309

May 21 , 1985

Members of the House Subcommittee on Commerce , Consumer and Monetary Affairs :

I am Susan Halbert , state program coordinator for the cooperative Extension Service of the the University of Alaska . I wish to offer testimony regarding the use of three - wheel all - terrain vehicles ( ATV8 ) .

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Since the fall , 1981 , I have been involved in developing safety education programs for ATV users . I am the author of the " Making Tracks " series and have developed numerous other programs aimed at increasing awareness of risks involved in using ATVs . The cooperative Extension Service has conducted safety seminars in over 200 villages throughout the state .

Alaska constitutes a major market for ATV manufacturers , and probably has the highest per capita ownership of such vehicles . No state compares with Alaska in the varied environmental conditions under which ATVS are used . And , jo population group uses the vehicles for as many purposes .

This point is crucial : Alaskans use three - wheeled and similar all - terrain vehicles for work , for basic transportation and for recreation . Many areas in the state are roadless and ATVS provide the only means of transportation . These same areas have little economic base ; consequently , many Native and non Natives in rural Alaska must exist by hunting and fishing .

reas haven , ATVS provide the and for recreation

must economic base ; conso means of trango

An ATV becomes a small miracle to those who must depend on subsistence hunting and fishing for their lives . What else could it be to a man who must transport game weighing a hundred fifty pounds from the field to his home , a hundred miles away ? Health workers use the ATV to deliver health care . Emergency medical response is faster and more efficient with the ATV . Daily activity needs throughout Alaska are greatly facilitateå by these vehicles . Life in a roadless and sometimes harsh environment is made a little easier . And , for some , they offer a bit of fun and recreation that might otherwise not be available .

A second point I wish to make is that the safety issue regarding ATVS is not yet based on adequate data . The Consumer Product Safety Commission uses data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System . Therefore , the Commission ' s figures are merely estimates .

Alaska has the only epidemiological study on injuries associated with the use of ATVS . Alaska ' s study is the only one in the United States to address specifically the problem of ATV - related injuries and , consequently , has the only sound assessment of the risk factors involved in using the vehicles . The preliminary results of the study were published by the Centers for Disease Control in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of April 19 , 1985 .

This study clearly identifies driver inexperience , excessive alcohol , and not wearing a helmet as risk factors . Twenty deaths have been documented by this study as associated with ATV use . Fourteen of those deaths resulted from impacts to the head . Only Two of the fourteen wore a helmet .

Ten had alcohol in

Blood alcohol levels were measured in eleven victims . their blood . Eight were intoxicated .