ATV Accidents By The Numbers: Part 1

In a February 2013 report compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), information was given regarding incidents relating to ATV (all-terrain vehicle) accidents and injuries.

This report was enlightening, and provided a more complete and detailed picture of the frequency and severity of accidents surrounding American ATV users in the past twenty or so years.  Some of the most interesting facts include:

• From 1982-2011, CPSC staff received reports of over 28,000 ATV-related deaths of  children younger than 16 years of age. Out of these fatalities, over 40% were children less than 12 years old. 
• These numbers do not account for accidents that were not reported to the CPSC, which may mean that the prevalence of ATV-related fatalities might actually be greater than expected.
• In 2011, there were over 100,000 ATV-caused emergency room treated injuries.  Over 25% of these injuries were in children under 16 years old. 
• The vast majority of these injuries were either contusions or fractures. Most injuries were found in either the arm/shoulder region or the head/neck region. 
• From January 1982 to December 2011, Pennsylvania had a reported 459 ATV-related fatalities.  They are behind only by California (504) and Texas (478) for the highest number of ATV-related fatalities in the country during that time period.

As noted above, ATVs, dirt bikes, and other off-road vehicles (such as snowmobiles) are a leading cause of serious injury among Pennsylvanians, especially among our state’s youth.   Attorney Doug Stoehr of Altoona, PA handles cases involving injury as a result of accidents involving off-road vehicles.  For more information about Attorney Doug Stoehr and his Blair county area practice, please visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com or call his law firm at 814-946-4100.

For more information on the CPSC's report, please visit the original report, which can be found here: http://www.cpsc.gov//Global/Research-and-Statistics/Injury-Statistics/atv2011.pdf