In many ways, an ATV, or all terrain vehicle, rolls under the radar of regulatory agencies. Though it's illegal to drive such vehicles on public roads and highways in many states, a driver needs no license to drive an ATV on off-road tracks and trails, which usually are on private property. This leads to many unskilled drivers operating an ATV, which wouldn't be so bad if some ATVs weren't inherently unsafe.

Just as driving a car or other vehicle on public roads is serious business due to the potential for accidents and injuries, so is driving an ATV, even though it's on an off-road track or trail. An ATV can weigh more than 1,000 pounds and can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour or more. Clearly, such vehicles have the potential for accidents.

This potential is expanded when the ATV is a Yamaha Rhino, also known as a UTV (utility terrain vehicle) or RUV (recreational utility vehicle). The Yamaha Rhino has many built-in defects and safety hazards, including lack of side doors and roll bars. Worst of all, the vehicle's design contributes to many Yamaha Rhino rollover accidents.

The Yamaha Rhino was built with a narrow wheelbase and narrow tires in order to be marketed more easily, since this size enables it to be loaded onto the bed of an average pickup truck for transportation to off-road tracks and trails. Coupled with a high center of gravity, this makes the Yamaha Rhino prone to rolling or tipping over, which is one of the most dangerous accidents that can occur with an off-road vehicle.

Drivers or passengers on the Yamaha Rhino -- which has no side doors -- have a natural tendency to reach out with an arm or leg when the vehicle tips or rolls over in order to brace themselves. This can lead to severe injuries, including broken bones, paralysis and limbs crushed beyond repair and in need of amputation. Too, if a driver or passenger is thrown from the vehicle as it rolls over, that person can end up crushed beneath the weight of the Yamaha Rhino.

Despite such problems, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation, based in Georgia, has not issued a recall of its Yamaha Rhino vehicles, nor has Yamaha alerted owners or potential owners of such dangers and hazards. Yamaha only has offered to make free safety modifications to such vehicles, new or old, a clear indication that it recognizes safety hazards and accepts responsibility for them. These modifications include adding doors and handholds, but do nothing to prevent a Yamaha Rhino rollover.

Indeed, the Yamaha Rhino's persistent design flaws have caused many injuries and even fatalities, and these in turn have led to Yamaha Rhino lawsuits against Yamaha. Some such lawsuits are filed on the federal level, and others on the state level.

Such lawsuits are needed due to the severity of injuries and the widespread occurrence of injuries caused by Yamaha Rhino manufacturing design defects. Many victims have suffered serious injuries to their head or spinal cord -- injuries which can be debilitating if not life-threatening and are extremely costly for the victim.

The Yamaha Rhino isn't the only ATV which rolls or tips over, but it does have clear-cut design flaws. Even when driven slowly and on a flat surface, the Yamaha Rhino can roll or tip over, as Yamaha itself has acknowledged in cautionary correspondence with its customers, while trying to place blame and responsibility for such accidents on the consumer.

Meanwhile, injuries and deaths mount. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that, in a 25-year period, Americans suffered an estimated 9,000 deaths and more than 2 million injuries on ATVs.

If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Yamaha Rhino accident, engage a Yamaha Rhino accident attorney via the Goldwater Law Firm. Fill out the free case review form on this web page and let a Yamaha Rhino accident lawyer launch the process of gaining financial recovery for your Yamaha Rhino accident injury.