Government Seeks to Regulate Off-Road Vehicles
After reports of numerous deaths and serious California personal injuries involving off-road recreational vehicles (also known as ROVs), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has voted this week to write mandatory rules to regulate these types of vehicles. According to a CNBC news report, design defects in these four-wheel vehicles have led to more than 100 deaths since 2003. ROVs are vehicles that resemble a cross between a rugged-looking golf cart and a miniature Jeep and have a roll cage or metal bars framing the cab.
Vehicle Instability Caused Rollover Accidents
In March, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA recalled more than 100,000 of its Rhino off-highway recreational vehicles after two models were linked to 46 deaths in the last six years. In many of these incidents serious rollover accidents occurred on flat ground at relatively slow speeds. CPSC has regulations for all-terrain vehicles or ATVs, but none for these ROVs, which can also travel to speeds of up to 35 mph. According to the CPSC's statistics, 116 people have died since 2003 in ROV accidents including young children. Serious injuries involved fractures, crushed feet and arms and loss of limbs.
This is a timely move by the CPSC, which basically puts the industry on notice, because the manufacturers of these defective vehicles have not been responding quickly and effectively to the dangers of these product defects. And here's the not-so-surprising fact. ROV makers are insisting, in spite of the statistics, that these vehicles are perfectly safe. They continue to maintain that the problem is not with their vehicles, but consumers who do not use them responsibly.
Products Liability Issues
There's no question that in some of these cases, alcohol use or recklessly driving contributed to the fatalities and/or injuries. In some cases riders used poor judgment. However, that does not mean that these are safe vehicles. About 140,000 ROVs were sold just in the last year in the United States and most of these vehicles are still out there, being used by consumers many of whom very likely, do not know about its hazards.
It is extremely important that the federal government comes up with new rules to regulate this industry and make sure that the necessary design changes are made to these inherently unstable vehicles in order to prevent deadly rollover accidents and serious injuries. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of these vehicles, please consult a reputed California auto products liability lawyer to find out more about your legal rights and options.
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
