Quad Bike Danger !

They are relatively cheap and they are tantalisingly attractive for children.   The Quad bike seems a better option for parents when the kids are agitating to join their friends on their own trail bike next birthday.  I seems logical that something with four wheels must be more stable than a motorbike with just two ?

The Quad bike has claimed a place as a recreational riding machine for Australia's young people and at the same time become a farm accessory in this country in recent years - and they have an appalling accident record.   They featured in more than 110 fatal deaths nationally in the past six years and there have been constant calls for improved safety regulations.

The common danger factor seems to be weight.   They are much heavier than a motorbike and as they are classed as an " all terrain vehicle " - they are ridden accordingly.  In so many accidents the rider is pinned under an overturned quad bike and crushed, and sometimes the accident happens in a creek and the rider drowns.   Mature farmers are meeting their end on quad bikes and the danger is obvious when the rider is a child.

This danger could be reduced if Quad bikes came with a roll bar.   This is an optional accessory but is not taken up by most owners.  A roll bar limits the ability to travel under low hanging trees and seems particularly unpopular with young people who also seem reluctant to wear a safety helmet.   A quad bike is seen as a " fun " machine and half the thrill is riding at high speed over rough terrain.  The average rider completely over rates their riding ability in relation to the stability of the machine they are controlling.

The Royal Australian College of Surgeons ( RACS ) has urged the government to place an age limit on quad bike use.  In some other countries, fourteen is the minimum age they can be ridden legally but that is unlikely to reduce the death toll here.  Quad bikes can not be legally registered for use on Australian roads and consequently they are mostly either ridden on private property - such as farms - or used illegally on public land on the outskirts of cities.

The added danger is that quad bike availability is still evolving.   At least the products on sale now are well made and structurally sound, but many people will remember the mini motorbike craze of a few years ago.   Tiny, functional motorbikes the size of which seemed more suitable for a pre-school children were on sale with functioning petrol engines - and they were capable of amazing speeds.  They were relatively cheap - and soon they were being used by hulking great teenagers whizzing around suburban streets and on footpaths terrorising the locals.

At that time, it was not illegal to import them.  Only illegal to actually use them unless this was done on private property.   It is quite possible that we may see similar versions of mini quad bikes churned out by Asian manufacturers seeking novelty product appeal.

The existing version of quad bikes presents the government with a quandary.   If they proclaim an age limit it is likely to be widely ignored and yet we have a product with a bad safety record making increased sales.   About the only achievable option would be to make such items a prohibited import - unless it came fitted with an integral roll bar that could not be removed.

That would seem to be the only functional safety measure possible. !