Off-Highway Vehicles

More than 500 Off-Highway Vehicle Deaths in 2015

Majority of deaths occur on-road, and percentage of victims under age 16 increased from 2014 to 2015

 |  Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Consumer Federation of America (CFA) tracks and posts Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) fatalities on its OHV coalition webpage to provide a real-time resource that doesn’t exist anywhere else, for consumers and OHV-safety advocates.  In 2015, CFA and its coalition identified 504 OHV fatalities (mostly comprised of ATV and ROV fatalities).  This number will grow as more information becomes available and we consider 504 deaths an underestimation of total fatalities.  The data are compiled from news reports and other sources collected by CFA’s Off-Highway Vehicle Safety Coalition which is composed of ATV safety advocates, academics, and medical professionals.

OHV’s are comprised of three main types of vehicles:

  • All-terrain vehicles (ATVs): Off-road, motorized vehicles having three or four low-pressure tires, a straddle seat for the operator, and handlebars for steering control.
  • Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROVs): Off road vehicles that have four or more low pressure tires, bench or bucket seating, automotive type controls, rollover bars, occupant restraints and a maximum speed over 30 mph.
  • Utility Task Vehicles (UTVs): Have the same design elements as ROVs, but UTVs have maximum speeds of 30 mph or less.

Some key points from CFA’s 2015 OHV fatality data illustrate that OHVs should never be ridden on roads, and that children are at risk when operating these powerful machines.

  • For the period January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, CFA’s coalition has identified 504 OHV fatalities.
  • From January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014, CFA’s coalition has identified 530 OHV fatalities.[1]

 The majority of deaths took place on roads in 2015 as they did in 2014

  • 2015: Of the 504 fatalities documented, 473, or 94%, could be coded as on or off road.  Of those 473 fatalities, 272, or 58%, took place on roads.
  • 2014: Of the 530 fatalities documented, 498, or 94%, could be coded as on or off road. Of those 498 fatalities, 282, or 57%, took place on roads.

The percentage of victims under age 16 increased to 21% in 2015 from 18% in 2014 and those under age 12 increased to 11% in 2015 from 9% in 2014:

  • 2015: Of the 504 fatalities it was possible to determine the age of the victim in 496, or 98%, of the cases.  Of those 496 victims, 106, or 21%, were under the age of 16, and 57, or 11%, were under the age of 12.
  • 2014: Of the 530 fatalities it was possible to determine the age of the victim in 526, or 99%, of the cases. Of those 526 victims, 95, or 18%, were under the age of 16, and 49, or 9%, were under the age of 12.

ATV and ROV fatalities made up 82% and 15% of all OHV fatalities, respectively, for both 2014 and 2015: 

  • 2015: Of the 504 fatalities, it was possible to determine the vehicle type in 491, or 97% of those fatalities.  Of those 491 fatalities, 403, or 82% took place on an ATV and 75, or 15%, took place on an ROV.
  • 2014: Of the 530 fatalities documented, it was possible to determine the vehicle type in 522, or 98% of those fatalities. Of those 522 fatalities, 430, or 82% took place on an ATV and 80, or 15%, took place on an ROV.

“This new data once again reinforces CFA’s key safety messages for OHVs: do not operate OHVs on roads; and these vehicles are not toys; do not let children operate vehicles that are too large and powerful for them to control,” stated Rachel Weintraub Legislative Director and General Counsel for Consumer Federation of America.

In 2015, as part of CFA’s comments on the Consumer Product Safety Commission Proposed Rulemaking concerning Recreational Off Highway Vehicles, CFA updated the research in its March 2014 report, “ATVs on Roadways: A Safety Crisis,” to show that wherever ATVs are allowed on roads (35 states), ROVs are also allowed on roads.

“This data and the update to our 2014 report emphasizes that we need to keep these vehicles off of roads and that this is an off-highway vehicle safety issue not just an ATV safety issue,” stated Michael Best, Senior Policy Advocate at Consumer Federation of America.

Contact: Rachel Weintraub, 202-939-1012; Michael Best, 202-939-1009

The Consumer Federation of America is an association of more than 250 nonprofit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.

[1] While there are more documented fatalities in 2014 than 2015 it should be noted that the 2014 data includes fatalities identified throughout 2015 that occurred during 2014.