Consumer Federation of America and friends gear up for campaign against All Terrain Vehicles.CPSC's involvement with ATV (1) (Advanced TV) An early name for the digital TV standard proposed by the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS). See ACATS. See also ATV Forum. (2) (Analog TV) Refers to the NTSC, PAL and SECAM analog TV standads. (all-terrain vehicle all-ter·rain vehicle n. Abbr. ATV A small, open motor vehicle having one seat and three or more wheels fitted with large tires. It is designed chiefly for recreational use over roadless, rugged terrain. ) safety dates back to the early 1980s. Despite a thorough airing of the issues at that time, and despite a ten-year government-industry consent decree A settlement of a lawsuit or criminal case in which a person or company agrees to take specific actions without admitting fault or guilt for the situation that led to the lawsuit. A consent decree is a settlement that is contained in a court order. which addressed many of the hazards associated with the vehicles, pro-regulation groups are still demanding more government action. The Consumer Federation of America The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, education and advocacy. According to CFA's website, its members are approximately 300 consumer-oriented non-profits, which themselves have , (CFA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986) Signed into law in 1986, the CFA was a significant step forward in criminalizing unauthorized access to computer systems and networks. The Act applies to "federal interest computers" that include any system used by the U.S. ), joined by several environmental-conservation groups, petitioned CPSC CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission (US) CPSC Computer Science (course) CPSC Canadian Plastics Sector Council (Ottawa, ON, Canada) CPSC Chemical Processing Safety Committee in August to ban the sale of 4-wheel ATVs to children under 16 and to offer refunds to those who purchased three-wheeled ATVs for children. As reported in the Monitor in November, CPSC lawyers docketed the portion of the petition calling for a ban on the four wheelers but not on the issue of refunds. CPSC accepted comments on that portion of the petition until Dec. 17. In early December, CFA, together with the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition, issued a news release urging parents not to buy ATVs for their kids. Calling ATV injuries "a hidden epidemic," CFA's Rachel Weintraub said the group was concerned that too many parents give ATVs to their children without knowledge about the potential injuries. (3) CFA said that a report by "Good Morning America Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. The show was adapted from The Morning Exchange, a morning show created by and airing on the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio, and was launched nationally as " on Nov. 8 demonstrated that many ATV dealers were not informing potential purchasers of ATVS about the hazards of children under 16 using adult-sized ATVs. ATV enthusiasts groups have responded that the problem is not the products, but is caused by inexperienced users and lack of adult supervision. CPSC is scheduled to release in early January a new joint government-industry study on ATV safety. The Monitor warns consumers to look out for another high-pressure effort to get the media and Congress involved in the effort to regulate ATVs and their use in the coming year. (3) "Don't Put an ATV on Your List this Holiday Season; ATV Dealers Fail to Warn Parents of Potential Dangers," news release from the Consumer Federation of America and the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition," Dec. 4, 2002. |
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