ATV Age CC Guidelines to be Phased Out

Pickerington, OH (11/24/2008) - President Bush this summer signed into law House Bill 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which mandates some important requirements for ATV manufacturers.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission on November 14 published the new requirements in the Federal Register as a mandatory consumer product standard. The standard takes effect 150 days after it was published.

What does this mean for ATV riders?

The new law sets safety and equipment standards that all new ATVs manufactured in the United States, or imported for sale in the United States, must meet.

We believe purchasers will have more youth model ATVs to choose from, since we have already seen the introduction of new 2009 youth models.

Also, under the new law, manufacturers and distributors will have to submit action plans to the CPSC. These action plans will include how safety training will be provided to purchasers and how other safety related materials will be distributed.

The new standards do away with the unrealistic age/cc guidelines that have been in place for years. Now, new youth ATVs will be designated for specific ages of riders based on the maximum unrestricted speed of the machine.

There will be four categories:

Youth (6+) 15 mph,
Youth (10+) 30 mph,
Youth (12+) 30 mph, and
Transitional (14+) 38 mph.

This new law will make it easier for dealers and families alike when it comes to selecting a new ATV for junior. Simply read the label on the machine. Forget about the engine size.

If the label says "for 10+" all you and the dealer need to know is the age of your child.

Prior to this law, anyone could build an ATV and it didn't have to meet any basic safety standards. In recent years this created a flood of inexpensive foreign imports.

Meanwhile, most of the long-standing ATV manufacturers agreed in 1988 to a set of safety standards and offered hands-on FREE rider training that the recent imports did not.

With the new law, this has all changed.

How will this effect states that currently have laws on the books that say your 13-year-old child can only ride 90cc machines is unclear.

We are looking into this, and other issues, and will keep you posted.

About the ATVA:
The ATVA, sister organization of the American Motorcyclist Association, is the only national organization devoted exclusively to fighting for the rights of ATVers. More members mean more clout to fight to protect your right to ride. To join the ATVA, call (800) ATVA-JOIN, or go to www.ATVAonline.com.

Fighting for your Rights

All Terrain Vehicle Association
P.O. Box 800
Pickerington, OH 43147-0800

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