Report On Ohio ATV Accidents Shows Off-Road Vehicles Pose Danger On Public Roads After Crashes Resulted In 424 ATV-Related Deaths Over A 32-Year Period.
Many people enjoy spending time on All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) which are designed to be driven off road. However, a consumers advocacy organization is warning that a dangerous ATV trend occurring nationwide resulting many crashes including ATV accidents in Ohio. Off-road vehicles (OHV), including the three- and four-wheel ATVs, are being blamed for 424 deaths in hundreds of Ohio ATV accidents within the last 32 years.
ATVs, whether on a public or private roads, cause more than 600 deaths a year in the United States, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) 2014 ATV report. There were 13,617 reports of ATV-related fatalities from 1982 through 2014. Of the that total, 3,098 fatalities, or 23 percent, involved children 16 years old and under.
This ATV trend is being encouraged by thirty-five states that allow ATVs to be legally operated on public roads, according to the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). The organization of consumer advocacy groups believes this is helping to increase the number of ATV accidents on public roads. The CFA documented 335 deaths involving OHVs, as of August 13, 2016, a 10 percent increase over last year at this time. Ohio law allows the operation of ATVs on paved roads in counties and townships that permit this action.
[consumerfed.org/pdfs/ATVs-on-roadways-03-2014.pdf]
ATVs, whether on a public or private roads, cause more than 600 deaths a year in the United States, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) 2014 ATV report. There were 13,617 reports of ATV-related fatalities from 1982 through 2014. Of the that total, 3,098 fatalities, or 23 percent, involved children 16 years old and under.
[cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/2014atvannualreport.pdf]
Ohio reported 424 deaths involving ATVs from 1982 to 2014, according to the CPSC’s report. While 2014 is the latest year available for CPSC’s statistics, Ohio ATV accidents have occurred more recently. For instance, two Hamilton County toddlers were hospitalized with serious injuries after the ATV on which they were riding rolled over on October 4, 2016. The 3-year-old, 2-year-old, and 42-year-old driver, the 3 year old’s grandfather, were ejected from the ATV. In July, a 4-year-old Belmont County boy was killed after the ATV on which he was a passenger was involved in an accident on his family’s property.
[fox19.com/story/33318491/2-toddlers-seriously-injured-in-miami-twp-atv-rollover-accident]
[theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2016/07/4-year-old-killed-in-atv-wreck-in-belmont-county/]
In an effort to prevent accidents and keep both drivers and riders safe, ConsumerAffairs advises owners of off-road vehicles, including ATVs:
• To wear a helmet and protective gear
• Never allow children under 16 years old to operate an adult-sized OHV or any OHV that is too large and
powerful for them.
• Never add more passengers than an OHV is designed to carry.
• Never operate an OHV under the influence.
The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) urges lawmakers not to open up roads for OHV use since “more than half of all fatalities each year take place on roads,” according to Rachel Weintraub, the CFA’s Legislative Director and General Counsel.
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