ATVs—The Hidden Danger

Abstract

In 1967 Osamu Takeuchi of Honda Research and Development Co., Ltd. took some spare motorcycle parts to an outdoor area in Japan. American Honda Motor Corporation, the United States distributor for Honda Motor Company, Limited of Japan had requested the development of a vehicle to compete with snowmobiles. The result of Mr. Takeuchi's work was the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), first distributed in the United States in 1970.By the end of 1987, an estimated 2.5 million ATVs had been sold by the major Japanese manufacturers and distributors: Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, and by Polaris, the sole American-owned manufacturer and distributor. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates, over 340,000 hospital-emergency-room treated injuries have been associated with the use of ATVs. Almost 1000 deaths have been recorded by CPSC through their system for tracking state medical examiner's and coroner's offices. Almost half the deaths were children under 16 years of age and approximately 20 percent were children 12 and under. CPSC estimates that approximately 5 percent, or one of every 20 three-wheeled ATVs, is involved in a hospital emergency room treated injury each year.