Date: 08/13/2015

Final
Presentation from Children's Hospital of Colorado

OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
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02:19 PM -- Presentation from Children's Hospital of Colorado

Zach Zaslow and Dwayne Smith, Children's Hospital of Colorado (CHC), came to the table to present to the committee. A copy of their presentation (Attachment E) and an opposition paper from the Speciality Vehicle Institute of America (Attachment F) were distributed to the committee. Mr. Zaslow described Children's Hospital Colorado and the services it provides. He provided data on child fatalities on public roads in Colorado and nationally, and said that the growing numbers of OHV-related fatalities nationally can be linked to the increasing use of OHVs on public roads. He responded to questions on the reasons why the treatment of OHV-related accidents increased at CHC from 2013 to 2014.

Attachment E.pdfAttachment E.pdf Attachment F.pdfAttachment F.pdf

Mr. Zaslow provided the committee with data on the cost of emergency department and inpatient visits related to OHV accidents. Mr. Smith and Mr. Zaslow responded to questions on the location of accidents in the state for the data they had provided, and their policy recommendations in regards to the regulation of OHVs. Committee discussion ensued on the need for increased OHV identification. Mr. Smith and Mr. Zaslow responded to questions on the number of injuries that children suffer from other activities and the incidence of accidents on paved versus unpaved roads.

02:38 PM

Mr. Zaslow said that effective OHV injury prevention comes down to three things: education, engineering, and enforcement. Mr. Smith discussed the necessary equipment engineering standards that can increase OHV safety. Mr. Zaslow asked the committee to consider the possible negative impacts of allowing counties to set their own rules for the use of OHVs. He said that in an ideal world the CHC would like to see OHVs licensed and used only by adults. Mr. Smith and Mr. Zaslow responded to questions on the incidence of child-related bicycle accidents versus OHV accidents and the extremity of accidents from both.