Regulators Push Safety Standards for A.T.V.’s

“It’s basically a race to the bottom to see who can get the cheapest machine,” said Matthew Camp, an industry analyst with Power Products. “For some Chinese companies, it is how many units can they pump out in order to survive. Margins are thin and they have to pump them out to make money.”

On average, the commission reports, more than 100 children are killed each year in A.T.V. accidents, and 40,000 more are sent to the emergency room. The commission does not break down whether those accidents occurred on Chinese A.T.V.’s or domestic ones.

Until last year’s Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, A.T.V. safety standards were strictly voluntary and followed only by the traditional sellers. The trade association representing traditional A.T.V. makers welcomed the mandatory standards as a way of leveling the playing field with the imports.

Paul Vitrano, general counsel for the trade association the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, accompanied Mrs. Tenenbaum on her trip to China.

The mandatory standards govern design and require A.T.V. makers and dealers to provide buyers with free classes and videos in safe A.T.V. use.

“Our trip to China showed there was a lack of understanding or information about the new standards,” Mr. Vitrano said. “We told the Chinese that there can be virtually no Chinese exports to the U.S. without compliance. Some companies are ahead of the game in complying. Others are not aware of it or don’t understand what to do.”

Of course, traditional sellers have much to gain from shutting their rising competitors out of the American market, or, at least, leveling the playing field. And most deaths on A.T.V.’s are adults, most often riding one of the traditional vehicles.

For that reason, consumer advocates say the mandatory standards are inadequate, regardless of who makes the vehicle.

“A.T.V.’s have been killing and maiming for years,” said Sue Rabe, who helped found Concerned Families for ATV Safety, after her 10-year-old son was killed when the A.T.V. he was driving rolled over and fell on him.

“This is taking the Chinese up to the American standard. But the American standard isn’t good, either. These things should be regulated like cars. They are powerful and people don’t understand that until it is too late. There is no way you can replace a loved one.”

Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer Federation of America, said that domestic A.T.V. manufacturers supported mandatory safety standards to fight back against the increase in market share from the imports.

“They wanted to shift the focus from safety in general to the Chinese imports,” Ms. Weintraub said. “We still have a problem. They are not looking at the vehicles and saying what can be done to reduce the number of deaths and injuries.”

All A.T.V. makers face another challenge, too. The new safety legislation limits the lead content that can be in any product intended for use by children under 12, and A.T.V.’s have many lead parts. Rather than ban all child-size A.T.V.’s until the lead is removed, the Consumer Product Safety Commission placed a two-year stay on enforcing these provisions.

The delay was motivated by concern that if smaller A.T.V.’s were banned, children would just use adult-size vehicles. The commission says that more than 90 percent of the accidents involving children occur because they are operating A.T.V.’s that are too large and powerful for them.

David Corneille, the owner of Blackbeard Power Sports in Clinton Township, Mich., a Detroit suburb, said he did not see the popularity of Chinese models waning.

Over five years of selling Chinese imports, he says the quality has only gone up. Then there is the other factor. At his store, an average A.T.V. for a child sells for about $500, while a model for teenagers costs approximately $800.

“With all the unemployment, it’s tough for the American public,” he said. “They want something they can afford.”