Off-road vehicle statistics span recreation, sales, public-land visits, injuries, and deaths. The measures below distinguish historical surveys and estimates from reported CPSC counts, and identify the United States populations and periods involved.
Key Off-Road Vehicle Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- 36.3 million people participated in off-highway driving, ATV, or motorcycle use in the national survey cited for the 2008 USDA publication, United States.
- About one quarter of Americans participated in OHV recreation at least once during the prior year in the 2004 NSRE assessment.
- 11 million OHV-related visits to national forests were estimated for 2003 in the United States.
- OHV use represented about 5% of national-forest recreation visits in the United States in 2003.
- 876,000 ATVs were sold in the United States in 2005, according to the historical estimate reported by the Forest Service.
- ATV sales increased more than 272% from 1994 to 2005 in the historical industry comparison reported by the Forest Service.
- 714 OHV deaths were reported for incidents occurring in the United States in 2018.
- 990 OHV deaths were reported for incidents occurring in the United States in 2020.
- 2,448 reported OHV deaths occurred from 2018 through 2020 in the United States.
- ATVs accounted for 1,643 reported deaths in the United States from 2018 through 2020.
- Pennsylvania recorded 137 reported OHV deaths from 2018 through 2020.
- Children under 16 accounted for 288 reported OHV deaths from 2018 through 2020 in the United States.
- 70,400 OHV emergency-department-treated injuries were estimated for 2018 in the United States.
- 83,100 OHV emergency-department-treated injuries were estimated for 2020 in the United States.
- 372,800 OHV emergency-department-treated injuries were estimated for 2018 through 2022 in the United States.
- Utility vehicles represented 39,400 estimated injuries from 2018 through 2022, or 8% of the OHV total.
- 50,600 estimated injuries involved no passengers in the 2022 special-study sample, equal to 59% of known responses.
- 44,100 estimated injury victims were partially or fully ejected in the 2022 special-study sample, representing 81% of known responses.
Contents
- Participation and recreational scale
- Sales, visits, and public-land trends
- Fatalities by year and vehicle type
- Deaths by state and age
- Injury estimates and classification
- Injury circumstances and hazards
Off-Road Vehicle Participation Statistics and Recreational Scale
The USDA Forest Service’s national recreation material uses more than one definition. One historical survey estimate covered off-highway driving, ATV, and motorcycle use together, while the 2004 NSRE assessment defined OHV/off-road participation as off-highway driving of motor vehicles.
- The cited national recreation survey estimated about 36.3 million participants in off-highway driving, ATV, or motorcycle use in the United States. This is a historical survey-based estimate from the survey cited in the 2008 USDA publication, not a current participation count. (USDA Forest Service, Effects of all-terrain vehicles on forested lands and grasslands)
- The 2004 NSRE assessment found that about one quarter of Americans participated in OHV recreation at least once in the prior year. The estimate is historical and uses the report’s off-highway-driving definition. (USDA Forest Service, Off-highway vehicle recreation in the United States, regions, and states)
The NSRE observations were collected over roughly five years, from fall 1999 through late 2004. These participation measures should therefore be read as historical survey results, not as a current annual rate.
Off-Road Vehicle Sales, Visits, and Public-Land Trends
The historical sales and visitation measures describe different units. Sales count vehicles, while national-forest figures count visits and can include repeat use by the same person.
| Measure | Period | United States result |
|---|---|---|
| ATV units sold | 2005 | 876,000 |
| Increase in ATV sales | 1994–2005 | More than 272% |
| OHV visits to national forests | 2003 | Estimated 11 million |
| Share of national-forest recreation visits | 2003 | About 5% |
The Forest Service publication reported 876,000 ATV units sold in 2005 and reported that sales had increased more than 272% since 1994. The figures are attributed to a Specialty Vehicle Institute of America special report and are historical industry estimates, not a complete annual sales series. (USDA Forest Service, Effects of all-terrain vehicles on forested lands and grasslands)
For public-land use, the USDA material estimated 11 million OHV visits to national forests in 2003, representing about 5% of all recreation visits there. The 5% figure is a share of national-forest recreation visits, not a share of all United States recreation or a measure of unique visitors. (USDA Forest Service, Effects of all-terrain vehicles on forested lands and grasslands)
Off-Road Vehicle Fatality Statistics by Year and Vehicle Type
CPSC reported OHV deaths from incidents recorded in its Consumer Product Safety Risk Management System. The counts are not population- or exposure-adjusted rates, and CPSC cautions that the anecdotal CPSRMS data cannot infer all United States OHV fatalities.
| Period or category | Reported deaths |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 714 |
| 2019 | 744 |
| 2020 | 990 |
| 2018–2020 total | 2,448 |
| ATV deaths, 2018–2020 | 1,643 |
| ROV deaths, 2018–2020 | 635 |
| UTV deaths, 2018–2020 | 56 |
| Unknown ROV or UTV, 2018–2020 | 114 |
Reported deaths rose from 714 in 2018 to 990 in 2020, with 744 in 2019. The three-year total was 2,448 deaths, comprising 1,643 ATV deaths, 635 ROV deaths, 56 UTV deaths, and 114 deaths classified as unknown ROV or UTV.
Vehicle classifications depend on reported incident information and may include misclassification. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
CPSC also reported that fatal OHV incidents increased from 697 in 2018 to 964 in 2020. Incidents are not the same measure as deaths, and the series is not adjusted for exposure or population. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Off-Road Vehicle Deaths by State and Age Group
Raw state counts show where reported deaths were concentrated, but they do not establish which states had the highest risk. The counts are not adjusted for population or age distribution, and reporting was limited for Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin during 2018–2020.
| State | Reported OHV deaths, 2018–2020 | Share of national total |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 137 | 5.6% |
| California | 133 | 5.4% |
| West Virginia | 124 | 5.1% |
| Kentucky | 115 | 4.7% |
| Florida | 104 | 4.2% |
Pennsylvania recorded 137 reported deaths, followed by California with 133, West Virginia with 124, Kentucky with 115, and Florida with 104. Together, the five states accounted for 613 fatalities, about 25% of the national total, according to the rounded comparison in the CPSC report. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Age distribution adds another dimension to the reported fatality count:
- Children under 16 accounted for 288 deaths, or 12% of all decedents, from 2018 through 2020 in the United States.
- Children under 12 accounted for 127 deaths, or 5% of all decedents, during the same period.
- Among decedents under 16, 44% were younger than 12.
These are distributions among reported deaths, not age-specific risk rates. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Off-Road Vehicle Injury Estimates and Vehicle Classification
CPSC’s NEISS figures estimate emergency-department-treated injuries rather than all injuries. The annual estimates fluctuated across 2018–2022, and sampling error and vehicle-coding limitations matter when comparing years.
| Year | Estimated OHV emergency-department-treated injuries |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 70,400 |
| 2019 | 70,100 |
| 2020 | 83,100 |
| 2021 | 78,800 |
| 2022 | 70,400 |
| 2018–2022 total | 372,800 |
The five-year estimate was 372,800 injuries. Annual estimates were 70,400 in 2018, 70,100 in 2019, 83,100 in 2020, 78,800 in 2021, and 70,400 in 2022. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Utility vehicles, defined in the report as ROVs and UTVs under product code 5044, represented 39,400 estimated injuries, or 8% of the 2018–2022 total. Product code 5044 represented 4% of estimated OHV injuries in 2018 and 14% in 2022, but CPSC said the increase may reflect improved classification, actual frequency changes, or both; ROV and UTV estimates may be understated when narratives classify them as ATVs. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Off-Road Vehicle Injury Circumstances, Occupants, and Hazards
The 2022 special-study sample provides detail about passengers, victim roles, ejection, and rollover circumstances. Percentages that refer to known responses exclude unknown or unstated answers, so they are not always shares of every estimated injury.
- No passengers were involved in 50,600 estimated injuries, or 59% of known responses, in 2022.
- One passenger was involved in 22,600 estimated injuries, or 26% of known responses, in 2022.
- Two or more passengers were involved in 13,000 estimated injuries, or 15% of known responses, in 2022.
- Drivers accounted for 60,600 estimated injuries, or 76% of known responses, in the role analysis.
- Passengers accounted for 17,600 estimated injuries, or 22% of known responses, while bystanders accounted for 1,900, or 2% of known responses.
Among injuries in vehicles with at least one passenger, passengers were 59% of known injury victims and drivers were 38%. This subset does not represent all OHV injuries and does not measure severity. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Ejection was also common in the reported 2022 special-study responses: 44,100 estimated victims were partially or fully ejected, representing 81% of known responses. Ejection status was unknown or unstated for 38% of total estimated injuries, limiting interpretation. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
CPSC’s historical review of 801 in-depth fatal ROV investigations found that more than two-thirds involved a rollover. About one-fifth involved an attempted level-terrain turn before rollover; these findings describe the review sample, not all ROV use or all crashes. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)
Historical ATV evidence uses a different measure: overturning occurred in at least 65% of fatal incidents during 2010–2013, while overturning was the primary hazard in around 38% of ATV fatalities in a historical coded-hazard review. The broader “overturned at any point” measure and the primary-hazard measure are not interchangeable. (CPSC, 2023 Report of Deaths and Injuries Involving Off-Highway Vehicles with More than Two Wheels)