In November 2008, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced it is investigating the design of recreational off-highway vehicles, such as Yamaha Motor Company’s Rhino, after reports of more than 30 fatal accidents.

The inquiry focuses on gaps in oversight of the products, which are larger than all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), seat two and have a protective roll cage. Current rules for conventional ATVs don’t apply to the recreational vehicles due to their designs, leaving the products unregulated. A seeming increase in deaths related to the vehicles led to the probe.

The Yamaha Rhino is at the center of the probe, with at least an estimated 30 consumer deaths. Other models include Polaris’ Razor, Honda Motor Company’s Big Red, Kawasaki Heavy Industries’s Mule, and Arctic Cat Inc.’s Prowler.

A California-based association for recreational off-highway vehicles is in the process of developing safety standards for review by early 2009. The commission intends to study how the vehicles are being used, how injuries are happening and how consumer behavior may cause injuries.

Source: Alan Ohnsman and Mary Jane Credeur, “US Agency reviews unregulated off-road vehicles after deaths,” Bloomberg.com, November 4, 2008.