The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into the design of some recreational off-highway vehicles after reports of fatal accidents involving the new, unregulated products.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the  Rhino was a focus of the inquiry because at least 30 deaths might be attributed to the machine. The newspaper said the estimate was made based on CPSP  methods.

The probe spotlights gaps in oversight of the vehicles, which have been produced for about five years. Used by off-road enthusiasts and hunters, the models are larger than all-terrain vehicles and have two side-by-side seats, a steering wheel and protective roll cage.

The inquiry began several months ago after the agency identified that there seemed to be an increase of deaths.

Models similar to the Rhino include Polaris’s Razor, Honda Motor Co.’s Big Red, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.’s Mule and Arctic Cat Inc.’s Prowler.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an off-road accident involving one of these vehicles, an attorney experienced with defective product and car accident laws can provide professional insight.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 4:38 pm and is filed under Defective Products, Motor Vehicle Accidents. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.