All Terrain Vehicle (ATV)
The “All Terrain Vehicle” more commonly referred to as ATV, has been around since the 1890’s. In 1970 Honda launched a three wheel version and it became widely popular after it was introduced in the James Bond movie “Diamonds are Forever. Over the years more manufacturers such as Yamaha, Suzuki, Arctic Cat, Polaris and Kawasaki have joined Honda in making ATVs. In the 1980’s four wheel ATVs became the norm, due to safety issues with the three-wheel versions. Unfortunately, the increased popularity and production have also increased the number of reported ATV rollover accidents and deaths as a result of design, user/operator errors and lack of knowledge on safety hazards. The CPSC began to look more closely into the number of ATVs on the road to determine if there was a major safety issue with this product. In 1986, they found that there were about 2.4 million ATVs on the road in the United States. The numbers of reported deaths from 1982 to 2002 were 5,239 people with injuries sustained while using an ATV.
In 2004, the WSJ uncovered startling statistics of severe injuries and fatal deaths related to people using ATVs. In their report, the WSJ revealed that deaths from ATV use rose 67 percent during the timeframe 1997 and 2002. In 2002, data showed that over 110,000 people were injured and of that, the number of children under the 16 years old accounted for about 33,000 of the injured ATV accident victims. Unfortunately, numbers for children dying from ATV injuries represents a staggering 14 percent of total ATV deaths for the past 12 years. This can be attributed to the poor state regulations on ATV use. The majority of states do not make a driver’s license mandatory for driving an ATV and more than half of the states allow children as young as 12 years old to drive the vehicle.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that over 500 deaths in 2006 can be attributed to injuries sustained from ATV use and almost 10 percent these were children. Unfortunately, CPSC statistics of ATV accidents in 2006 found that 146,000 people sustained injuries from ATV use. The ATV injury statistics make a valid case that ATV vehicles such as Yamaha Rhino ATV can pose dangers to users.
The Yamaha Rhino ATV has a reputation of being very dangerous for ATV drivers. One speculation according to critics in the industry is that the Rhino All Terrain Vehicle has a top heavy body style and a bottom with narrow tires. These design elements make the Yamaha Rhino ATV likeier to tip and Rollover while turning and using the vehicle at a slow speed on a surface that is flat. Common injuries of victims of Yamaha Rhino ATV rollover accidents include broken legs, crushed feet, ankles or legs. There have been incidents where Yamaha Rhino ATV victims are permanently disabled or have amputations because of the rollover accident. When children are involved in a Yamaha Rhino Rollover, the research shows that the accident often results in death. In 2007, Yamaha made several modifications to new and used Rhinos. Some of the modifications included adding doors and more handholds to the ATV. In March 2008, Yamaha issued another recall on the Yahama Rhino due to brake failure. This recall was for the following 2008 Rhino Vehicles YXR 700 Side-bySide and the YXR 450.
In a 2008 released ATV Report on Injuries and Deaths from the the CPSC, the state of Pennsylvania comes in first with the highest number reported ATV deaths since 1982. The remaining top 4 states with high ATV deaths include California, Kentucky, Texas and West Virginia. Unfortunately, the CPSC predicts the ATV accident problem to worsen in the coming years. The CPSC is still working on getting data from as far back as 2003. The new report updates CPSC data with figures from 2006, which is the most current year the agency has analyzed. There were approximately 665 confirmed deaths in 2005 related to ATVs. The agency projects that the toll for 2005 may reach as high as 870 confirmed deaths related to ATVs, when all the modified data is in.
If you (or someone you love) have been injured in a Florida ATV crash, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified Florida ATV crash Attorney. Our attorneys, paralegals, and case managers represent rollover accident victims (or their loved ones) throughout Florida, including Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, Treasure Coast, Broward County, St. Lucie County, Jupiter, Boynton Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Ft. Pierce, Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs and Wellington, Florida.
In 2004, the WSJ uncovered startling statistics of severe injuries and fatal deaths related to people using ATVs. In their report, the WSJ revealed that deaths from ATV use rose 67 percent during the timeframe 1997 and 2002. In 2002, data showed that over 110,000 people were injured and of that, the number of children under the 16 years old accounted for about 33,000 of the injured ATV accident victims. Unfortunately, numbers for children dying from ATV injuries represents a staggering 14 percent of total ATV deaths for the past 12 years. This can be attributed to the poor state regulations on ATV use. The majority of states do not make a driver’s license mandatory for driving an ATV and more than half of the states allow children as young as 12 years old to drive the vehicle.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that over 500 deaths in 2006 can be attributed to injuries sustained from ATV use and almost 10 percent these were children. Unfortunately, CPSC statistics of ATV accidents in 2006 found that 146,000 people sustained injuries from ATV use. The ATV injury statistics make a valid case that ATV vehicles such as Yamaha Rhino ATV can pose dangers to users.
The Yamaha Rhino ATV has a reputation of being very dangerous for ATV drivers. One speculation according to critics in the industry is that the Rhino All Terrain Vehicle has a top heavy body style and a bottom with narrow tires. These design elements make the Yamaha Rhino ATV likeier to tip and Rollover while turning and using the vehicle at a slow speed on a surface that is flat. Common injuries of victims of Yamaha Rhino ATV rollover accidents include broken legs, crushed feet, ankles or legs. There have been incidents where Yamaha Rhino ATV victims are permanently disabled or have amputations because of the rollover accident. When children are involved in a Yamaha Rhino Rollover, the research shows that the accident often results in death. In 2007, Yamaha made several modifications to new and used Rhinos. Some of the modifications included adding doors and more handholds to the ATV. In March 2008, Yamaha issued another recall on the Yahama Rhino due to brake failure. This recall was for the following 2008 Rhino Vehicles YXR 700 Side-bySide and the YXR 450.
In a 2008 released ATV Report on Injuries and Deaths from the the CPSC, the state of Pennsylvania comes in first with the highest number reported ATV deaths since 1982. The remaining top 4 states with high ATV deaths include California, Kentucky, Texas and West Virginia. Unfortunately, the CPSC predicts the ATV accident problem to worsen in the coming years. The CPSC is still working on getting data from as far back as 2003. The new report updates CPSC data with figures from 2006, which is the most current year the agency has analyzed. There were approximately 665 confirmed deaths in 2005 related to ATVs. The agency projects that the toll for 2005 may reach as high as 870 confirmed deaths related to ATVs, when all the modified data is in.
If you (or someone you love) have been injured in a Florida ATV crash, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified Florida ATV crash Attorney. Our attorneys, paralegals, and case managers represent rollover accident victims (or their loved ones) throughout Florida, including Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, Treasure Coast, Broward County, St. Lucie County, Jupiter, Boynton Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Ft. Pierce, Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs and Wellington, Florida.
