On August 14, 2008 Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. This piece of legislation includes a section that deals with the amount of lead that is allowable in products used by children under 12 years of age. Certain parts of an off -highway vehicle (OHV) contain more than is allowable by this new law. These parts require a small, but not unreasonable amount of lead, for example in battery terminals to conduct electricity or tire valves for air retention.
The Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) is supportive of reducing lead in products that truly present a risk to children. We also believe that exclusions should be made for parts that do not pose a rick to children, as is the case with youth OHVs. Currently the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) have requested an exclusion, as is allowed in this law, for parts that are unlikely to harm children. Unfortunately the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has yet to grant this exclusion and as a result powersports dealers currently have inventory in stock which possess no threat to children, and makes many youth vehicles unavailable to sell. This puts an undue financial strain on industry that is already struggling.
ORBA urges its members and all OHV enthusiasts to contact their respective Members of Congress to request their support for the request for exclusion currently before the CPSC. Without government action parents will not be able to buy the appropriate sized OHV for their children. Visit the MIC website (www.mic.org ) for more information.