Quad riders urged to play it safe
Published: 04:20PM BST 26 Aug 2010
While it's generally accepted that they're designed for off-road use, it's becoming quite common to see them on the road.
Designed for use in situations where using a larger vehicle would be difficult, quads are used for everything from herding animals to life guarding, and more recently for sport.
To ride a quad legally on a public road you must have tax, insurance, a registration plate and a B1 licence.
Children under 13 are not permitted to ride a quad bike on either public or private land.
The safety regulations for quad bikes are more relaxed than those for cars or motorcycles. Registering a quad bike for road use is similar to that for motorbikes.
Manufacturers of quad bikes are not required to comply with the terms of EU car safety directives, and quads have no seatbelts or consideration for protection from noise. Nor is there a legal requirement to wear a helmet, and the Government has no plans to make them compulsory. Many are pushing for this, though, including doctors and safety organisations.
We're all aware of high profile accidents suffered by Ozzy Osbourne and Rik Mayall, but accidents are happening regularly, the latest claiming the life nine-year-old Robert McAlister.
Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) suggests there's a genuine lack of data on quad bike casualties, and whilst this is true, it's not possible to justify spending time in parliament addressing this while there are 'more serious' road safety issues to be considered. He does, however, fully support the push to make helmets compulsory.
It's not just recreational use that creates problems, though. The Health & Safety Executive reported that between 1996 and 2006, 23 people died at work on quad bikes, 17 suffering head injuries while without head protection.
Quad Bike News advocates the use of safety features and urges people to check when buying a quad bike that these haven't been removed.
Road safety charity Brake is calling for a law banning children of all ages from riding mini-motorbikes or trail bikes, and a law restricting quad bikes to older children on certified tracks, and for a minimum age to be determined following consultation with safety agencies.
The Safesport website makes the following recommendations when using a quad bike:
- always wear proper protective clothing: helmet, gloves, eye protection, and appropriate footwear, preferably boots
- sports users should wear body armour
- always take a change of clothing
- always wear a crash helmet – there's no law to say you must wear one, but not doing so would mean taking an unnecessary risk, as your helmet is the only protection you have against serious head injury should you come off
- insure your vehicle via a specialist insurer
- quad bikes are not designed to carry passengers, as they can become unbalanced and difficult to control
Associate and Motorcycle Personal Injury team leader Simon Richards said: "As a motorcyclist, I can't stress enough the use of the appropriate protective clothing for quad bike users, whether on or off road.
"We've seen far too many unnecessary injuries to quad bike users which could've been avoided, and sadly many of these injuries are head injuries."
The DVLA doesn't keep figures on the number of quad bikes used on the road, but main UK suppliers have recently been selling thousands of quad bikes compared to just few hundred only a few years ago.
It's clear that quad bikes are becoming increasingly popular both for work and recreational purposes. This makes it more important than ever to ensure they're being used as safely as possible.
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