Data published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) shows that in the first six months of 2020, 14 people, including three children, died in quad bike-related accidents in Australia.
This compares to eight in the whole of last year.
Deputy Chair of the ACCC, Mick Keogh said a new Quad Bike Safety Standard is to be introduced, the first stage of which is to take effect on 11 October.
“Quad bikes are an important part of rural life but the ongoing fatalities and serious injuries are incredibly concerning,” Mr Keogh said.
“They highlight the importance of this new safety standard,” he said.
“For many years, manufacturers have been claiming rider behaviour is the major reason for the number of deaths and injuries. Their aim has been to shift the focus away from the unsafe design of quad bikes.”
Mr Keogh said that in truth it was the inherent instability of quad bikes that was causing them to roll over frequently.
“It has been reported that at least eight of the fatalities so far this year involved rollovers, with four of them resulting in crush injuries,” Mr Keogh said.
“The design limitations of quad bikes mean many people, including experienced, mature operators, are getting seriously injured or killed, despite operating them in line with the vehicles’ marketed uses.”
He said that as the date for the new safety standard drew nearer “misinformation and scare campaigns from groups opposed to the new safety standard have ramped up, and that’s been very disappointing”.
“Top of the list is the suggestion that because some quad bike manufacturers have threatened to stop selling in Australia due to the new safety requirements, farmers will lose a critical piece of farm machinery,” Mr Keogh said.
“If a manufacturer withdraws from Australia, others will willingly step in to provide the safer quad bikes,” he said.
