Different regions prone to different farm vehicle accidents
Depending on which region you farm in New Zealand can mean you’re more prone to certain types of farm vehicle accident, finds FMG.
‘‘FMG insures over 50 percent of rural New Zealand and so we’ve been able to learn a lot about where and what causes tractor, side-by-side and quad bike rollover accidents,’’ says Stephen Cantwell, FMG’s Manager Advice Services.
‘‘Some regions are overrepresented in the number of claims we see. By overrepresented we mean that the percentage of claims coming in is higher than the percentage of farm vehicles insured, which tells us those regions are prone to having more accidents associated with quad bikes, side-by-sides and tractors.’’
Quad bike and side-by-side claims are over-represented in the Hawkes Bay, ManawatuWhanganui, Otago and Canterbury regions.
In the South Island, tractors are over-represented in Canterbury, the West Coast and the top of South regions, as well as Otago and Southland.
‘‘Interestingly in the Southland region we see that tractors are highly over-represented for claims,’’ says Stephen.
In the North Island, tractor claims are over-represented in the Manawatu-Whanganui and Taranaki regions.
‘‘As expected, we still receive claims from farm vehicle accidents from all regions, however our insights are helpful to share with those regions where there seem to be more accidents than others. We really want to help rural New Zealand to keep safe,’’ says Stephen.
Based on the information from the claims coming through FMG has taken these insights and worked with industry experts to develop advice to keep you and your team safe on farm.
‘‘I’ve attended quad bike and side-by-side handling training sessions with our clients and one thing that always sticks in my mind is how many of these vehicles didn’t have the right tyre pressure. We know that if the tyre pressure is incorrect, not only does this increase maintenance
costs it also makes the vehicle unsafe.
‘‘It’s so easy to be thinking about the next job and not checking the tyre pressures, especially if you’re riding every day. You won’t easily notice the gradual changes of pressure. Going out and checking your tyre
pressure is correct is one easy thing you can do today to improve safety on your farm.
‘‘There is a lot of we can do to improve our safety and reduce the risk of accidents,’’ says Stephen.