ATVs under attack…again
Aug. 20, 2003 – Anti-ATV forces are at it again.
They've renewed their
call for federal officials to issue national safety regulations regarding children
riding ATVs.
In a just-released report, the Consumer Federation of America, Natural Trails and Waters Coalition, and the Bluewater Network called on the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a national rule barring the sale of full-sized ATVs for use by children under age 16.
The Coalition originally called for a ban on all quad use by those under 16, but the commission said it didn't have the authority to enforce such a ban.
Royce Wood, ATVA legislative affairs specialist, notes that the anti-ATV forces are stepping up their attacks not only at the federal level, but at the state and local levels as well. He pointed out that "to fight these battles effectively, we need enthusiasts like you backing us up.
"We need to be able to tell the politicians who want to restrict your right to ride that we represent thousands of enthusiasts nationwide, and in their state, and we're not going to take it," Wood said.
"I need you to get a friend to join the ATVA to give us the clout we need to fight these battles from Washington, D.C., all the way down to your local township council," he said.
Concerned enthusiasts
like you signed a petition that ATVA Legislative Assistant Peter Nonis hand
delivered to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington, D.C.(left),
Wood said. That petition, with more than 5,000 signatures gathered in just a
few weeks, showed the Consumer Product Safety Commission that we're very serious
about our sport, he said, and we're very serious about protecting our right
to ride.
He also noted that ATV opponents made some outrageous suggestions to the Consumer Product Safety Commission during a hearing on ATV safety held in Morgantown, W. Va., on June 5. Rollbars, seatbelts, governors to limit speed, a 399cc maximum limit on the size of ATV motors, and a ban on kid-sized ATVs of 90cc and less were just some of the proposals.
We don't know what will happen next with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Wood said. But the last time the commission held hearings on ATV safety, back in 1985, three-wheelers were banned. This year, the commission continues to hold hearings on ATVs. Hearings were held in Alaska shortly after the West Virginia hearing, and at least one more hearing is to be held in New Mexico.
And attacks are happening elsewhere.
Wood noted that Terry Lee Cook of the Government Relations Department recently went to East Peoria, Ill., to organize ATV riders to fight the city's ban on quads.
That's right. East Peoria has a law on the books: You can't ride your own ATV on your own property!
Plus, Wood said, Guy Harden, a very active ATV rider and political activist in Kentucky, tells the ATVA that state lawmakers are looking at placing major restrictions on ATVs there, including banning anyone under the age of 16 from riding them.
In Michigan, the governor recently tried to eliminate the ATV rider safety training program completely, even though it's paid for by funds that we riders pay ourselves through vehicle registration fees. New York years ago abolished its trails fund, but continues to collect money from ATV and off-highway motorcycle registration fees that before went into the fund. Now, the state keeps the money for its general treasury, to the tune of more than $7 million since 1986.
"When we testify before federal commissioners and state lawmakers one of the first questions they ask us is: `How many people does the ATVA represent?'" Wood said. "They want to know whether to take us seriously. After all, if we represent thousands of members nationwide, and hundreds or thousands of members in their particular states, then they know they need to listen.
"Numbers translate into political clout. And that's why we need your help," he said.
"When we go to Congress, or statehouses, or even township council meetings, we need to show the decision-makers that we represent a very large group of politically aware enthusiasts," Wood said. "People who don't want to lose their ATVs, and don't want restrictions on their rights to ride. We need you to ask a friend to join the ATVA, so that together we can all defend ATVing."
Have a friend call toll-free (866) ATVA-JOIN to join the ATVA, or sign up online.
The future of ATV riding depends on it.
If you don't believe ATVs could be outlawed, look at East Peoria. The crisis is now.