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On October 21, 2009, after numerous deaths, the federal government had decided to take a closer look at off-road recreational vehicles, known as ROVs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to write mandatory rules to regulate the four-wheel vehicles, following more than 100 deaths since 2003. Riders have suffered dozens of injuries.

ROVs, also called side-by-sides, are two-passenger motorized vehicles designed for drivers 16 years and older. They resemble a cross between a rugged-looking golf cart and a miniature-Jeep, and have a roll cage, metal bars framing the cab.

The industry proposed voluntary regulations for side-by-sides, but CPSC staffers said they fell short. Agency members have expressed concern about the vehicles and rollover risks. The commission will solicit comments from industry, consumer advocates and others as it writes the rules. This is the beginning of a process that could take many months, even years.

ROVs first appeared on the market in the late 1990s. Since 2003, CPSC says 116 people have died, including young children, and more than 150 have been injured. Injuries have involved crushing fractures to legs, feet and arms and some riders have lost limbs.

Safety advocates say the commission’s vote puts the industry on notice.

“This is an instance where the industry has not been responding quickly and effectively enough to the well-documented hazards caused by these products,” said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety and senior counsel for the Consumer Federation of America.

ROV makers, however, insist the vehicles are safe. “We know the vehicles are safe when used responsibly,” the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association said in a statement. “We must emphasize the importance of consumers making the right choices when driving an ROV.”

Former agency chief, Nancy Nord, first directed the CPSC staff to investigate the vehicles and deaths a year ago.

In March, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA recalled more than 100,000 of its Rhino off-highway recreational vehicles for repairs after two models were linked to 46 deaths in the past six years. In many cases, riders were not wearing seat belts, the commission said. And in a number of incidents, rollovers happened on level ground at relatively slow speeds, the agency said.

The vehicles can reach top speeds of more than 35 miles an hour. Industry officials declined to say how fast they can go, but several dealers put top speeds at about 40 to 50 miles an hour. Yamaha did not immediately return calls about top speeds for its ROVs.

Presently, there are mandatory restrictions for ATVs, such as speed limits for youth models. But there are no standards, voluntary or otherwise, for the side-by-sides, which have the roll cage and a different steering system.

An estimated, 140,000 ROVs were sold last year in the United States.

On September 8, 2009, two people were injured involved in an all-terrain vehicle crash near Blue Grass, Iowa. The incident occurred at approximately 7:52 p.m. in a farm field in Blue Grass, Iowa, according to the Scott County Sheriff’s Department.

The two men were injured when the Yamaha Rhino ATV they were operating rolled down an embankment, and they were ejected from the vehicle. Neither man was wearing a seat belt nor helmet, according to Scott County deputies.

The accident remains under investigation by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department.

Often manufacturing defects are the main culprit of ATV accidents. More and more, you hear in the news about another ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) accident that often causes a fatality.

For example, in rural Nebraska, ATV accidents have become the number one cause of agricultural fatalities. From 2004 through 2007, one-third of agricultural fatalities involved ATVs. The trend prompted the University of Nebraska Extension last year to hold ATV training sessions across the state.

The Consumer Product Safety Safety Commission (CPSC) reported last year that serious injuries because of ATV crashes have increased for eight years in a row to a total of 150,900 in 2007. Since 2001, the number of injuries serious enough to require emergency room treatment has risen by 37 percent. Nationwide, at least 542 ATV fatalities were reported.

The Yamaha Rhino ATV, which has side-by-side seating for the driver and a passenger, has been targeted by lawsuits alleging that it is unstable and prone to rollovers. Yamaha has offered free repairs to improve safety.

Safety experts are particularly concerned about the number of ATV accidents involving children. About one-third of injuries and deaths happen to children age 16 or younger.

Because safety rules are so prevalent in today’s society, some people may not be attuned to the need to evaluate the risks of operating an ATV.