PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) has announced that the ATVA has asked the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to deny a petition to ban the sale of full-sized ATVs for use by children under 16. ATVA Director Doug Morris and American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Legislative Affairs Specialist Royce Wood, along with representatives of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, the ATV Safety Institute, and others, testified at a public meeting on March 22 in Bethesda, Maryland, asking the commission to follow a recommendation of the CPSC staff to reject the petition. Morris and Wood testified that proper training, the use of safety gear, parental supervision, and allowing children to ride right-size vehicles would do much to reduce ATV-related injuries and deaths involving children under 16. They also encouraged the commission to seek information from user groups when considering ATV-related matters. The full text of the testimony is available at http://www.atvaonline.com/News/05/Testimonies.pdf. (Adobe Acrobat required) The CPSC staff recommendation arose from a 2002 request by the Consumer Federation of America, Bluewater Network, and the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition. Those groups asked for a ban on all ATV use by those under the age of 16, but the panel said it didn’t have the authority to enforce such a ban. The groups also asked the commission to ban the sale of full-sized ATVs for the use of children under 16, which is something the ATV industry already voluntarily does. After several public hearings held by the commission in various parts of the country, and a thorough review of the testimony and facts by the CPSC staff, the staff on February 2 recommended that the commission reject the request. The All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA) is dedicated to increasing members’ enjoyment of riding and owning ATVs by serving as a source of authoritative information about where and how to ride, products, events, and racing, and by protecting and promoting the rights of all ATV riders. The ATVA is part of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), the world’s most powerful voice for motorcyclists. For more information, visit the ATVA website at www.ATVAonline.com, or call 1-866-ATVA-JOIN.