Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Polaris Industries Partner to Reduce Childhood ATV injuries

MINNEAPOLIS, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Polaris Industries today announced the launch of a three-year partnership to promote the safe use of ATVs through education and outreach programs. The goal of the co-branded safety awareness campaign is to reduce the number of ATV injuries and deaths among children under the age of 16 in Minnesota by 10 percent by 2014. Polaris will provide financial support for the campaign, slated to launch in May.

"At Children's, we know the best way to keep children healthy is to prevent injuries from happening in the first place," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, president and CEO of Children's of Minnesota. "The safety of children is a top priority for both organizations. This program will allow us to reach more families to promote safe riding habits, and avoid trips to our emergency department."

The safety awareness campaign includes television public service announcements, advertising, as well as one-on-one outreach to kids and parents at the Minnesota State Fair and county fairs. Messages will focus on the following ATV safety tips:

• Children under 16 should ride correctly sized ATVs, not ATVs made for adults
• Children under 16 should always wear appropriate safety gear, which minimally means wearing a helmet
• Children under 16 should take an approved rider safety course before operating any ATV

"Partnering with Children's, the leading pediatric health authority in Minnesota, was an easy decision," said Scott Wine, CEO, Polaris Industries. "We want riding ATVs to be fun for the whole family, and safety is our foremost concern."

Polaris has long been a leader in rider safety, including its involvement in the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) and the ATV Safety Institute (ASI). SVIA is a not-for-profit trade association sponsored by ATV manufacturers and ASI is its safety division. SVIA and ASI promote the safe and responsible use of ATVs through rider training programs, public awareness campaigns, and state legislation.

This partnership with Polaris is part of Children's Trauma Outreach and Prevention program. Trauma prevention is a key part of Children's plan to become the first "pediatric only" Level I Trauma Center in Minnesota. The UnitedHealthcare Pediatric Trauma program was initially funded through a $17.5 million gift from UnitedHealthcare.

For more information on how to make safe simple, visit www.childrensmn.org/safety.

About Polaris

With annual 2010 sales of $1.99 billion, Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the Polaris RANGER® Side x Sides, snowmobiles and Victory motorcycles for recreational and utility use and has recently introduced a new on-road electric powered neighborhood vehicle.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; and one of the largest manufacturers of ORVs in the world. Victory motorcycles established in 1998 and representing the first all-new American-made motorcycle from a major company in nearly 60 years, are rapidly making impressive in-roads into the cruiser and touring motorcycle marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships.

Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the Company is included in the S&P MidCap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime from the Polaris homepage at www.polarisindustries.com.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has 340 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 14,000 inpatient visits and more than 300,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children. For more information, visit www.childrensmn.org.

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota; Polaris Industries