Vehicle rollovers are a very real and significant safety problem for all classes of light vehicle trucks, including pickups, SUVs, and vans (LTVs). For the years 1982 – 1996, there were approximately 227,000 rollover crashes per year. Such rollovers resulted in an average of 9,063 fatalities per year. Rollover accidents accounted for more than 10,000 fatalities in the United States, which is more than side and rear crashes combined.
Vehicle rollovers are not always the result of excessive speed or inattentive driving. Car manufacturers are responsible for making sure the vehicles they build and market have met safety standards. An Yamaha Rhino Rollover, or other accident involving a car or van, can easily occur when these standards are not met. The Rhino's propensity to roll over has been blamed on it's high center of gravity and narrow wheel base. Many Rhinos did not come with doors on the passenger compartment, when the Rhino rolls the passenger sticks their leg out to try and balance the vehicle. The injuries typically are broken or crushed legs, ankles or feet. In some cases, the injuries were so severe as to require amputation. In certain cases, Rhino rollovers have even led to deaths. The Yamaha Rhino is a side-by-side vehicle, where the driver and passenger are seated next to each other. This type of off road vehicle is considered less dangerous than traditional ATVs, or “quads”, but as more Rhino-related injuries and deaths mount, it is clear that this is not necessarily the case. Occupants of these vehicles often do not have the protection of metal surrounding them because the vehicles are open on the sides and top. Even the new doors and handholds offered by Yamaha do not fully protect the people.
