Manufacturers Try to Swerve Around Off-Road Vehicle Safety Rules

August 18, 2010 (Press-News.org) Manufacturers of recreational off-road vehicles are attempting to head off regulators by incorporating some safety features into their products. The chairperson of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says these belated efforts won't deter the government from pursuing safety standards.

The Commission is writing mandatory rules for the two- to four-passenger recreational off-road vehicles also known as ROVs.

Bloomberg News reports that U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission chair Inez Tannenbaum told a meeting of ROV manufacturers that "it concerned me then, and it concerns me now, that there were no standards for ROVs. News accounts and investigations of rollovers and incidents have not stopped," she said.

There are reports of at least 268 deaths on the vehicles since 2003, with many serious injuries as well.

Also called UTVs (utility-type vehicles) and side-by-sides, ROVs look like a hybrid of a small Jeep and a golf cart; they're typically equipped with a metal-bar roll cage over the cab in which the driver and passenger sit.

Manufacturers have recently suggested voluntary safety measures for the vehicles, such as helmets and safety belts, but regulators reject those as falling far short of what's needed to protect riders from unnecessary injuries and fatalities.

The consumer agency said stricter measures will be adopted, including rollover tests and features to keep riders' limbs safer. The vehicles have acquired a reputation for being involved in crashes resulting in severe injuries requiring amputations. Other ROV-related injuries include crushed limbs, as well as skin torn from arms and legs.

If you have been injured in a crash or rollover of an ROV or UTV, contact a California personal injury lawyer who can assess the facts of your case. Look for a personal injury attorney who understands both the vehicles and the law that protects you and your family when someone has been injured because of a defective or flawed product design.

Article provided by The McClellan Law Firm
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