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Polaris Issues ATV Recall
Polaris Industries announced a recall of approximately 95,000 of its Sportsman and Scrambler 500 ATVs, sold in 2005 and 2006, due to a fire hazard in defective electronic control modules
(ECM). The company originally had to recall 45,000 units in June 2005 due to a similar problem and since then Polaris has received 372 additional reports of smoking and/or melted
ECMs, with 20 reports of fires, nine of which involved property damage beyond the vehicle; however, no injuries have been reported at this time, stated a company spokesperson. Polaris has also issued a recall of its 2006, 2007 and 2008 Outlaw IRS ATVs, they added, because a retention bolt can come loose, causing the rear wheels to lock up and the rider can be seriously injured. The company received 11 reports of this happening and one injured rider, the spokesperson explained.
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ATV Deaths On the Rise
“Deaths in all-terrain vehicle accidents are on the rise, a trend that is exacerbating tensions over pending safety regulations as the popularity of four wheeled vehicles surges,” stated The Wall Street Journal. The paper told us the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(UPSC) has estimated that 870 people died in ATV accidents in 2005, up from 860 in 2004 and 606 in 2002. “Medical groups and consumer activists seized on these figures to support their push for stricter ATV regulations, particularly those aimed at children under age 16, who sustained nearly 30 percent of serious ATV related injuries in 2006,” the Journal explained. However, ATV manufacturers have fought back saying the data shows their products are inherently safe and the death toll is rising because more people are riding, but the risk of death has remained the same, the paper said, adding, “Even as the number of four wheelers roughly doubled between 2000 and 2005, the estimated risk of death remained about one in 10,000.” (Four pages of text on this issue are contained in the 2nd edition of Rick’s Motorcycle Industry e-Newsletter. Log on to
www.mimag.com/enewsletter to subscribe).
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Bill Proposes All Minors Wear Helmets
Hawaii Representative Barbara Marumoto (R-East Honolulu) has proposed a new bill that would require minors to wear a helmet while on an ATV. According to the KOHN2 Web site, if Marumoto’s bill is passed into law, anyone under 18 would be required to wear a helmet on an ATV; Hawaii already has a law requiring anyone under 16 to wear one while riding a bicycle. “Every year they’re finding about 136,000 injuries and of those injuries 40,000 plus have been in children under 16. So we’ve got to stop these injuries somehow,” she explained. Susan
Steinemann, Queen’s Medical Center E.R. Surgeon, added, “I would say that in general it’s not the safest thing for your young child to do anyway, but if your child has an ATV or bike then absolutely they should be wearing a helmet.”
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Moose Racing’s Contingency Program
Moose ATV Racing has continued its support for the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series
(GNCC) with its 2008 contingency program, stated ATV Quad News. The site explained, “Racers who purchase gear at participating Parts Unlimited/Moose Racing retailers and race at least 10 GNCC events will receive free gloves, as well as up to $200 in free race gear.” This new program will reportedly reward up to $15,000 in new gear and gloves. It is in addition to Moose’s existing contingency program, which awards GNCC Class Champions with a complete Moose Racing outfit, including Moose racing pants, jersey and gloves, as well as Thor boots, the site told us. “With GNCC Series hosting 65 classes in 2008, that’s an additional contingency package of $26,000, bringing the total program to $31,000,” it added.
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NH ATV Bid Rejected
The Boston Globe reported, “The federal government has denied New Hampshire’s request to allow all-terrain vehicles on some snow covered rail trail corridors, striking down the state’s attempt to classify the offroad vehicles as snowmobiles.” The paper explained, New Hampshire had asked the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to allow the vehicles on about 160 miles of the state’s federally funded rail trails, which would have required the ATVs to be classified as snowmobiles, because they are the only motorized vehicles allowed on the trails. The government reportedly rejected the waiver, saying ATVs are not snowmobiles and effective immediately, signs have been posted banning ATVs from the trails.
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Big Island Cites ATV riders
The Big Island (HI) police department is warning all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts that riders caught operating the vehicles or dirt bikes on any public road or private road open to the public will be cited, the Honolulu Advertiser stated. “Vehicles that use public roads and highways must meet federal motor vehicle safety standards and ATVs fail to meet those standards,” the paper said. It added, the Big Island police department has also warned ATV riders not to use their vehicles on public beaches or on private lands without the landowner’s permission. “People caught operating ATVs on public roads can be cited for failure to display valid license plates, no safety check, no weight tax sticker and no no-fault insurance,” the Advertiser told us.
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Kentucky Ranks High In ATV Deaths
“Kentucky topped a national list of states with the highest fatality rate caused by all-terrain vehicles in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s
(CPSC) annual report,” stated the Murray State News’ Web site. The site explained, Kentucky totaled 367 ATV related deaths in 2006 and among those about 30 percent were children under the age of 16. Pennsylvania, California, West Virginia and Texas were the other states with the highest number of ATV related deaths, the site added. “The CPSC outlines several tips like being trained, wearing protective gear, never riding as a passenger or riding with a passenger and not driving under the influence in order to operate ATVs safely,” the News said.
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Attorneys Team Up For Tellico Rescue
“BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) and United Four Wheel Drive Association
(UFWDA) are teaming up with their nationally recognized attorneys in the fight for project ‘Rescue Tellico’,” stated spokesperson Greg
Mumm. He explained, this alliance, in cooperation with Southern Four Wheel Drive Association, is an effort to consolidate their collective expertise, resources and other strengths derived from their “grassroots” memberships. “Collectively BRC and UFWDA represent over half a million recreationists committed to responsible and sustainable vehicle-based recreation on public lands,” said
Mumm. Rescue Tellico is said to be a program to protect off-highway vehicle
(OHV) access in the Upper Tellico OHV Area, located in North Carolina, which is reportedly a premiere OHV destination throughout the Eastern Seaboard and Southern US.
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Pervious ATV
Newswires
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