ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION FOR RECREATIONAL OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES (ROVs)

During 2008, the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) with the assistance of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) began writing the first standard for Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs). This standard was completed and published in 2010 as the ANSI/ROHVA 1-2010 standand. According to this standard, an Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle (ROV) is a motorized off-highway vehicle designed to travel on four tires and is intended by the manufacturer primarily for recreational use by one or more persons and has the following characteristics:

     • a steering wheel for steering control
     • non- straddled seating
     • maximum speed capability greater than 35 mph
     • gross vehicle weight rating GVWR of no greater than 3750 lbs
     • less than 80 inches in overall width, not including accessories
     • an engine displacement equal to or less than 1000 cc's
     • identification by means of a 17 character VIN

ROV's have one or more bench seats and can carry a driver and multiple passengers. The ROV is entered and sat in by an operator and/or passengers similarly to a car without doors. The ROV is controlled utilizing a steering wheel for steering, foot pedals for the throttle and brake and a hand operated gear shifter to change the transmission gears.

Unfortunately, some riders are either seriously injured or killed in ROV accidents in the United States each year. These accidents take place due to various reasons some of which are mentioned here:

1) a novice rider having very little expereince riding ROV's.
2) riding to aggressively for the conditions.
3) defective components.
4) component malfunction or breakage.
5) an ROV wheelies on the rear wheels and flips backward onto the rider.
6) colliding with a stationary object such as a tree at high speed.
7) colliding with another ROV.
8) ROV rolling down an embankment.

We provide the following forensic engineering services for ATV accidents:

     • ROV Accident Reconstruction
     • Preimpact and Postimpact Velocities
     • Vehicle Trajectory
     • Cause Analysis
     • Human Factors
     • Vehicle Inspections For Defects and Non-Conformance
     • Product Defect and Failure Analysis
     • Catastrophic Component Failure Determination
     • ATV Safety
     • Standard of Care

Gary E. Kilpatrick and Associates, P.A. will provide you with objective information, facts and opinions. We will communicate with you on a regular basis to keep you informed of our findings in a case.

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