Victims and Consumer Safety Advocates Issue Report On Safety Hazards of Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs), Including the Yamaha Rhino

A report issued by a group of safety advocates and victims is calling for basic changes in the design of the Yamaha Rhino and other UTVs to substantially increase their ability to protect occupants in the event of rollover accidents.

The report, entitled Citizen Report on UTV Vehicle Hazards, has been submitted by victims of UTV rollovers, including the parents of children killed or injured in such accidents, as well as adult victims, the Trauma Foundation, and the Center for Auto Safety.

The report focuses on the Yamaha Rhino and has been sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, key members and committees of Congress, the Recreational Off Highway Vehicle Association, which represents UTV manufacturers, and other organizations and individuals with an interest in the ATV/UTV injury problem.

The report focuses particular attention on the safety defects with the Yamaha Rhino UTV. Identified in the report are 38 deaths, many of them of children, believed to have occurred in Yamaha Rhino accidents since the end of 2004.

In releasing the report, Texas mother Heidi Crow noted, “Utility Terrain Vehicles have fallen within a regulatory crevice. These vehicles were introduced to the market and have been sold to consumers without having to meet government safety and performance standards. It is imperative that federal and/or state safety agencies step forward to protect consumers from the growing number of fatalities and severe injuries.”

The report’s authors call upon CPSC, ROHVA, Yamaha, and/or all UTV manufacturers to require Yamaha to recall the Rhino to equip it with full doors and/or netting to protect occupants from needless and continued injuries and fatalities, and asks the CPSC to mandate the recall if Yamaha fails to act. In addition, the report calls for design changes to the Rhino, including adding roll bar padding, increasing its axle width, lowering its center of gravity and/or adding a rear differential, to improve stability and handling.