Statement of purpose Despite warnings from manufacturers, federal agencies, and consumer and safety advocates that all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are unsafe on roadways, a majority of states have passed laws allowing ATVs on roads even while the majority of ATV deaths take place on roads. We will inform participants about this legal and statistical trend by sharing our research as well as offer ways that advocates and officials on the federal, state and local levels can help to prevent these deaths and injuries

Methods/Approach Legal research showing the trend in state laws allowing ATVs on roads and how local decision making plays a part. Analysis of ATV and Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle (ROV) fatality data both from a 2013 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) paper and 2014 fatality data gathered from news and other sources for Consumer Federation of America’s ATV safety webpage. While the IIHS paper was published in a peer reviewed journal we hope that the selection committee will allow the inclusion of its data as it is important background and is particularly useful when compared to the (non-peer reviewed) 2014 data.

Results Thirty-five states allow ATVs some access to roads, and since 2004, 22 states have enacted laws increasing legal ATV access to roads in some way. States are passing these laws despite the fact that on-road deaths increased twice as fast as off-road deaths from 1998—2007 and that the majority of ATV related deaths take place on roads.

Conclusions To reduce deaths and injuries resulting from ATV and ROV use on roads it will take work at all levels: industry, public health officials, as well as policymakers at the federal, state and local level.

Significance and contribution to the field This presentation features the first national survey of laws regarding the regulation of ATV use on roads, the most comprehensive analysis to date of both Consumer Product Safety Commission and National Highway Traffic Safety data of on-road ATV fatalities, and features ATV and ROV fatality data for 2014 collected by CFA.