G03017                                                                                     Contact: Bill Kresnak

May 27, 2003                                                                         Phone: (614) 856-1900

For Immediate Release                                                          Fax: (614) 856-1920

 

          All-Terrain Vehicle Association to Defend ATVs at Hearing

 

            PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) and the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) will testify before federal officials on June 5, promoting rider training as an important component in ATV safety.

            The Consumer Product Safety Commission will hold a public hearing on ATV safety at 10 a.m. on June 5 in the Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center of West Virginia University in Morgantown , W.Va. The hearing could be the first step toward more federal regulation of ATVs.

            Doug Morris, director of the ATVA, and Royce Wood, legislative affairs specialist for both the ATVA and the AMA, will argue that there is no need for further regulation. Both organizations support increased training opportunities for ATV riders to educate them about proper riding gear, teach them safe riding techniques, and improve their riding skills. The organizations also support the creation of more controlled public riding areas for ATVs to help reduce the risk of injury.

            The associations have opposed proposals to impose further limits on ATV engine sizes, noting that existing guidelines which set machine size limits for riders under 16, actually impede safety training. That's because the federal guidelines call for those under 16 to ride ATVs with engines no larger than 90cc. As a result, most young people who are judged too large to safely ride such small machines aren't able to take a safety training course.

            Besides taking testimony on ATV safety, the Consumer Product Safety Commission will listen to comments on a proposal by a coalition of groups made up of the Consumer Federation of America, the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition, the Bluewater Network and others seeking a ban on the sale of full-sized ATVs for use by children under 16. The coalition originally called for a ban on all ATV use by those under the age of 16 but the commission said that it could not enforce such a ban.

            Morris questioned the motivation behind some of the groups involved in this attack on ATVs, noting that the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition and the Bluewater Network have never had any involvement with, or interest in, ATV safety. Instead, their agenda has been to block access to public lands by ATV riders and others involved in motorized recreation. 

 

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The American Motorcyclist Association is a nonprofit organization with more than 250,000 members. Established in 1924, the Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com. The All-Terrain Vehicle Association is the ATV arm of the AMA. For information, visit the ATVA website at www.ATVAonline.com.