a wheelie " to get the front of the ATV in the air , it overturned on him causing a

broken arm , facial lacerations , a broken nose and a concussion but luckily no per

manent injuries .

We have reviewed the casualties and they are grim . You will hear a great deal today

about the causes : inherent instability , difficulty in controlling the vehicles ,

inexperienced drivers , riding double , speeding . One message is clear - - children

under 16 seem to be at the greatest risk attempting to control and stabilize the

ATV .

What about cures ? Our traditional approach would dictate : 1 ) developing an aware ness of the popularity of ATV ' s particularly among children and recognizing the inherent danger in their use ; 2 ) counseling and educating parents that these are not

toys and that depending upon design , construction and use they are quite hazardous ;

3 ) discouraging the use of ATV ' s ; 4 ) developing safety guidelines for those disre

garding the hazard warnings ; 5 ) dvising use of helmets and protective clothing ; and , 6 ) developing regulations for safe use , safety performance standards and demonstrable driver competence .

Our experience with efforts to curtail injuries from the two - wheel vehicles does not

hold much promise of success using traditional educational methods and voluntary

cooperative approaches to the ATV menace .

The CPSC announced plan of action , to conduct hazard analysis , undertake engineering ,

human and mechanical analysis , to hold public hearings , and to monitor voluntary

industry standards and education efforts , is to be commended but while the clock runs

injuries and fatalities will continue to rise .

There are over 2 million ATV ' s

already in use and a projected 2 . 5 million by the end of 1985

Action must be taken now in spite of the data paralysis .

As I noted previously , the Academy is developing a statement on this issue . As a

practicing pediatrician with over 20 years devoted to accidents and injury prevention

it appears to me that in good conscience what the situation calls for is an immediate

voluntary moratorium on the sale of new ATV ' s while we accumulate the necessary data

to insure acceptable safe use . This would be true responsible industry cooperation .