Sometimes we sound like a broken record — usually when a product's hazards are so serious and so persistent that we have no choice but to keep writing about them. And so here we are again talking about all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), after a new study by the West Virginia University Injury Control Research Center offered fresh evidence of their dangers.

According to a five-year study comparing the prevalence of ATV and bicycle crashes from 2000 through 2004, hospitalizations from ATV incidents are growing at a markedly higher rate than those caused by bicycle injuries even though there are far more bicycle owners (100 million compared to 7 million ATV owners). And although there are still significantly more bike incidents than ATV mishaps, the numbers are narrowing, particularly for riders 16 and older (labeled as adults in the study).
    Here are some findings from the study to consider:

• The estimated number of deaths associated with ATVs has risen nearly 180 percent from 276 deaths in 1995 to 767 in 2004, the most recent year that fatality data was available from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Estimated non-fatal injuries requiring a trip to the emergency room rose more than 150 percent from 53,600 visits in 1996 to 136,700 visits in 2005.
• Children under 16 years of age accounted for about one-quarter of the deaths and one-third of the injuries.    
• Among children, girls accounted for 26 percent of hospitalizations for ATV injuries and 22 percent of bike injuries. Among adults, females accounted for 17 percent of ATV hospitalizations and 22 percent of  bicycle injury hospitalizations.
• The average cost of each ATV-related hospitalization was $21,304 compared to $16,478 for bicycle-related hospitalizations.

The study was funded by the Concerned Families for ATV Safety and the Arabella Legacy Fund, a private charitable organization that also supports the Responsible Trails Alliance. Both groups have been pushing for greater federal regulation of ATVs. The study’s author, James Helmkamp, director of the  West Virginia University Injury Control Research Center, said that he conducted the research independent of the funding. The study’s intent, he said, "was to raise awareness and encourage more federal participation in the regulation of ATVs, particularly among children."

As anyone who has followed this issue knows, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has been studying ATVs for years. And it is still studying ATVs. CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese said that the staff is scheduled to summarize its most recent findings in December.

We eagerly await those findings and the agency’s next step. We also await  further commission action on the Kazuma Meerkat 50 Youth ATV. Last summer, the  CPSC issued a warning about that ATV noting it lacked front brakes, had no parking brake and could be started in gear. The agency said it couldn’t recall the bike because it lacked a quorum and therefore couldn’t recall any product unless the company cooperated. But Congress reinstated the CPSC’s quorum in August.  So far, however, there’s been no official recall of the Meerkat 50.

Related reading: Recent ATV recalls
ATVs Recalled By KTM North America Due to Brake Failure
Ohalee Inc. Recalls Youth All-Terrain Vehicles Due to Mechanical Hazards
ATVs Recalled by Polaris Industries Inc. Due to Fire Hazard
Polaris Recalls Select Hawkeye Model ATVs for Steering Post Failure Hazard
Polaris Recalls Select Hawkeye Model ATVs due to Loss of Control Hazard; Three Crashes Reported
Stateside Powersports Recalls to Repair 90cc Youth Model ATVs
Arctic Cat Recalls Model Year 2007 90cc Youth Model ATVs
Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA Recalls ATV for Loss of Steering Control Hazard