The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America’s Board of Trustees re-elected its officers, including Chair Gary Higgins, senior manager, national service operations, motorcycle division at American Honda Motor Co.; Vice Chair Ken Bush, regulations manager at American Suzuki Motor Corp.; Secretary/Treasurer Russ Brenan, senior advisor of government relations and public affairs at Kawasaki Motors Corp.; and SVIA President Tim Buche.

“I appreciate the confidence from all the returning members and officers,” said Higgins, who begins his fourth term as SVIA chair in 2013. “I look forward to helping lead and moderate positive discussion at SVIA and ATV Safety Institute board meetings. As we continue to maintain the highest-quality ATV safety programs and education, I’m confident that we’ll have additional opportunities to share efficiencies, lessons and outlook in the coming year.”

Like its officers, the remainder of the SVIA board continues from the previous year and includes trustees Isabelle Bouchard (BRP), Mike Martinez (Yamaha), Jan Rintamaki (Polaris) and Ron Solberg (Arctic Cat). SVIA was incorporated in 1983 to foster and promote the safe and responsible use of specialty vehicles in the U.S.

The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America promotes the safe and responsible use of all-terrain vehicles through rider training, public awareness campaigns and state legislation. Additionally, the SVIA works to preserve access to off-road lands and expand riding opportunities. The SVIA is a resource for ATV research, statistics and vehicle standards. Accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the SVIA develops standards for the equipment, configuration and performance requirements of ATVs.

Based in Irvine, Calif., the SVIA is a not-for-profit industry association sponsored by Arctic Cat, BRP, Honda, Kawasaki, KYMCO, Polaris, Suzuki and Yamaha. Visit the SVIA online at www.svia.org. For safety information or to enroll in the ATV RiderCourseSM nearest you, visit www.atvsafety.org or call (800) 887-2887.