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Criticisms of ATVs

Safety Issues

Since the expiration of the consent decrees between the major manufacturers and CPSC in April of 1998, the manufacturers have entered into "voluntary action plans" that mimic the previously mandatory consent decrees. However, despite the move from 3-wheel to 4-wheel models and the action plans, some deaths and injuries still occur. Statistics released by CPSC show that in 2005, there were an estimated 136,700 injuries associated with ATVs treated in US hospital emergency rooms. In 2004, the latest year for which estimates are available, 767 people died in ATV-associated incidents. According to statistics released by CPSC, the risk of injury in 2005 was 171.5 injuries per 10,000 four-wheel ATVs in use. The risk of death in 2004 was 1.1 deaths per 10,000 four-wheelers in use.

Focus has shifted since the consent decrees ended to attention to machine size balanced with the usage of ATVs on state run land categorized by age ranges and engine displacements - in line with the consent decrees. ATVs are mandated to be labeled from the manufacturer that the use of machines greater than 90cc by riders under the age of 12 is prohibited.

Critics point out that blanket policies concerning age are not sufficient and often use as example that early teen male children are physically larger and stronger than many adult women riders. Some localities have either banned minors (typically those under 12 years of age) from using ATVs or are considering such legislation. Advocates of ATVs argue that starting younger improves safety. They recommend that children can develop the necessary expertise by starting as young as 6 years of age instead of waiting until age 18. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission approved the sale of sub-50cc ATVs for use by youngsters as young as age 6.

In 1988, the All-terrain Vehicle Safety Institute (ASI) was formed to provide training and education for ATV riders. The cost of attending the training is minimal and is free for purchasers of new machines. Successful completion of training such as provided here is in many states a minimum requirement for minor-age children to be granted permission to ride on state land.

According to the New York Times September 2, 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Commission met in March 2005 to discuss the dangers of ATVs. Data from 2004 showed 44,000 children under 16 injured while riding ATVs, 150 of them fatally ("Safety Agency Faces Scrutiny Amid Changes," by Eric Lipton, Says the Times, "National associations of pediatricians, consumer advocates and emergency room doctors were urging the commission to ban sales of adult-size A.T.V.’s for use by children under 16 because the machines were too big and fast for young drivers to control. But when it came time to consider such a step, a staff member whose name did not appear on the meeting agenda unexpectedly weighed in."

That staff member was John Gibson Mullan, "the agency’s director of compliance and a former lawyer for the A.T.V. industry" - the Times bases the claim on a recording of the meeting. He said that the existing system of warnings and voluntary compliance was working.

The agency's hazard statistician, Robin Ingle, was not allowed to present a rebuttal. She told the Times in an interview, "“He had hijacked the presentation. He was distorting the numbers in order to benefit industry and defeat the petition. It was almost like he still worked for them, not us.”

EPA Concerns

Emissions

Due to the lack of emission controlling hardware and software, for year 2000 all recreational spark ignited (SI) non-road vehicles (of which ATVs are a subset) contributed 8% of HC, .16% of NOx, 5% of CO and .8% of PM emissions for the entire non-road EPA family. The entire range of non-road emissions accounted for 49% of engine produced emissions of all types. While recreational SI vehicles (of which ATVs are a subset) produce an aggregate of <4% of all HC emissions in the US, based on the relatively small population of ATVs (<1.2M) and small annual usage (<350 hrs), EPA emission regulations now include such engines starting with model year 2006.

In Minnesota alone it is projected there will be more than 1 million registered ATVs by 2010. There are about 300,000 now in the state.

Fuel Economy

The EPA estimates that each ATV consumes less than 59 gallons of fuel per year and obtains between 40 and 50 mpg, making them not likely to fall under future fuel economy regulations. (Ibid. EPA 1).

Land Usage

Some ATV riders knowingly cross privately owned property in rural areas and travel over public/private properties where their use is explicitly limited to trails. Subsequently, environmentalists criticize ATV riding as a sport for excessive use in areas environmental movement-friendly biologists consider to be sensitive, especially wetlands and sand dunes. While the deep treads on some ATV tires are effective for navigating rocky, muddy, and root covered terrain, these treads also dig channels that may drain boggy areas, increase sedimentation in streams at crossings and damage groomed snowmobile trails. Studies have also shown that ATVs may help in the spread of invasive species such as knapweed. Despite some limited studies showing the impacts of unregulated ORV use, the vast majority of ORV use on public lands is regulated. Moreover, running counter to the popular misconception that ATV and ORV use is a leading cause of damage to the landscape and sensitive habitats in general, the overwhelming evidence of human growth patterns upon the landscape indicates damage to the sensitive habitats are caused by unmitigated growth of single-family housing planning and extractive industries.

ATV advocacy groups have been organized to purchase property and/or obtain permission of landowners. Many states pay the clubs to build and maintain trails suitable for ATV riding and educate ATV riders about responsible riding. Many states have also formed separate governing bodies that license ATVs separately than other ORVs. The monies from gas taxes and registrations are used to create more trails to ride and perform grooming and maintenance.

Self-regulation has proven particularly difficult. One public complaint against ATVs is excessive noise. Although the majority of ATVs comply with noise regulations, there are those whose intentional violation can disturb the activities of other recreational users for miles across open landscapes. Tampering with an ATVs exhaust silencer and spark arrestor is illegal on all federal lands and most state lands; however, enforcement is spotty. It is also possible to install aftermarket exhaust systems that do not have spark arrestors.

Further, off-road vehicles, including ATVs frequently go off designated trails, thus creating new spur trails. This process is called trail proliferation. In areas where the vehicles are confined to designated trails, enforcement is fairly straightforward, however some states have laws that permit use on vaguely defined, undesignated trails.

Fellow outdoor recreationists who have expressed concern about irresponsible ATV use include snowmobile users who resent improper use of exclusive snowmobile trails, ATV trail riders whose trails have been damaged by improper use, and hunters whose game has been driven off by those riding during prime hunting times.

Nationally, the US Forest Service considers managed ATV use to be a legitimate activity in national forests, yet it also lists their unregulated use as one of the four greatest threats to long term forest management. The US Forest Service recently released a national travel management plan designed to minimize the negative environmental impacts of ATVs while providing a safe, sustainable and enjoyable opportunity for ATV users.

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