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AND , DURING JUST THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS IN 1985 ( THRU APRIL ) , THERE WERE AN ESTIMATED 28 , 400 ATV - RELATED INJURIES TREATED IN HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOMS . THIS FIGURE REPRESENTS A STARTLING 80 %

INCREASE OVER THE NUMBER OF INJURIES TREATED DURING THE SAME FOUR

MONTH PERIOD IN 1984 ,

THE DEATH TOLL IS EQUALLY ALARMING . 161 FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH ATVS IN JUST OVER THREE YEARS ARE NOW KNOWN TO THE COMMISSION ; SPECIFICALLY , 17 DEATHS IN ' 82 , 51 DEATHS IN ' 83 , 69 DEATHS IN ' 84 , AND 24 DEATHS IN JUST THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 1985 . ( IN FACT , EVEN LAST YEAR ' S TOLL IS VERY INCOMPLETE SINCE DEATH CERTIFICATES FOR ' 84 CONTINUE TO COME TO OUR ATTENTION THROUGHOUT THIS CALENDAR YEAR . )

FROM OUR ANALYSIS THUS FAR , 45 % OF THE VICTIMS WERE KIDS UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE ; AND 24 % , KIDS UNDER 12 !

IN SUM , OVER THE LAST THREE - PLUS YEARS , MORE THAN 125 , 000 AMERICANS HAVE BEEN INJURED IN ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ATVS AND ANOTHER 161 KILLED . . . AND SO MANY OF THEM , YOUNGSTERS WHO HAD NO IDEA OF THE RISK THEY WERE UNDERTAKING ,

NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY BE COMFORTABLE WITH THESE NUMBERS AND THE ALARMING RATE OF INCREASE OF SERIOUS INJURIES AND DEATHS . I ' VE NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT FOR ANY PRODUCT HAZARD IN MY NEARLY SIX YEARS SERVING AS COMMISSIONER OF THIS AGENCY . THAT OBSERVATION WAS SHARED BY A SENIOR STAFF ANALYST FOR INJURY PATTERNS , WHO TOLD US RECENTLY THAT , IN HIS 12 YEARS WITH CPSC , HE HAS NEVER WITNESSED AN EMERGING SAFETY PROBLEM OF THESE DIMENSIONS . IF THIS RATE OF INJURY AND DEATH

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