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After scores of deaths, the federal government
is taking a closer look at off-road recreational vehicles, known as
ROVs.

 voted Wednesday to write
mandatory rules to regulate the four-wheel vehicles, following more
than 100 deaths since 2003. Riders have suffered dozens of
injuries, too - some leading to amputations.

      
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 staff 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 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.
      
ROVs can reach top speeds of more than 35 miles an hour.
Industry officials declined to say exactly how fast they can go,
but Yamaha put the maximum speed for its ROVs at 40 miles an hour.

      
Currently, 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.

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

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Politics and Government News

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says manufacturers haven't responded quickly enough after more than 100 fatalities involving "ROVs" since 2003.

Federal regulators eye off-road recreational vehicles

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