ATV helmet measure moves to Okla. house floor

The number of all terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the U.S. increased from 4 million in 1998 to around 7 million in 2003, according to a study published by the Oklahoma State Medical Association in 2005. Addition-ally, the ATV Safety Institute (ASI) reports that in late 2005 there were some 15 million people operating the vehicles nationwide. The rise in use of ATVs, especially among children, prompted the Oklahoma Legis-lature to promote a measure aimed at preventing or reducing severe injuries and deaths among young ATV riders.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives reported that legislation requiring ATV riders under the age of 18 to wear a helmet and prohibiting riders under the age of 14 from carrying passengers unless the ATV was specifically designed to do so has moved to the floor of the House. Senate Bill 1830 passed the Oklahoma House Health and Human Services Committee by a vote of 21-1; it has already been approved by the state Senate.

Under the bill by State Sen. Bernest Cain (D-Oklahoma City) and State Rep. Bill Nations (D-Norman), those using ATVs for agricultural purposes would be exempt from the law.

The study, published in the May 2005 Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, “All-Terrain Vehicle -related Central Nervous System Injuries in Oklahoma,” found that from 1992 through 2002, nearly 400 people had traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries that resulted from an ATV accident. Some were children as young as three years old. Sixty-two people were killed; 45 percent who died were under the age of 16.

The numbers of ATV-related injuries during that period tripled in Oklahoma, from an average of 23 a year before 1998, to 69 in 2001 and 2002. The study also showed that wearing helmets while riding ATVs can reduce deaths by 42 percent and reduce nonfatal head injuries by 64 percent.

The report said children under the age of 16 represent only 14 percent of all ATV riders but they account for nearly half–47 percent–of ATV-related injuries. The study stressed the importance of parental education about the dangers the vehicles pose, and recommended that the use of ATVs by children under 16 be restricted legislatively.

State Rep. Doug Cox, an emergency room physician in Grove, Okla., recently treated two young patients who had been involved in an ATV accident. The 15-year-old female driver was knocked unconscious and required extensive care. The 11-year-old female passenger was also treated for serious, non-life threatening injuries.

“Those who are wearing helmets in an ATV accident are 42 percent less likely to die,” stated Cox, R-Grove, in a House news release. “The problem is only 6 percent of ATV riders wear helmets. I can do the math and figure out that helmets save our children’s lives.”

Rep. Nations said 11 Oklahomans were killed last year in ATV accidents. None were wearing helmets.

The ASI, a not-for-profit division of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA), reported in August 2005 that nationally, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 72 percent of child fatalities associated with four-wheel ATVs from 1999 to 2002 involved children who were not wearing helmets.

ASI stresses active, direct parental supervision of a child under the age of 16 riding an ATV and recommends maximum engine sizes for various age groups. For example, those 16 and under should only ride on an ATV with an engine size of 90 cubic centimeters or less. Younger children should ride only ATVs with smaller engines.

According to statistics compiled by the SVIA, as of May 2005, 24 states had some kind of ATV related helmet law, although the laws vary widely from state to state; 27 states had minimum age restrictions for the operation of ATV.

The ASI says for adequate protection ATV riders should always wear a helmet that meets U.S. Department of Trans-portation standards, eye protection, gloves, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt or jacket, and over-the-ankle boots. Stressing that ATVs are not toys, the group says riders younger than 16 should always be supervised. It also recommends that all riders take an ATV operation course.

ASI offers a free booklet–Parents, Youngsters, and All-Terrain Vehicles–available online at http://atvsafety.org/downloads/pya.pdf and published to assist parents in determining whether or not their child is ready or able to ride an ATV.