," he said.
Heitmann agrees, "to a small degree," but says a child's riding experience should dictate the size of machine they ride under parents' supervision. Some children who start riding smaller-powered machines with parents at age 3 or 4 are perfectly able to drive higher-powered machines before they are 16, she said.
Manufacturers attach warnings to their ATVs that no one under age 16 should operate the vehicles, but that should be left to the discretion of parents, she said. Most children start on machines with smaller engines — 50 to 90 cubic centimeters.
Kincaid, whose sons used to race motocross motorcycles, said many of the serious ATV and motocross injuries he treats are those under 16.
"Kids that ride are very enthusiastic, and almost 100% of time, parents are equally enthusiastic," Kincaid said. "Life is a little bit dangerous, no matter what you do. But I'm against a practice when it's not made safe."
