Consumer Watch with Natasha Pirrottina: Quad bike safety campaign reminds that one ride can change everything

Quad bikes are not toys and along with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Consumer Protection is encouraging farmers, partners, parents and carers to protect their loved ones when riding these powerful machines. Ahead of the summer holidays the ACCC has launched the One Ride Can Change Everything safety awareness campaign. Although some quad accidents will be relatively minor, others can have devastating, lifelong consequences for the rider and their families. Since 2011, 235 Australians have died in quad bike incidents, with men accounting for more than 80 per cent of fatalities, figures from SafeWork Australia show. Twenty-three of those deaths occurred in Western Australia, with two of them being children aged under 10. In fact, Australia-wide children under-16 make up more than a quarter of all emergency department presentations relating to quad bike injuries. You should never let kids ride quads made for adults, even as passengers. When they ride an adult-sized quad bike they are often over-confident in their ability to control the bike. Children also don’t have the skills or physical strength to handle the power of these bikes and it can have catastrophic outcomes. Despite being marketed as “all-terrain vehicles”, quad bikes cannot safely go anywhere and everywhere. Steep slopes or rough terrain increases the risk of a roll over. Even at slower speeds, these bikes can topple over and crush or suffocate the rider with the hundreds of kilos these machines weigh. Side-by-sides are another all-terrain vehicle growing in popularity and unfortunately this means so are the incidents. Many fatalities and serious injuries occur when occupants don’t use or remove safety features from their vehicles such as seatbelts, doors or netting. Coronial inquests into fatalities involving side-by-sides have found that if victims had been wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, they would not have been thrown from the cabin. There are three golden rules to follow when using quad bikes to help you, your loved ones, friends and work colleagues stay safe. Always wear a helmet, but make sure it’s the right fit, and done up firmly. Adult-sized helmets don’t protect child-sized heads, and no helmet works if it’s left in the shed. Make sure your quad bike is fitted with rollover protection, also called an operator protection device (OPD). If the quad topples over it will be held off the ground to provide a crawl out space. Finally, children under the age of 16 should never ride an adult quad bike, even when an adult is present. When it comes to side-by-sides, always wear a seat belt and never let children drive. It’s also worth checking the manufacturer’s advice before letting children ride side-by-side vehicles as passengers. One ride can change everything. Don’t risk it, ride safe every time. Learn more with the national quad bike and side-by-side vehicle guide — productsafety.gov.au/quadbikes Natasha Pirrottina is senior regional officer for Consumer Protection in the Mid West