Amongst Other Dangerous Chinese Imports, ATVs Are Added to the List

Here’s another product to add to the growing list of dangerous Chinese imports: besides contaminated pet food and toys coated in lead paint, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are the latest danger to consumers. What’s even more frightening is that this specific type of ATV is marketed to young children; in fact, children as young as six have reported using the Fushin ATV.

The Fushin ATV is painted bright yellow and offers bargain-shopping parents a welcoming price at $250. However, the Fushin is missing one important feature: front brakes. Furthermore, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Fushin also has sharp handlebars that could cause injury. Luckily, in May, the manufacturer agreed to a voluntary recall of the models. Nevertheless, that did not solve the problem as the CPSC discovered a shipment of the ATVs at a U.S. port of entry, where customs officials seized the items for failing to meet domestic safety standards.

In response to the $5 billion market for ATVs, the CPSC is launching a global campaign to improve the safety of the extremely popular product. The statistics surrounding ATVs are not encouraging: in fact, according to the CPSC, ATVs contribute to about 900 deaths per year. Overall, ATVs cause more deaths than any of the 15,000 other products the commission regulates.