Off-roaders respond to safety petition drive
July 3, 2003 – We asked off-roaders for help to fight possible new federal restrictions on ATVs and you responded.
More than 5,000 of you signed our petition opposing potential new ATV-related rules. Those petitions were packed up and sent to Washington, D.C., to be hand delivered by our Government Relations staff to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The petition was in response to an announcement by the CPSC that it would hold a hearing on ATV safety in Morgantown, West Virginia. And at the hearing, the commission chairman made it clear that dirtbikes also could face possible restrictions.
The petition told the three-member federal panel that designated and specially designed ATV riding areas, as well as the promotion of rider safety training, should be pursued, rather than imposing new federal regulations.
The CPSC said the June hearing was designed to gather information on ATV safety, and to hear comments on a proposal to ban the sale of full-sized ATVs for use by children under 16, something that is already part of voluntary rules followed by manufacturers and their dealers.
More than 35 people testified at the hearing and they were divided about evenly between critics who charge that ATVs are unsafe, and supporters who argue that ATVs represent a viable form of recreation for individuals and families.
The ATVA and its sister organization, the AMA, were among those testifying that no new federal regulations are needed. Instead, they proposed efforts to increase rider-training opportunities and to create more areas where ATVs can be ridden under controlled conditions.
Critics, however, urged the commission to consider such equipment as rollbars, seatbelts and governors to limit speed, along with an outright ban on ATV use by anyone under the age of 16, plus nationwide helmet regulations.
They also proposed rules to keep ATV riders from using public roads, something that is already illegal in nearly all areas of the country, and regulations against riding two-up, a practice that violates manufacturers' safety requirements on all ATVs.
After the hearing, commission Chairman Hal Stratton said the panel had no timetable for making any decisions on the issue, nor is it certain that new regulations will inevitably follow. He also said he didn't know whether more hearings would be held.
Then, just weeks after the hearing, Stratton scheduled another hearing to be held in Anchorage, Alaska, July 8.
We'll stay on top of this issue and let you know the latest developments.
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