A cross between a golf cart and an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), the UTV, MUV, or side-by-side as it is more commonly called, is larger than what we have always known to be an all-terrain vehicle’s form and has two full body seats, a steering wheel and protective roll cage. One of the obvious reasons for the great success of this new type of ATV which came to life only about six years ago is its simplicity of use. The machine itself isn’t necessarily built simpler nor simpler to build, but its controls exactly match those of the very familiar automobile. Added comfort also results from the laid back seating style and this among other aspects would have most people think that driving this kind of vehicle is just like driving a normal car. It might, until that very first time when you, either scare yourself and your passengers to death or actually do get in an accident because of a particular element or factor only present in the off-road world.
This is surely not anything to be scared about, and know that exactly as it is on the roads with your car, if you don’t ever speed or behave in an inappropriate manner, I can almost guarantee you will never get into trouble. Truth is you can enjoy such a vehicle safely with minimal and very basic knowledge of extra things to think about when it comes to an off-road vehicle operation. First and foremost, putting on a helmet is something you wouldn’t normally do to go to the corner store and back, but in a side-by-side, there shouldn’t be any excuse for not wearing one, even if you say you are just going for one tiny little spin. The same is true about seat belts, if you’re the type to neglect buckling up when you take your car for only short distances, it is imperative that you never, ever, do so while in a moving ROV. Even at the very slowest of speeds, simply dipping the front end in a deep enough hole can hook up the front and send your ribs crushing into the steering wheel.
Strangely enough, some people think helmets become useless when they hop in these, thinking the roll cage will suffice in protecting them. I even heard one particular fellow say, as he was getting off his quad and about to hop in his buddy’s RUV: “What am I doing here? Putting a helmet on…” and laughing, I was gasping as he started pulling up on it and almost screamed: “What? Put that helmet back on! You just have to wear one on this thing! Maybe even more so than on that big bore beast you just got off of!” He quickly replied that there was nothing to worry about and kept laughing as he peered off in a cloud of dust, with his helmet on the passenger seat and without a seat belt. What’s that about? There is just no logical excuse possible, even if no rule or regulation obliges you to wear one where you are, you absolutely have to oblige yourself regardless. I’ve witnessed many uneventful rollovers that would have been very dramatic if the occupants didn’t have helmets.
Many manufacturers have now added doors. A noble effort in protecting, even those rebel users who go against all logic and push their products to ends they were just not designed for. Sadly, many of these stock doors are still shy of being as protective as your car’s doors are. These vehicles, in general, also tend to lack in protection from the elements surrounding the occupants such as sharp edges under the dash and around the steering column and none of them cover up the numerous bars with foam. I strongly recommend covering them up with many of the readily available aftermarket protective parts, which are all pretty much a good investment as they also protect your ride from wear and tear. Most injuries occur because of improper operations. Another odd behaviour I’ve seen users do is trying to uselessly climb an extra steep hill merely for bragging rights and a few cheers from friends. Then again that is their prerogative, but don’t go blaming mishaps on the vehicle’s conception.
If you operate these types of vehicles carefully and use some common sense and good judgement, they can be a really awesome product to own. At this time, there are no regulatory standards for UTVs. The design differences between UTVs and ATVs exclude it from ATV safety standards, so anyone sitting behind the wheel is pretty much on his own when it comes to learning the do’s and don’ts of UTV driving. Most manufacturers voluntarily comply with some federal vehicle standards, such as seat belts, and roll cages with ROPS certification and also put their heads together to form a trade association called Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, which will set voluntary safety standards for these unregulated vehicles. The R.O.H.V.A. is an Irvine, California-based trade group backed by Yamaha, Honda, Polaris, Kawasaki and Arctic Cat, who are developing proposed safety standards that could be ready by early 2009. Getting familiar with these will surely be good for the security of all users, but in the meantime, just take my advice and that will suffice: take it easy on the gas and steering!
