Quadbike safety up to operators

OPINION: Quadbike safety is once again in the spotlight, with calls being made for action in the wake of two deaths this year, writes Jacqui Dean (National) in this week's From the Beehive.

Nineteen-year-old Stratford farm worker Lucinda Couchman and South Wairarapa man Phillip Osborne died this year, each killed in separate incidents while riding quadbikes.

In the wake of these tragedies there have been calls for improved safety, better education and even the introduction of structural changes to bikes to protect users.

Wellington coroner Ian Smith this month repeated calls for quadbikes to be fitted with roll bars and seatbelts and for riders to wear helmets. He also recommended that users who breach the proposed rules be fined.

This debate is particularly relevant to farmers in Otago and Southland, with quadbikes a common tool used on almost every rural property in the region.

Sadly, the statistics don't look good, with quadbikes responsible for almost 30 per cent of all agricultural deaths and the numbers don't appear to be improving. ACC logged 358 quadbike accidents, including 10 deaths, in the 2006 to 2007 financial year, compared with 201 accidents, including seven deaths, in 2001-02.

It is estimated that there are now close to 100,000 all-terrain vehicles in New Zealand so they are a popular form of transport, but will more rules and regulations fix the problems? The New Zealand Transport Agency has said that education is preferred over regulation, while the Labour Department has said that the benefits of roll bars are not yet fully established.

Federated Farmers has also expressed concern at the accident rate associated with quadbikes and is looking at measures to address some of the coroner's recommendations. To its credit it has recently issued an urgent advisory to its farmer members urging them to wear helmets while riding quadbikes. However, it has also said that the evidence wasn't clear that a roll bar regulation would improve safety, and that it might very well pose practical and safety issues of its own.

The debate on quadbike safety will no doubt continue. Whether further regulation is the answer has yet to be tested, but until we've got some concrete solutions on this serious problem it is up to farmers to do all that they can to keep themselves, their staff and their families safe.

All operators must understand quadbike safety and should be trained accordingly. The wearing of safety helmets is also another essential step in the right direction.wJacqui Dean is the MP for Waitaki.

» Jacqui Dean is the National Party MP for Waitaki.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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