A new study which explores the attitudes of parents towards their children riding quad bikes and aims to help improve safety is about to get underway.
Quad bikes are the leading cause of unintentional death on Australian farms, outranking tractor incidents, and children riding recreationally are particularly at risk of injury, according to Queensland’s accident research body.
“On average 13 Australians are killed on quad bikes every year, one in five of these are children and 50 percent are roll-overs causing crush injuries or asphyxiation – yet no laws prohibit the use of quad bikes for children,” PhD scholar Kim Vuong says.
“Manufacturer recommendations suggest children under 16 years of age should not ride adult-sized quad bikes and injury statistics provide a grim warning, yet the warnings are often ignored.”
The study involves interviews and online surveys with parents of children under-16 who have access to quad bikes, to reveal what they think is appropriate and safe use and will be conducted by the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland (CARRS-Q).
The announcement of this latest study coincides with the release of a CARRS-Q quad bike safety fact sheet that reveals some telling statistics.
Weight imbalance, through carrying spray tanks, cargo, passengers or towing heavy trailers was the cause of 28 percent of fatal accidents and the rider was not wearing a helmet in 36 percent of cases in 2011.
While farm fatalities in general have dropped by about 65 percent over the past 20 years, quad bike incidents continue to rise.
There is increasing concern, particularly in the medical and emergency services community, which is calling for quad bike safety reforms.
Recommendations from the latest CARRS-Q study will be developed to help propose reforms that may reduce quad bike-related injury, once the research is complete.