ATV-related injuries continue to rise

A study by the Consumer Product and Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that serious injuries caused by ATVs in 2007 were up about 3% from 2006.

According to the CPSC, 150,900 people suffered ATV-related injuries in 2007, compared to 146,600 in 2006. The CPSC does not consider this to be statistically significant increase, but what is significant is the 37% in injuries since 2001 when 100,100 people were hurt.

Despite the increase in overall injuries, the chance of getting hurt on an ATV actually went down. The CPSC estimates that there were 9.5 million ATVs in use in the United States in 2007, up considerably from 8.6 million in 2006. According to the CPSC, the risk of injury per ATV has fallen for the seventh straight year from 200.3 per 10,000 units in 2001 to 153.9 per 10,000 units in 2007.

Also, 40,000, or 27%, of ATV-related injuries in 2007 were suffered by riders younger than 16. That is the smallest percentage of young riders being injured since those statistics started being tracked in 1985.

The reported number of ATV-related fatalities fell from 750 in 2006 to 542 in 2007. However, the CPSC cautions data collection for the past three years is still ongoing and expects the number of fatalities to increase.