Roll bars for quad bikes
ALL new quad bikes sold in Australia will be required to have a roll bar, as the Federal Government seeks to reduce the fatalities involving the popular farm vehicles.
The law will come into effect in 2021, after the Government accepted the recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for mandatory rollover protection. A roll bar over the seated rider means that if the vehicle flips the rider is not crushed.
ALL new quad bikes sold in Australia will be required to have a roll bar, as the Federal Government seeks to reduce the fatalities involving the popular farm vehicles.
Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar announced the Government had accepted the recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for mandatory rollover protection.
The law will come into effect in 2021. A roll bar over the seated rider means that if the vehicle flips — as so many have done in fatal crashes — the rider is not crushed.
Quad bikes, also known as all-terrain vehicles, are responsible for 16 deaths a year on average in Australia.
A three-year-old boy died in Gippsland earlier this week when the bike he was riding on was involved in an accident on a rural property.
There have also been a number of fatalities in Tasmania in recent years.
Mr Sukkar said the Government would introduce a new safety standard for quad bikes to reduce rollovers and provide better protection for users.
“Since 2011, on average 16 people a year are killed in a quad bike accident, and an estimated six people a day present to an emergency department, with at least two of these admitted with serious injuries,’’ he said.
“Quad bikes are the leading cause of fatalities in Australia of all consumer products that aren’t regulated. This safety standard aims to address the high risk of rollovers, which is especially important for many farmers and their families.’’
In a first step to making quad bikes safer, within 12 months all new ones sold here will have to meet either European or US standards for components such as brakes and suspension, and be tested for stability.
“These requirements will put the onus on foreign manufacturers to supply safer quad bikes,,’’ Mr Sukkar said.
Farming and community groups led by the National Farmers Federation have been agitating for years for the bikes to be fitted with mandatory roll bars. They cost about $600.