Quad bike safety on the agenda
Day after day, trauma surgeon Li Hsee and his colleagues see first hand the blood, bruises and broken bones that come as a result of quad bike crashes – many involving children.
But despite several calls urging the New Zealand and Australian governments to ban the bikes for those under the age of 16, progress has been glacial.
‘‘Quad bike injuries are preventable and deaths are unnecessary. It is especially heartbreaking to see these injuries and deaths in all age groups especially the young,’’ Hsee said.
While the call from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), which Hsee chairs, has been made many times before, the organisation was hopeful that recent deaths along with followup advocacy efforts might finally force change.
Earlier this year, Wellington mother Jane Mair made a public plea for improved safety legislation. Her 17-year-old son Rhys Mair lost his life in 2016 after he crashed a borrowed quad bike in a remote area of Wairarapa. He was not wearing a helmet.
Mair identified a handful of areas where she believed simple changes could save lives, including mandatory helmets and licensing requirements.
Under current law, farmers must provide sufficient protective gear – including helmets – for employees riding quad bikes. There are no such rules for casual riders on private land.
Following her plea, Mair had spoken with WorkSafe about helping with a possible prevention plan the organisation was in the planning stages of.
‘‘I do feel a two-pronged approach of legislative change and a change in attitudes is needed to make the difference. But . . . I’m not sure that both will happen yet.’’
In January, the Government signalled it would shortly begin consulting on how risks from quad bikes were managed as part of wider regulatory reforms.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) anticipated the consultation would be released in the coming months.
Federated Farmers national president Katie Milne confirmed her organisation would be involved in those talks but said farmers’ quad bike use was already well regulated.
‘‘We could put our effort into looking at greater or different regulation . . . but what’s really going to make a difference is to continue – if not step up – our work to change farmers’ and other quad bike users’ attitudes to health and safety.’’