Study: Children shouldn't operate ATVs

CHICAGO, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests all-terrain vehicles pose a serious risk of injury and even death to children.

The University of Arkansas and Arkansas Children's Hospital researchers, led by Dr. Chetan Shah, said their study was the largest ever conducted of ATV injuries in children.

ATVs -- motorized vehicles with large, low-pressure tires, designed for off-highway use -- can weigh up to 600 pounds and travel up to 75 miles per hour. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said U.S. ATV-related injuries in children under the age of 16 sent 40,400 children to hospital emergency rooms nationwide during 2005.

While reducing the size and power of the vehicles and wearing helmets might limit some injuries, he said there still remains the issue of whether children should be riding ATVs at all.

"The question is a little like asking, 'How can we make motorcycle use safer for 5-year-olds?' " Shah said. "The problem is that 5-year-olds should not be using motorcycles under any circumstances."

The findings were presented Tuesday in Chicago during the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.