The New York Times’ Leslie Wayne investigates the proverbial white whale of federal product safety regulation — All-Terrain Vehicles, which kill about 900 people a year. Wayne looks at how ATVs are being regulated after a bill was passed last year to strengthen the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They are now mandatory, not voluntary, standards for how ATVs have to be designed to be legally sold in the U.S. But a stronger CPSC seems to be essentially canceled out by the proliferation of Chinese-manufactured ATVs. These ATVs are cheaper, aimed at children and it is hard to ascertain liability when a dangerous product is made.

I wrote a report for Understanding Government on the history of CPSC and I think that Wayne’s reporting comes down a bit hard on the Chinese. The last few paragraphs of the story are more telling than the first few: ATVs have always been a riddle for CPSC. The “traditional” ATV companies Wayne describes — Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki — made ATVs that hundreds of people died while riding in the 1980’s.

One problem has always been what a strange product an ATV is. CPSC regulates a lot but it’s often products like coffeemakers or furniture. ATVs are one step away from a car and it’s never been clear why transit-oriented agencies don’t get involved. Moreover, why isn’t there any license or registration for ATV users?

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