Based on information they have received from hospitals and coroners nationwide, government and safety officials expect the number of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents to increase this year.
The Associated Press reports that in 2006, ATV accidents claimed the lives of an estimated 555 people, including more than 100 children.
Estimates from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reveal that an additional 146,600 people -- more than a quarter of them children -- were treated in
emergency rooms for ATV-related injuries.
Parents and consumer groups have disputed the safety of ATVs for years, pointing to the issue of children riding adult-size vehicles.
The Associated Press continues:
The industry contends that it's not the vehicle but the driver that's the problem.
"ATVs
have never been shown to be an unsafe product, but there have been bad
decisions made by people sitting on the seat," said Mike Mount, a
spokesman for the California-based Specialty Vehicle Institute of
America.
In its annual report released Thursday, the CPSC
said Pennsylvania has had the highest number of reported ATV deaths
since 1982, followed by California, West Virginia, Texas and Kentucky.
Every state had at least one death attributed to ATVs.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission site provides a longterm view of the issue, with year-to-year data and state-by-state data.
