Irvine, CA (3/12/2010)
- The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle
Association (ROHVA) obtained approval by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
of the first standard in the world for recreational
off-highway vehicles (ROVs), also known as UTVs
and side-by-sides, on March 5, 2010, setting
an initial benchmark for vehicle design, configuration
and performance. To allow it to continue to
address ROV performance criteria in this expanding
vehicle class, ROHVA initiated the ANSI process
for revising the newly approved standard on
March 9. As part of the revision process, ROHVA
also will continue its efforts to solicit and
exchange information and views with the Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and its staff.
"We are pleased to have completed the initial
version of the standard and look forward to
the participation of the ANSI consensus body
in the revision process," said ROHVA Chairman,
Mike Schmitt.
Over a period of 26 months, the ROHVA Technical
Advisory Panel worked expeditiously to develop
the ANSI standard, analyzing and debating
the complex issues and competing objectives
associated with this unique class of vehicles.
At the same time, ROHVA was concerned that
operator and passenger behavior - largely
in violation of existing warnings - contributed
to crashes resulting in avoidable injuries
and fatalities. In response, ROHVA became
the first, and remains the only, national
entity with a unified plan to educate consumers
and to attempt to change behavior to increase
safety, as a supplement to all of the individual
manufacturer and distributor efforts. ROHVA
has drafted Model State Legislation that would
mandate compliance with the ROV Safety Rules
www.rohva.org
. ROHVA also is developing a state-of-the-art
online learning program to further convey
and instill critical safety messages.
"ROHVA remains hopeful that CPSC and
other stakeholders will partner with ROHVA
to promote these important initiatives, which
are focused on changing behavior. CPSC data
suggests that if we can change certain behaviors,
we will improve the safety of operators and
passengers," said Paul Vitrano, ROHVA
executive vice president.
Initially published in November 2008, the
ROV Safety Rules urge operators and passengers
to: