Comment from Chandra Thorbole

Please find attached a summary regarding ATV engineering issues provided by Drs David Renfroe and Chandra K Thorbole of The Engineering Institute in Farmington, AR. Dr. Thorbole has collaborated with a group conducting multidiscplinary research on ATV safety for children based at the Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute. This work has included the development of a validated model of a full sized ATV ridden by a child. Further work by this group is planned to explore the challenges of handling an ATV by a child. We recognize, with Chairman Adler, that it is important to consider the real-world use of the vehicles in rulemaking (eg children are riding the vehicles even though they are not designed for children). However, we are concerned that the new standards may not do much to protect children since it is evident that further research to improve stability and other aspects of the vehicles is still required. Further, while a uniform policy approach is desirable, it is as yet unclear whether existing state level policies are effective in preventing ATV injury. Arkansas ATV Research Group Mary Aitken, MD MPH James Helmkamp, PhD Chandra Thorbole, PhD Stephen Bowman, PhD Beverly Miller, Med Hope Mullins, MPH James Graham, MD