President Obama has signed a law that is designed to bring some relief to Americans who are affected by a product safety law that was enacted in 2008 in order to prevent children from obtaining toys containing lead.
The law went into effect in 2011 and risked prohibiting the sale of four-wheelers and dirt bikes meant for children aged 12 and younger.
Businesses selling these recreational vehicles, and the families who purchase those vehicles from them, asked the federal government for assistance in overcoming this struggle. Congress passed House Resolution 2715 to remove all-terrain vehicles for youth from the law, as well as their printed materials and parts.
One of the sponsors of the bill was Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, said that America must be a world leader for children’s toy standards. He added that “Keeping kids safe should be our No. 1 priority, but at a certain point, common sense has to kick in.” Barton explained that the new bill is an effort made in good faith in order to help repair some of the issues that had been included in the previous law.
The original law was created following problems with recalls of children’s toys made in China and elsewhere in 2007. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was passed by Congress in the attempt to keep toys with high lead levels out of the hands of children.
Though it is important to help keep lead levels from damaging the brains of children, the federal law went beyond toys and took in books, clothing, dirt bikes, and four wheelers for kids.
As dirt bikes and four wheelers are now easier to buy, sell, and repair, this should have a positive effect on insurance rates. Especially following the release of data that has shown that the majority of injuries on these devices occur on adult-size models, as they are more difficult for children to ride, they are faster, and they are larger.