U.S. CPSC is Investigating Yamaha Rhino ATVs Following Over 30 Deaths
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (U.S. CPSC) has finally begun investigating the safety issues with the Yamaha Rhino ATV after over 30 deaths have been caused by the side-by-side rolling over.
>>INFORMATION: Yamaha Rhino ATV Rollover Problems
On September 30, 2008, we posted a blog article about the lack of Yamaha Rhino accident statistics, since the U.S. CPSC does not include the side-by-side vehicle in their annual report on ATV related deaths and injuries. Because the Rhino contains two bucket seats with a steering wheel, as opposed to handle bars, they are not categorized as ATVs and are not subject to the U.S. CPSC safety standards.
According to the article:
The Rhino matter shows how federal safety regulations sometimes struggle to respond to what they call “emerging hazard” areas. There are no regulatory standards for the new breed of off-road vehicles, the CPSC said.They aren’t subject to ATV safety standards, because of design difference such as having a steering wheel, in contrast to the ATVs’ handlebars. But the novel off-road vehicles also aren’t subject to the much-tougher standards for cars. Owners of UTVs don’t have to register them.
“When there is no standard in place, we have to basically determine if there’s a substantial risk of injury and death, and there’s a hurdle there that has to be met,” says Jay Howell, acting asssistant executive director of the CPSC’s office of hazard identification and reduction.
Our Yamaha Rhino ATV lawyers have been representing individuals injured by the inherently unstable vehicle for over one year, and have been writing here repeatedly about the Rhino ATV design problems which make the vehicle prone to roll-over even when it is operated at slow speeds on flat surfaces.
Despite clear evidence that the Yamaha Rhino rolled over at an unacceptable rate, the manufacturer has continued to produce and sell the side-by-side ATV without any substantial design changes. In addition, although the vehicle was first introduced in 2003, it was not until last summer that they began offering small doors and additional passenger side hand-holds to help reduce the risk of injury in a rollover.
It appears unlikely that the U.S. CPSC investigation will result in Yamaha Rhino recall, but hopefully it will at least result in regulatory standards for utility vehicles and force Yamaha to make design changes to improve the stability of the vehicles and reduce the number of Rhino ATV deaths that occur in the future.
If you, a friend or family member have suffered a severe injury or death as a result of a Yamaha Rhino ATV accident, contact our lawyers for a claim evaluation by requesting a free consultation.
1 Comment • Add Your Comments
Joe says:
I have been riding motorcycles, ATC’s, and quad’s for years. It sounds to me, just like any other time, that people are not giving respect to the vehicle. In the cases that have come about due to accidents concerning side by side’s it’s plain to see negligence.
I looked over a case of a Ranger that had an 8 year old girl driving with 4 other people piled in the back that turned over and severely injured one of the kids in back. That child was the brother of the one driving. The parents decided they would sue Yamaha over the accident.
If your letting an 8 year old, that has no business driving, what right do u have. People such as this are at fault in their own right and cause others that respect these vehicles to suffer. I had just bought an 08 Rhino and love it. I teach my kids to wear their seatbelts and have a tremendous amount of respect for it. Just like anything else, it’s all about what you teach them and what decisions you make in their lives while they are young.
Posted on April 25, 2011 at 11:06 am