The good news is that, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the 2011 death toll from All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) accidents is down dramatically compared to recent years.
The bad news is that deaths on public roads accounted for 305 of the 327 reported fatal ATV accidents compiled by the CPSC for 2011. The death toll on public roads has increased ninefold since 1982.
Perhaps even more disturbing is the number of children aged 12 and under who are still dying on ATV’s. USA Today reports that of the children 16 and under who died on ATV’s, more than half of them were 12-years-old and under. A vast majority of those who died were riding adult-sized ATV’s, which are much larger and more powerful than the juvenile models.