The first company to come up with the remarkable idea of All Terrain Vehicles (ATV's) was Honda, back in 1969, when they introduced the All Terrain Cycle (ATC). These particular ATV's had three, fat wheels, but were mostly considered "toys" up until the early nineteen eighties, when it was realized that these ATV machines could be used for ranching and farming. It was then other companies, such as Kawasaki, Yamaha and, briefly, Suzuki began producing their own versions of the three-wheeled ATV's.
In 1985, the first four-wheeler, called a Quadracer was born via the Suzuki motor company. At this point, ATV's were considered machines of sport, however ATV's bred for utility purposes were still in effect. Post-1988 America fell out of its previous infatuation with ATV's, due to the Consumer Products Safety Commission reporting statistics of high and disproportionate injury involved with ATV riding, as opposed to other recreations involving motor vehicles.
The real reason that injuries were occurring much more frequently with ATV's, was simply that people were not as careful with them. Most people who rode ATV's at that time felt "safer" on an ATV than on a motorcycle, because ATV's didn't fall over in the same way that a motorcycle would, when commandeered by the unskilled. In fact, most of the accidents that occurred were by people who were not wearing any type of safety gear, including helmets.
Only within the last few years have ATV's regained their popularity as a recreational vehicle, rather than a utility vehicle. The average Generation Y person seems to be much more into the fun and safety that goes along with riding ATV's. The new ATV's (now often called "quads") look sportier and cooler, in an attempt to appeal to this new, growing market.
