Quad bikes are farms biggest killers

Safe Work Australia data shows 68 people have died on quad bikes since 2018, and around 15 per cent of deaths were children and teens.

A 14 year old girl is the latest fatality. The teenager died when her quad bike crashed outside Wilcannia in western NSW on April 15.

She's the fifth person to die this year in a quad bike accident.

The director of Paeds Education Sarah Duncanson said kids don't have the physical coordination or mental dexterity to handle quad bikes.

"There's a perception that farm kids are stoic and if they learn the ropes from a young age, they'll be safe," Ms Duncanson said.

"But unfortunately that's not the case when it comes to farm machinery and quad bikes," the Victorian farm owner said.

It only takes a slight shift in the bike's centre of gravity to lift the tyres and flip the vehicle, according to Safe Work NSW.

Rollovers cause more than half of all deaths on these notoriously unstable vehicles because of the bike's narrow wheelbase and high centre of gravity, it said.

Quad bike deaths and injuries are often caused by colliding with livestock or driving over uneven terrain, into a fence or tree branch, Safe Work NSW said.

But, above all, rolling is the leading cause of quad bike death, it said.

"It's unfortunate, but we have not seen a decrease in the number of farm accidents and injuries in kids over the last few decades," Ms Duncanson said.

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Their instability means quad bikes can roll in any direction, potentially landing on and crushing the driver.

Fatal roll overs can happen under many conditions, even when driving slowly and on flat ground. But the risks of rolling rise when driving on slopes, at high speeds and when towing a load, Safe Work said.

The main causes of death from rollovers are asphyxiation, crush and head injuries, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

"The problem is that we combine farm work with fun farm life," Ms Duncanson said.

"And when those two things collide, that's when we see people getting hurt," the paediatric critical care nurse said.

"There are inevitable risks that come with living on a farm and using farm machinery, but people think quad bike accidents are unlucky, instead of preventable", Ms Duncanson said.

Kids risk serious injury and death when operating quads, ACCC said.

"There's a perception on farms that 'it's not going to happen to my kid,'" Ms Duncanson said.

Adult sized quad bikes were particularly dangerous for children but even smaller quad bikes have been involved in fatal incidents in Australia, ACCC said.

Ms Duncanson recommends talking through a "triage of safety" with children before starting any farm work.

The first step includes pinpointing and discussing the dangers of the work.

"If your kids are riding a quad bike to the back dam, you should talk about the potential for the bike to flip while driving on a muddy slope," she said

The next step is talking about prevention, pinpointing the most dangerous behaviours and choosing a safe alternative. Like taking a flatter, drier route.

Ms Duncanson said the last step is planning. "If all goes pear-shaped and pinpointing and preventing doesn't work, what are we going to do?"

"Do you have your mobile phone? Does it have reception? Are we close to emergency services? These are questions we need to ask all the time on the farm," she said.

All quad bikes should be fitted with safety equipment to lessen the risk of serious injury or death in a crash, Safe Work NSW said.

"New machinery has to be fitted with a roll bar," Ms Duncanson said.

"But older models don't, and there's still a lot of those available for purchase that don't have to go through the channels and get checked for safety," she said.

Roll bars are designed to protect riders from being fatally crushed or pinned underneath the weight of the quad bike, Safe Work NSW said.

They create a crawl space between the quad bike and the ground.

"Roll bars are a good start, but they're not a total answer," Ms Duncanson said

The paediatric critical care nurse said even with a roll bar, quad bikes were still high risk for kids under 16 years.

Ms Duncanson said every child has different physical and mental abilities, and even those older than 16 may not be safe on a quad bike.

"It's about assessing your own children and assessing the risk that comes with participating in farm activities," she said.