AMA calls for all
motorcyclists to help stop the ban of youth
OHVs
PICKERINGTON, Ohio --
The sport of off-highway
recreation is seriously threatened by recent
legislation that imposes strict lead content
guidelines on children's everyday toys. The
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
of 2008 (CPSIA) has effectively banned the
sale of youth off-highway vehicles (OHVs).
The
American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) is calling for action now to help
reverse the potentially devestating effect
this could have on the sport of OHV
recreation.
"The unavailability of youth OHVs will
devastate family OHV recreation and
cripple amateur competition, creating a
domino effect across all aspects of
motorized recreation," said AMA Vice
President for Government Relations Ed
Moreland. "All motorcyclists, whether
they recreate off-road or not, need to
come to the defense of our youngest
riders and help ensure the future
availability of youth OHVs."
A quick and effective way to help is to
write or call your representative and
the
Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) and let them know petitions exist
to exclude certain vehicles from the
final rule governing the law. You can
send your representative a letter by
using the Take Action button in the
Issues and Legislation
section of
www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
To contact the CPSC directly, use the
contact form
here.
According to section
101(a) of the enacted legislation, all
youth products containing lead must have
less than 600 parts per million (ppm) by
weight. The CPSC has interpreted the law
to apply to various components of youth
OHVs including the engine, brakes,
suspension, battery and other mechanical
parts. Even though the lead levels in
these parts are small, they are still
above the minimum threshold.
In order to assure
continued availability and access to
youth OHVs, the Motorcycle Industry
Council (MIC) and Specialty Vehicle
Industry Association (SVIA) submitted
petitions to the CPSC asking that
certain vehicles be excluded from the
final rule governing the law.
"It is critical that
Congress and the CPSC know that these
petitions exist and that by acting on
them they will maintain a vital form of
recreation for American families,
preserve youth racing and protect the
thousands of jobs associated with this
industry," Moreland added. "We are
asking all motorcyclists to write or
call their representatives and the CPSC
today and ask them to approve the
petition to exclude youth OHVs from the
CPSIA lead content requirements."
