BY TOM WHARTON
      THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

          The death of state Sen. Pete Suazo offers another tragic example of
      safety problems associated with increasingly popular all-terrain vehicles.
          The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 1999 there
      were 3,716 deaths associated with the recreational vehicles in the nation, an
      increase of 305 from the previous year. Between 1982 and 1999, there were
      67 deaths reported in Utah.
          Nationally, 84,800 injuries were recorded in 1999, the most recent year
      the commission has compiled statistics. Young people under 16 accounted
      for 28,700 of those injuries. For every 10,000 ATVs being used, 245 were
      involved in an injury-related accident.
          "It is a huge problem," said Suzanne Garcia of the Bureau of Land
      Management.
          Fred Hayes, who heads the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation's vehicle
      education program, said one of the problems is riders' unfamiliarity with the
      machines.
          "New riders to the sport do not get the right training," he said. "The
      machines are different than they have ever operated before. They handle
      differently than a motorcycle or a car."
          Utah law requires riders between the ages of 8 and 16 who do not
      possess a driver license to be certified in a safety class before they drive an
      ATV, off-road motorcycle, personal watercraft or snowmobile. Adults are not
      required to take safety classes.
          Last year, 2,314 were enrolled in an ATV, snowmobile or dirt bike class.
      There were 83,000 dirt bikes and ATVs registered in the state, up from
      68,000 in 1999.
          Hayes said there is no requirement for law enforcement agencies to
      report deaths to state parks. He was aware of three fatalities in 2000.
          BLM statistics from its popular Little Sahara Recreation Area near Delta
      recorded two deaths in 1998. There were four in 1999 and two in 2000, but
      none so far this year. There have been 150 accidents this year, however.
      "Accidents -- or at least the reporting and recording of accidents -- has
      dramatically increased over the last few years," Garcia said. "It is rare that a
      week goes by without a reported accident."
          The majority of accidents at Little Sahara are attributed to excessive
      speed and alcohol use. Garcia said other factors in the increase in accident
      are the popularity of ATVs and the increased power, size and speed of the
      vehicles.

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