199

- 12 FINALLY SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY - - TO HALT CURRENT PRODUCTION AND SALE OF ITS 3 - WHEELED ATVS UNTIL SATISFIED THAT A FAR SAFER DESIGN IS IN THE

OFFING ,

PERHAPS GOING EXCLUSIVELY TO A 4 - WHEEL CONFIGURATION OR DESIGNING

THE 3 - WHEEL MODELS WITH INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION , SMALLER REAR WHEELS ,

AND A LOWER CENTER OF GRAVITY WILL REDUCE UNNECESSARY RISKS - - PERHAPS MARKEDLY . SOME INDICATIONS TO DATE TEND TO POINT IN THOSE DIRECTIONS . BUT THE CPSC CAN ' T CONFIRM THAT YET . PERHAPS THE MANUFACTURERS CAN , IN VIEW OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE THEIR CURRENT MARKETING EFFORTS TO PUSH SALES OF THE 4 - WHEEL VERSION AS WELL AS NEWER GENERATIONS OF 3 - WHEEL MODELS , SOME WITH ALL OF THOSE FEATURES . I ' VE RECENTLY LEARNED FROM SVIA THAT 44 % OF ATV SHIPMENTS FOR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1985 WERE 4 - WHEEL MODELS .

BUT , MR . CHAIRMAN , LET ME EMPHASIZE THAT EFFORTS AIMED AT IMPROVING FUTURE PRODUCTION , WHILE THEY SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED , MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM AT HAND ,

NOTWITHSTANDING THE PUSH TO PROMOTE DRIVER TRAINING , AGE LABELING ,

CAUTIONS , SAFETY ADVERTISING , THE 4 - WHEEL MODEL AND TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED 3 - WHEEL VEHICLES , THE FACT REMAINS THAT THERE ARE IN EXCESS OF ONE MILLION EARL IER VERSIONS OF 3 - WHEEL ATVS ALREADY IN USE , THESE

VEHICLES MAY POSE A SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF INJURY TO CONSUMERS WHICH WILL

HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED . IF THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH A REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT PROGRAM , THAT ' S FINE . BUT DEPENDING ON THE COMMISSION ' S UPCOMING ASSESSMENT , COMPLETE OR PARTIAL RECALL OF " OLD - STYLE “ ATVS , BY THE COMMISSION OR BY THE COMPANIES , MAY PROVE TO BE NECESSARY ,

*

*

*

*

*

*