Kim Smith doesn't need a study from West Virginia University to know that at least 10 children a day start out on an all-terrain vehicle and end up in a hospital bed: Her son is one of the statistics.

Bryan "B.J." Smith Jr., a 6-foot, 225-pound "jock" at 15, was riding an ATV during a family outing in Houston in 2005 when a dog ran in front of him. He swerved, lost control, and landed on the pavement 25 feet away, with no protective gear to cushion the impact.

B.J. suffered a brain injury, broken collarbone and ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and severe abrasions to his arms, legs and back. He died on the way to the hospital, but surgery for a brain hemorrhage brought him back.

Now more than two years into recovery, the teen from Opelousas, La., has learned to walk and talk, but remains depressed, occasionally suffering seizures and slowly losing his eyesight.

"From time to time, he says, 'I can't believe I did that. It was really stupid,'" says his mother.

Smith is a national outreach coordinator for Concerned Families for ATV Safety, a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by parents dedicated to reducing injuries and deaths among children. The group wants Congress to conduct an inquiry into the costs of childhood ATV accidents and to ban their use by all children under 16.

"For the families who've lost kids or had kids maimed, the costs are obvious," said Concerned Families co-founder Carolyn Anderson of Brockton, Mass.

Anderson's group commissioned the WVU study, which last year found the number of children under 16 admitted to the hospital after an ATV accident had jumped 70 percent, from six to 10 riders a day, between 2000 and 2004.

The industry questions those figures, saying WVU's data collection may be flawed, but study author Jim Helmkamp stands by his report, which was based on hospital records.

The year B.J. was injured, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 40,400 children were treated for ATV-related injuries. The number dipped slightly to 39,300 in 2006.

Debates over ATV safety often end up in state legislatures.

Massachusetts has legislation pending to raise its minimum age to ride from 10 to 14 years old.

In West Virginia, ATV legislation introduced in this year's session died because a committee chairwoman said it lacked safety measures. The bill would have banned ATVs from all paved roads, while giving county and municipal authorities leeway in regulating them. This is the second year lawmakers have failed to pass a tougher safety law.

Kim Smith doesn't need a study from West Virginia University to know that at least 10 children a day start out on an all-terrain vehicle and end up in a hospital bed: Her son is one of the statistics.

Bryan "B.J." Smith Jr., a 6-foot, 225-pound "jock" at 15, was riding an ATV during a family outing in Houston in 2005 when a dog ran in front of him. He swerved, lost control, and landed on the pavement 25 feet away, with no protective gear to cushion the impact.

B.J. suffered a brain injury, broken collarbone and ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and severe abrasions to his arms, legs and back. He died on the way to the hospital, but surgery for a brain hemorrhage brought him back.

Now more than two years into recovery, the teen from Opelousas, La., has learned to walk and talk, but remains depressed, occasionally suffering seizures and slowly losing his eyesight.

"From time to time, he says, 'I can't believe I did that. It was really stupid,'" says his mother.

Smith is a national outreach coordinator for Concerned Families for ATV Safety, a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by parents dedicated to reducing injuries and deaths among children. The group wants Congress to conduct an inquiry into the costs of childhood ATV accidents and to ban their use by all children under 16.

"For the families who've lost kids or had kids maimed, the costs are obvious," said Concerned Families co-founder Carolyn Anderson of Brockton, Mass.

Anderson's group commissioned the WVU study, which last year found the number of children under 16 admitted to the hospital after an ATV accident had jumped 70 percent, from six to 10 riders a day, between 2000 and 2004.

The industry questions those figures, saying WVU's data collection may be flawed, but study author Jim Helmkamp stands by his report, which was based on hospital records.

The year B.J. was injured, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that 40,400 children were treated for ATV-related injuries. The number dipped slightly to 39,300 in 2006.

Debates over ATV safety often end up in state legislatures.

Massachusetts has legislation pending to raise its minimum age to ride from 10 to 14 years old.

In West Virginia, ATV legislation introduced in this year's session died because a committee chairwoman said it lacked safety measures. The bill would have banned ATVs from all paved roads, while giving county and municipal authorities leeway in regulating them. This is the second year lawmakers have failed to pass a tougher safety law.

The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America estimates there are 8.6 million ATVs in use across the U.S., with 25 million operators.

Kathy Van Kleeck, the SVIA's vice president of government relations, says it's Southern states that generally don't address ATV safety issues.

The last state to pass what the SVIA says is comprehensive ATV safety legislation - including education requirements and parental supervision for youths and road and passenger prohibitions - was North Carolina in 2005.

Van Kleeck said the SVIA believes states should regulate ATV operator use while "at the federal level, lawmakers should regulate the vehicle itself to mandate a safety standard."

Legislation is pending in Congress that may change how ATVs are made. The debate is whether to require manufacturers to adopt uniform federal standards for braking, pitch stability and speed controls - all of which are now voluntary. It would also potentially lift engine restrictions on youth ATVs, allowing a third model for older teens to be marketed.

The bill, set for a vote next month, would also require adequate training, safety information and product support, recommended by the CPSC.

The SVIA maintains the industry's products are safe and fun, as long as parents supervise their children and put them on machines that aren't too big.

Accident statistics show that more than 90 percent of youth injuries and deaths are on adult-size ATVs. Currently, there are two youth models that cover riders until the age of 16.

The industry has proposed a third model for 14- and 15-year-olds, slightly larger than any of the current youth models on the market to accommodate larger teens.

The CPSC also wants three youth models on the market, but differs with the industry on the age limits and maximum speeds.

Anderson, of Concerned Families, said that if lawmakers won't ban children from using ATVs altogether, they should require every dealership to tell potential buyers about the death and injury rates for children.

"It seems to me as though that's only fair," she said.