ATV Mishaps Blamed on Poor Design

All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are extremely popular. Though they are used for recreation, they are not toys, and need to be used with caution. But even when a rider is sensible, and takes all possible safety precautions, ATV accidents can still occur. This is especially true when the design of an ATV is defective, as is the case with the Yamaha Rhino ATV, or when the vehicle is not the proper size for the person using it.

According to a report released earlier this year by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), ATVs killed more than 500 people in 2006, and nearly 1 in 5 victims was a child. Accidents involving these vehicles sent 146,600 people to hospital emergency rooms that same year. The CPSC said Pennsylvania has had the highest number of reported ATV deaths since 1982, followed by California, West Virginia, Texas and Kentucky. Every state had at least one death attributed to ATVs.

Many ATVs can go as fast as 55 MPH and can weigh as heavy as a quarter of a ton. Close to 75 percent of all ATV accidents result in serious damage to the head or spinal cord of the accident victim. Head injuries are a major cause of serious life threatening or lifelong physical problems and ailments. Injury to the spinal cord can result in paralysis of the entire body for life.

Often, ATV accident injuries are the result of poorly designed vehicles. For example, poor design has been blamed for the high rate of serious and often fatal accidents involving the Yamaha Rhino ATV. Critics of this dangerous vehicle claim its top-heavy design makes rollover accidents far more likely during sharp turns, even when the Rhino is traveling on a flat surface at a low rate of speed. What's worse, the Yamaha Rhino provides no protection for a rider's legs in the event of a rollover accident.

Victims of Yamaha Rhino rollover accidents usually experience broken or crushed legs, ankles or feet. In some cases, victims have been permanently disabled, and have had limbs amputated following a Yamaha Rhino rollover accident. Children are most risk in Rhino rollover accidents, as the weight of the vehicle can crush their small bodies if they become trapped beneath it.

Despite a growing number of accident reports involving the Yamaha Rhino ATV, the company has never issued a recall for the vehicle. In 2006, Yamaha sent a letter to the owners of Rhino ATVs warning that it was prone to tip while going through sharp turns. Riders were advised to use seatbelts, and to keep their hands, arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. The letter also included information on handling the Rhino if it should start to tip over, as well as a couple of warning labels that owners were instructed to place on the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the letter did nothing to reduce the number of Rhino ATV rollover accidents. In 2007, Yamaha finally offered to modify all Rhino ATVs free of charge. These modifications included new doors and additional passenger handholds for the Rhino. The company also provided more warning labels to be placed on the vehicle, and updated the Rhino's owners manual.

While the Yamaha Rhino's problems are well documented, some experts doubt that a child can safely ride any ATV. Currently, a research group at the University of Kentucky is trying to find out if they are right. The group, made up of engineers, surgeons, and trauma prevention experts is conducting a comprehensive multi-year study to measure various physical and behavioral aspects of ATV safety, particularly involving children.

In August, the University of Kentucky researchers released preliminary results from experiments involving current ATV size guidelines. Parents are instructed to use these guidelines to find a properly-sized ATV for their kids. But according to the results from these experiments, while current guidelines do limit engine size, they fall far short of actually determining the correct frame size for young riders.

The group said that current ATV size guidelines do not account for variability in body size and shape among children of the same age group or even of the same age. For example: larger children under age 16 may fit the adult-size vehicle frame better, even though the recommendation would be for a “youth†sized frame or engine. Improper frame size can adversely affect a rider's ability to properly steer, brake, or navigate varying terrain.

The study also found that seven of the eight children age 6-11 tested did not meet recommended existing guidelines for proper fit when mounted on the adult-size ATV. The researchers stressed that regardless of experience or supervision, a child in that age group should never be allowed on an adult-size ATV.

This concurs with the CPSC's own statistics on ATV accidents. According to its annual report, most ATV deaths and injuries involving children result from youngsters riding adult-size ATVs. Consumer advocates have called on the CPSC to ban the sale of adult-size ATVs for use for children, but the agency has declined to do that. There is only a voluntary agreement in place with major ATV distributors in which they require dealers not to sell adult-size ATVs to people who might allow children to ride them. Consumer groups say few dealers abide by the rule