Image: Chris_Parfitt/flickr
Quad bikes, a four-wheeled utility vehicle with many applications, including farming, and sometimes even to repair damaged footpaths, have been the subject of discussion of safety lately.
Following a reported number of 115 deaths since 2011 resulting from usage of quad bikes in accidents on Australian farms, with 32 in New South Wales alone, the state government is finally putting its foot down.
The NSW government is calling for the federal government to introduce a national five-star safety rating system for quad bikes, with Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean asserting that the state government would provide any support necessary to help develop and implement the scheme.
Mr Kean said after his meeting with Senator Michaelia Cash in June 2017, the pair believe a rating system is the “next big step” to reducing deaths and injuries from quad bike accidents.
“We want to work with manufacturers and farmers to develop a scheme, which would give buyers the information they need, at a glance, to make the safest possible choice,” Mr Kean said.
“This is about putting consumers first and doing what we can to keep farmers safe at work.”
Mr Kean said a safety rating system for quad bikes was a key recommendation of the NSW Deputy Coroner’s 2015 inquest into quad bike deaths.
Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair said the state government is committed to improving rider safety through a ‘multi-faceted approach’.
“We have to work together on this issue to ensure we get the best outcome, we want people to be able to work and live on their farms as safely as possible,” Mr Blair said.
“The NSW government is providing incentives to encourage farmers to improve the safety of their quad bikes, education programs to support safer usage and now we want to give consumers better information to support their decision making.”
A rating system would build on the state government’s $2 million Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program, which provides free training and helmets for those who complete the course, as well as rebates for protective devices, and safer side-by-side vehicles.
