The number of kids killed while riding all-terrain vehicles - or ATVs - has jumped more than 40% in a 4 year span.* That's prompting politicians all over the country to adopt new laws to protect children who ride them. But ATVs aren't the only problem. In fact, a new study in the Journal Pediatrics proves there are plenty of other motorized threats that may be going unnoticed.

45 states already have laws designed to protect kids on ATVs. In fact, starting July 1st, minors in Florida won't be able to ride ATVs without adult supervision.** But some safety experts say if we're looking to protect kids, we should look other places too.

"We looked at basically anything with a motor," says Christy Collins at Columbus Children's Hospital. "That includes go-carts, golf carts, dune buggies, 2-wheeled on-road vehicles, 2-wheeled off-road vehicles - anything that might have a motor that kids could ride."

And what Collins found was alarming. Between 1990 and 2003 more than one million kids were hurt on motorized vehicles, including scooters.*** They might seem small and seemingly harmless, but it is the less-powerful gadgets that account for more than half of the injuries.

11-year old Erin Gray is a diver, a softball player and a gymnast. While she takes plenty of risks in competition, it was a ride in a golf cart with a friend that nearly took her life.

"I remember waking up in the grass because she lifted me up and they just kept asking me a bunch of questions and my back was burning really badly," says Gray.

Erin had fractured her skull, and to this day, she won't ride anything motorized without a seatbelt. But that's a message many kids, and many parents, still haven't gotten.

"All motorized vehicles pose an injury risk to children. It doesn't have to be a high-powered ATV to pose a risk of injury and parents should be aware of all vehicles with motors," says Collins.

Overall, the number of injures from 1990-2003 shot up a staggering 86%.** Experts say some of the most dangerous motorized vehicles are the scooters and miniature motorcycles that you can buy right from store shelves.

*U-S Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Register
Volume 70, Number 198, pages 1-6, Oct. 2005
http://www.cpsc.gov

** Five States Put Brakes on ATV Laws
USA Today June 24, 2007
Please click here to see article

***Children Plus all Nonautomobile Motorized Vehicles (Not Just All-Terrain Vehicles) Equals Injuries
Pediatrics, Volume 120, Number 1, July 2007

Columbus Children's Hospital