Vroom Report - February 11, 2003:

In this issue:
ATV Safety Picture Only Gets More Bleak
Yellowstone Girds for Heaviest Snowmobile Weekend
Administration Scheduled to Release Final Yellowstone Environmental Study by Month's End

ATV Safety Picture Only Gets More Bleak: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a new report on February 4 that provides additional evidence of the growing all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety problem. By virtually every measure, the number of ATV-related injuries and risk of injury to riders increased significantly between 1997 and 2001, with children under 16 continuing to suffer disproportionately. This report represents the first comprehensive assessment of this problem by the agency since 1997.

In assessing trends between 1997 and 2001, the Commission concludes:

· The number of ATV-related injuries requiring emergency room treatment increased by 104 percent to 111,700.

· Injuries caused by bigger and faster ATVs, those with engines greater than 400 cc, increased by 567 percent to 24,437. This increase is more than twice as great as the increase in the number of these ATVs in use during this period.

· Injuries per 1,000 ATVs jumped 46 percent. Injuries per 1,000 ATVs with engines bigger than 400 cc increased 120 percent. These findings are particularly important because they demonstrate that rising injuries are not solely explained by rising sales.

· The number of injuries suffered by children under 16 increased nearly 57 percent to 33,071 while their share of the riding population grew by 9 percent.

· Children under 16 continue to suffer significantly more injuries than older riders. Children suffered nearly twice as many injuries as older riders when analyzed based on a fixed number of ATVs.

View the full CPSC report.

Yellowstone Girds for Heaviest Snowmobile Weekend: Presidents' Day weekend is the height of the snowmobile season in Yellowstone. Snowmobile use has traditionally been heaviest over the long weekend. Rather than provide long-term protection for America's fist National Park by phasing out snowmobiles and guaranteeing winter access via a mass transit system, the Bush Administration's policy is to "mitigate" negative impacts on public health and safety, wildlife and natural resources. Last winter, it provided rangers at the west entrance with respirators to reduce their exposure to toxic snowmobile emissions. This winter, many rangers will also be outfitted with hearing protection as a stop-gap measure to limit the risk of high-end hearing loss.

Administration Scheduled to Release Final Yellowstone Environmental Study by Month's End: The Department of Interior is currently scheduled to release its final environmental review concerning the impacts of snowmobiles in Yellowstone by the end of this month. This $2.4 million study is all but certain to endorse continued large-scale snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In late January, newspaper articles from across the country highlighted how this document - ordered by the Bush Administration pursuant to a settlement with the snowmobile industry - reaffirms previous findings by the Park Service: air quality, wildlife and public health and safety will continue to suffer even with redesigned snowmobiles. The report reiterates that providing winter access via a mass transit system is the best way to protect the parks for future generations.

Scott Kovarovics
Director, Natural Trails and Waters Coalition
(202) 429-2696
scott_kovarovics@tws.org

The Natural Trails and Waters Coalition includes conservation, recreation, hunting and other groups working to protect and restore all public lands and waters from the severe damage caused by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, jet skis and all other off-road vehicles.