Parents warned of quad bike risk

TERRITORY parents who bought their children quad bikes for Christmas are being asked to rev up their safety precautions.

As of October 16, 18 people had died from involvement with the vehicles, including a five-year-old boy in NSW.

While the last NT quad bike death was in 2011, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that there was no room for complacency.

‘‘Quad bikes are especially popular during school holidays when they’re used recreationally,’’ ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said.

‘‘ Uncertainty of terrain and where a child is up to in terms of their development, including their reaction times, increases the risk of accident.’’

Last year, there were 19 quad bike- related deaths nationwide, with five of those deaths involving children under 14.

Darwin has had its fair share of close calls.

In late August, two men suffered serious injuries after their quad bikes collided near Humpty Doo.

In September, a 13-year-old at Livingstone, 35km southeast of Darwin, was nearly decapitated by barbed wire