The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) to address safety hazards associated with Recreational Off-road Vehicles (ROVs).
CPSC staff’s preliminary evaluations indicated that the vehicles may exhibit inadequate lateral stability, undesirable steering characteristics, and inadequate occupant protection during a rollover crash.
The review of ROVs, sometimes called utility vehicles or side by sides, by the CPSC was initiated by numerous incidents related to the Yamaha Rhino including a number of deaths. (CPSC distinguishes between ROVs and utility vehicles with the former operating at speeds over 30 mph and the latter under 30 mph) The CPSC conducted tests from November 2008 to January 2009.
The ROV manufactuers, through the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA), proposed their own standard in December 2008 but this was rejected by the CPSC, as they found preliminarily…
Based on the continuing deaths and injuries involving ROVs and a review of the draft requirements currently proposed by the ROHVA, CPSC staff believes that the proposed voluntary standard will not adequately address the deaths and injuries associated with ROV rollovers and collisions. Additionally, there are many safety features or characteristics that can be incorporated on ROVs to make them more stable and safer to use.
The CPSC identified three key areas of ROV design that impact safety: static stability factor (SSF), vehicle handling and occupant retention and protection. One change the CPSC has talked about with the ROHVA is having vehicles meet a specific SSF value. Learn more: CPSC.gov