FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Ken Luttrell
Capitol: (405) 557-7355
OKLAHOMA CITY (July 2, 2009) – Due to the efforts of motorcycle-riding legislators like state Reps. Ken Luttrell and Rex Duncan, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has voted to delay enforcement of a national ban on youth motorcycles and ATVs until May 1, 2011.
Luttrell, D-Ponca City, and Duncan, R-Sand Springs, together authored a resolution urging Congress and the CPSC to lift the national ban. Luttrell is now asking Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson to follow the lead of the CPSC and stay enforcement of the ban in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
“We need to know the position of the attorney general,” Luttrell said. “We hope he understands the importance and economic impact of family motorized recreation and that the minute amounts of lead in motorcycle and ATV parts pose no hazard to youth riders. The attorney general, who also enforces consumer protection law, should be aware that this ban could actually be very dangerous for children because it may force them to ride machines that are too large and powerful for them. I urge him to use restraint and enforcement discretion to reach an outcome that enhances consumer safety.”
Luttrell has been busy helping Ponca City Ambucs prepare for the 34th Annual Grand National Motocross Championships, an international showcase for young riders from pee wee class to professional held from July 27 through Aug. 1. It is the largest event in north central Oklahoma bringing 2000 racers and 15,000 family and fans to the community. Youth participation in nationwide racing events was threatened by the motorcycle and parts ban.
The CPSIA was designed to protect children from lead in toys that might easily end up in children’s mouths. But the law was written so broadly that it also impacted children’s books, clothes, bicycles, motorcycles and ATVs.
As a result, the CPSIA – which took effect in February – stopped the sale of dirt bikes and ATVs designed for children age 12 and under. Under the law, all youth products containing lead must have less than 600 parts per million by weight. The CPSC has interpreted the law to apply to various components of youth-model motorcycles and ATVs, 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.
After the regulations were approved, dealers were told to halt all sales of vehicles designed for children age 12 and younger. In 2008, there were an estimated 100,000 youth bikes sold in the United States according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Dealers nationally are now stuck with close to $100 million in now-illegal unsold vehicles, according to estimates.