Senators back UTV OEMs in regulation battle
A dozen U.S. senators have written a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, asking the CPSC to delay its vote on side-by-side safety standards.
The vote was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, McClatchy DC reported. The letter-writing effort was led by Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Republican Dean Heller of Nevada, industry and Senate spokespeople reported. Also signing the letter were senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Mark Pryor (R-AK), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Al Franken (D-MN), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV).
Up for vote by the CPSC is its proposal that would include minimum standards for rollover resistance and vehicle handling, along with requiring seat belts to be worn in order for a side-by-side to exceed 15 mph. The OEMs would also have to require dealers to display hangtags featuring stability ratings on each UTV on their showroom floor.
If the CPSC voted yes on the proposal, it would be open to public comment before the CPSC would decide adopt the proposal, amend it, or shelve it.
The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association has developed a voluntary standard among seven OEMs, however the CPSC doesn’t believe that standard addresses all of the safety issues.
To read the full story from McClatchy DC, click here.
To read the full text of the letter from Sen. Ayotte’s website, click here.
