Parents are being warned once again to think twice about buying their youngsters an all-terrain vehicle for Christmas or any other special occasion. But manufacturers of the popular off road vehicles respond that they can be safe when riders are prudent.
Researchers at the Unversity of Arkansas said that, based on 500 case histories of young people treated after ATV accidents, youngsters under 16 should be barred from riding the vehicles. "ATV use by children is intrinsically dangerous because of the instability of the vehicles and the small size of children," they said in a statement issued Monday.
About a fourth of all U.S. ATV deaths -- 120 in 2005 -- involved youngsters under 16. An estimated 40,000 youngsters were treated in emergency rooms that year for ATV-related injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. About 890,00 new ATV's were sold last year and more than 7 million are in use nationwide, according to a trade group, the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America.
Read full story [newsday.com]
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