Quad bikes, side-by-sides and other small utility vehicles are commonplace on farms and they are handy for an endless array of small jobs and as quick, easy transport.

However like with anything that becomes part of everyday life complacency can creep in, and it’s easy to forget just how dangerous they can be if used incorrectly.

Just over three-quarters of agricultural fatalities between 2010 and 2014 involved farm vehicles and tractors, other machinery and quad bikes are the leading causes of death.

In 2016 quad bikes accounted for the highest number of deaths and injuries overall (outranking tractors which used to be the leader).

Deaths are evenly distributed between rollovers, where asphyxiation/crush injury are common and non-rollovers, where the victim is flung onto a hard surface as a result of a quad bike crash.

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Almost 9 out of every 10 rollover deaths occur on a farm.

Farmers are urged to think carefully about their use of quads taking into account the safety risks and decide if they are really necessary. 

When farmers are considering using quads for work on farms, Farmsafe encourages the following safety principles:

- Is the quad the most appropriate vehicle to do the job?  A farm ute or side-by-side vehicle, can carry loads and passengers safely.  Alternatively, a tractor or two wheel motorcycle may be more appropriate.

- A suitably tested crush protection device (CPD) should be fitted to the quad bike.

- Always keep the quad well maintained and tyres correctly inflated according to manufacturers’ recommendations.

- DO NOT allow riders under 16 years old to operate a quad of any engine size (kids and quads are a fatal mix). Allegedly “child appropriate quads” also kill by crush/asphyxiation and are present in Australian coronial records.

- DO NOT carry passengers;

- DO NOT carry or tow loads (including spray tanks and trailers). Loads make an unstable vehicle that is “prone to rollover” even more so. 

- When riding a quad always wear a helmet.

Download the Safety of Quads and Side-by-Side Vehicles on Australian Farms at www.farmsafe.org.au

For more information on other areas of farm safety visit www.farmsafe.org.au/Farm-Safety-Week