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responsible government and a prudent industry to work together towards the

immediate elimination of the grave human dangers associated with

these

vehicles .

We have not studied all state laws relating to ATVs ; however , the only regula

tion of ATVs by Alabama state law is their restriction to off - road use unless

extensively modified .

And , it is of more than casual interest that these

large , potentially high - speed , motorized vehicles can be driven by children of any age , without adult supervision , as long as they remain off public thorough fares . No safety precautions , helmets , age limit , or training courses are

required to operate an ATV . Dealers may encourage use of safety helmets and

speed control devices that come with some of the vehicles , but none of these are required by law for off - road use .

a rear

re

ATVs are available in a variety of sizes and models . However , several gener alizations about these vehicles can be made : ( 1 ) there is an inherent lack of stability of the vehicle due to the triangular wheel base design ; ( 2 ) ATVS generally lack a rear suspension system capable of absorbing shocks resulting from bumps ; and ( 3 ) the driver must lean opposite a turn in contrast to two wheel vehicles where one leans into a turn . Of course , ATVs are more stable than two wheel - based bicycles and motorcycles , a characteristic relatively appealing , albeit somewhat misleading , to the safety - minded parent who would not otherwise allow a child to operate a motorcycle - type vehicle .

We obtained manufacturer ' s advertising brochures on nine models of three - wheel ATVs and five models of the newer four - wheel ATVS produced by three major manu facturers . Weights ranged from 169 . 8 lbs . , one of the smallest models " built

irers .

one

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