Quad bike safety

The standard was introduced to improve the safety of quad bikes, which are a leading cause of death and serious injuries on Australian farms: All new and imported second-hand quad bikes offered for sale in Australia, in all categories, must meet certain requirements of the US or European quad bike safety standards and have a hang tag attached displaying the angle at which that model of quad bike has tipped onto two wheels when tested for stability.

They must also carry a rollover warning label, have a compliant spark arrestor fitted and be supplied with an owners’ manual that includes rollover safety information.

All new and secondhand imported generaluse quad bikes offered for sale must also meet the minimum stability requirements for lateral roll (sideways) stability, the minimum stability requirements for front and rear longitudinal (forward and back) pitch stability, and be fitted with an operator protection device or have one integrated into their design.

This last point appeared to cause the greatest concern to manufacturers, who said there was a lack of thorough testing as to the effect of fitting unauthorised devices, regarding stability and the changes to the centre of gravity. This point led to many withdrawing from the ATV market completely.

Brought about by the need to address the 180 deaths associated with the use of quad bikes since 2011, statistics look to have been on a downwards path anyway – probably through much better operator training – with the number of deaths reduced significantly from the 24 lives lost in 2020, to 11 in 2021 and 9 so far in 2022.

Since the October 2021 deadline, the ACCC has worked with state and territory consumer protection and health & safety agencies to conduct a second annual round of surveillance activities, inspecting over 440 quad bike dealers in the process. The authorities are currently investigating a small number of instances where potentially serious non-compliance was identified, including in relation to the safety of the operator protection devices.

Summing up progress, 94% of new quad bikes assessed by the ACCC regulators were compliant with the national safety standard, an improvement from the 84% recorded in 2021. Non-compliance was mainly due to machines being displayed without age or rollover warning labels, lateral roll stability tags or owner manuals.

Back here in New Zealand, with the holiday season fast approaching and the increased chances of non-rural youngsters trying their hand at ATV riding, our own safety authority, WorkSafe, offers the following ATV/ quad bike riding tips:

- Ensure you are properly trained before you ride a quad bike

- Always wear a helmet and appropriate clothing

- Never let children ride quad bikes that are meant for adults - even as passengers

- Do not carry any passengers on quad bikes that are meant for one person

- Avoid riding on rough terrain or steep slopes

- Take extra care in wet weather and be aware of obstacles

- Never ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs

- Ensure children are supervised at all times near any quad bike activity

- Fit Operator Protection Devices to quad bikes minimise injuries or reduced the risk of death