IRVINE, Calif., July 31, 2012 – The Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROHVA) is the national industry organization representing the Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle (ROV) industry. ROHVA is sponsored by the major manufacturers and distributors of ROVs: Arctic Cat, BRP, John Deere, Kawasaki, Polaris and Yamaha.

ROHVA’s mission is to promote the safe and responsible use of ROVs and to preserve and protect the ROV industry. Since its inception in 2007, ROHVA has pursued its mission by developing safety programs and guidelines including Model State Legislation. ROHVA also has developed voluntary vehicle design standards under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute.

ROHVA sponsored – and all of its member companies strongly support – AB 1595 in California. AB 1595 was developed by adapting ROHVA’s Model State Legislation, published since 2008, in the context of California’s existing off-highway vehicle (OHV) regulatory scheme. AB 1595 created ROVs as a separate class of OHV with an engine size not greater than 1,000 cc. The ROV provisions of AB 1595 expressly do not apply to vehicles known as sand buggies, dune buggies, ATVs or jeeps.

AB 1595 contains five provisions regulating the use of ROVs in California. Each of those requirements directly address hazards identified by CPSC in incidents resulting in serious injuries and fatalities. In order to ensure that ROVs continue to be available, and safely used, it is critical that industry and enthusiasts support legislation to ensure the vehicles are used as designed and recommended by the manufacturers.