ATV Related Deaths and Injuries – Riders Under Age 16

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently released complete data on ATV related injuries and deaths in 2015 from crashes, fires, and explosions. Of about 97,200 injuries treated in emergency departments, around 28 percent of them involved children under the age of 16. In its 2015 Annual Report of ATV-Related Deaths and Injuries released in January 2017, the CPSC also revealed that:

• There were 3,163 ATV-related fatalities involving children younger than 16, from 1982 through 2015, or about 22% of all such fatalities.
• During those years, 44% of children killed in ATV accidents were under 12, or 1,380 individuals.
• In 2012, 68% of all-terrain vehicle accident fatalities were children under 16.

These vehicles pose a risk to children because of their speed and power. Lacking the body size and strength to operate an ATV safely, kids are at a higher risk of crashing. Motor skills, coordination, judgment, and general physical ability are essential for maintaining control of the vehicle. In fact, the CPSC tracks 15,000 products; it found that two percent of injuries from these result in hospitalization, while nine percent of injuries to children by an all-terrain vehicle require a hospital stay.

Losing control isn’t the only risk to children. Polaris Industries, which has recalled several models, received at least 19 reports of vehicles catching fire. One of these severely burned a child, and caused a 15-acre forest fire, in American Fork Canyon in Utah.

Child ATV Deaths and Injuries: An Increasing Problem

The CPSC has noted that child deaths due to accidents involving off-road vehicles have increased by 88 percent in 10 years. That was from 1995 to 2005. At least 114 children died in ATV accidents in 2015, according to the Consumer Federation of America, up from 102 in 2016 and 99 in 2014. That’s not counting the serious injuries that occur all over the country.

Industry Leaders Aim to Restrict Child Use of ATVs

Many industry associations, including the CPSC, have said anyone from 12 to 15 years old should not ride an adult vehicle. They have recommended children only ride those with engines smaller than 90 cc’s in size. Others have gone further to call for a ban of youth model ATVs that can go up to 38 miles per hour, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has come forward by saying no one under 16 should ride any type of all-terrain vehicle. It has stated the vehicles are too heavy and complex for children, who lack the developmental capabilities, to operate them. Yet, the risk remains high, with the widespread use of these vehicles and often a lack of capability and experience to drive them safely. The dangers of losing control, or experiencing an ATV fire or explosion from impact damage, are high for children as well.