All-terrain Vehicle Use Research Articles

America's experiment with motor vehicle safety regulation.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: All-terrain vehicles (ATV) use by children leads to severe injury and death. Since the US Consumer Product Safety Commission consent decree expired in 1998, there has been little movement in regulating ATV use for children (<16 yr). The authors hypothesized that states with laws and regulations restricting pediatric ATV use may abrogate excess death compared with states without such restrictions. METHODS: Pediatric mortality data reported to the consumer product safety commission from 1982 to 1998 were analyzed as well as state all-terrain vehicle requirements compiled by the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America in August 2001. The authors calculated ATV mortality rate by dividing ATV mortality frequency by 1980-2000 pediatric census results. They compared the top 26 states with the highest ATV mortality rates (TOP) with those of all other states (OTH) in terms of age, ATV type, ATV occupancy, and ATV laws. Chi-square analysis was performed. RESULTS: There were 1,342 ATV pediatric deaths during the 16-year period. The TOP states averaged approximately a 2-fold increase in adjusted ATV mortality rate compared with the national ATV pediatric mortality rate. Ninety-two percent of TOP states have no licensing laws compared with 73% of the OTH states (P <.07). There is no difference between groups with regard to minimum age requirements and safety certification. CONCLUSIONS: Current legal and regulatory standards have low probability of decreasing ATV-related pediatric mortality. States should adopt laws that restrict the use of ATV's for children less than 16 years of age and potentially prevent excess ATV-related pediatric mortality.

ATVs present summer hazard

All-terrain vehicle recommendations A Health Brief item (June 1993) present summer hazard quotes AAP recommendations for age-appropriate use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The AAP policy on the age at which children should be allowed to drive ATVs is under review. AAP model legislation suggests that states not allow children younger than 16 years to drive ATVs.

Response of an Alaska, U.S.A., Shrub-Tussock Community to Selected All-Terrain Vehicle Use

Response of an Alaska, U.S.A., Shrub-Tussock Community to Selected All-Terrain Vehicle Use

All-terrain vehicle mortality in Wisconsin: A case study in injury control

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) have resulted in over 1,400 deaths and 400,000 injuries in the United States since their introduction in the 1970s. Analysis of deaths due to ATVs have been limited to a few states. Death certificates for ATVs were abstracted for the years 1983 through 1989 in Wisconsin. Fifty-two deaths were analyzed; 44 (85%) were male, and 26 (50%) were under age 18. Head injuries accounted for 33 (63%) of the deaths. Thirty-one of the deaths (60%) were “immediate”, occurring in “seconds”, “minutes”, or “immediately”. Following the model developed by Haddon, there are several promising injury-control strategies: limiting the use of ATVs to those sixteen or older, increasing visibility of vehicles through means such as flags, increasing helmet usage, and improving emergency medical system services. Many of these strategies are best promoted through statewide legislative policy changes. This injury study model of ATV deaths suggests that a more balanced approach towards injury reduction should have an equal emphasis on improving injury prevention and acute care.

Expenditures for nonspecific back injuries in the workplace

In the past several decades, the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) has proliferated in many Arctic communities in North America. One example is the village of Barrow, Alaska. This coastal community has only local roads, so all access to the interior utilizes off-road machines. These 4-wheel vehicles are the primary means of tundra traverse and transport in summer by hunters and berry-pickers, and by village residents accessing summer camps. Traveling cross-country is difficult due to the large number of thermokarst lakes, wetlands, and streams, and tundra trails tend to follow dryer higher ground while avoiding areas of high microrelief such as high-centered ice-wedge polygons. Thus, modern ATV trails tend to follow the margins of drained or partially drained thermokarst lake basins where it is flat and relatively dry, and these trails are heavily used. The deeply-ribbed tires of the heavy and powerful ATVs cause damage by destroying the vegetation and disturbing the underlying organic soil. Exposure of the dark soil enhances summer thaw and leads to local thermokarst of the ice-rich upper permafrost. The damage increases over time as vehicles continue to follow the same track, and sections eventually become unusable; this is especially true where the trail crosses ice-wedge troughs. Deep subsidence in the ponded troughs results in ATV users veering to avoid the wettest area, which leads to a widening of the damaged area. Helicopter surveys, site visits, and collection of ground penetrating radar data were combined with time series analysis of high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery for the period 1955–2014. The analysis reveals that there are 507 km of off-road trails on the Barrow Peninsula. About 50% of the total trail length was developed before 1955 in association with resource extraction, and an additional 40% were formed between 1979 and 2005 by ATVs. Segments of the more modern trail are up to 100 m wide. Damage to the tundra is especially pronounced in wet areas, such as ice-wedge troughs. Knowledgeable indigenous people are aware of the problem. Some remediation has been attempted by using heavy-duty PVC matting in areas of greatest damage, but this approach is prohibitively expensive on a large scale.

Three-Wheel and Four-Wheel All-Terrain Vehicle Injuries in Children

In January 1988, sales of new three-wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were banned in the United States because of the high incidence of injury associated with their use, especially by children. Four-wheel ATVs remain on the market. A retrospective review of all ATV injuries seen in a level I pediatric trauma center was conducted to compare the nature and severity of injuries in three-wheel vehicles with those associated with four-wheelers. A total of 36 ATV injuries were seen from April 1986 to August 1988. All patients were less than 16 years of age; 72% were less than or equal to 12 years of age. Of the patients, 56% were boys; 44% were girls. Although 56% of incidents involved three-wheelers, a larger number of more serious injuries, defined as the presence of indicators of injury severity (eg, death, Injury Severity Score greater than or equal to 10, intensive care unit admission, or need for surgery), involved four-wheel vehicles. A total of 15 injuries occurred in 1987; 12 injuries, including the first death involving an ATV at the pediatric trauma center, occurred in the 7 months since the sales ban. Immature judgment and/or motor skills were the most common factors contributing to injury. Existing information regarding injuries involving three-wheel ATVs is supported by our data, according to which it is suggested that four-wheel vehicles may be dangerous in the hands of immature or unskilled operators less than 16 years of age. Injury prevention efforts should be directed at prohibiting any ATV use by persons less than 16 years of age.

ATVs—The Hidden Danger

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.

All-terrain vehicle accidents in Maine.

All-terrain vehicles (ATV) are designed for off-road vocational or recreational use. Their popularity has increased steadily, but only recently has information accumulated concerning morbidity and mortality associated with the use of these vehicles. The 221 ATV accidents reported in Maine during 1985 are reviewed to more fully characterize the trauma associated with ATV accidents. These data are compared with reports from other geographical areas and recommendations made regarding ATV use.

All-terrain vehicle accidents: a survey of a community hospital's experience.

A rural community hospital's record of persons injured from all-terrain vehicle use in 1985 was reviewed. A total of 46 persons sustained 67 injuries, with 11 persons (24%) requiring hospital admission. Collisions (22%), flipping backwards (18%), rollovers (18%), and falling off (18%) accounted for the majority of accidents. Helmet use (40%) and alcohol use (30%) were also recorded. This study was compared to other recently published literature. Recommendations are made to lessen the risk of injury with usage of these vehicles.

Pediatric trauma associated with all-terrain vehicles

The frequency of injuries secondary to use of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) is increasing at an alarming rate, and these injuries are usually multiple and severe. Between January 1, 1983, and February 28, 1985, 415 pediatric patients were admitted to the University of Virginia Hospital for care of injuries secondary to trauma; 66 of these patients required intensive care. Of the 415 patients, 12 were injured secondary to ATV use, and four of these required intensive care. The average age was 12 years (range 2 to 16 years), and the average hospital stay was 20 days. Injuries included five closed head injuries, two associated with a basilar skull fracture requiring intracranial pressure monitoring; five long bone fractures, two requiring open reduction and internal fixation; two small bone fractures; two splenic ruptures; two liver lacerations, one of them requiring laparotomy; and one renal hematoma. One patient has required long-term rehabilitation for neurologic deficits. Physicians and the public should be aware of the injury potential of these vehicles and should advocate legislation promoting helmet laws and high safety standards for ATV users.