ATV roll bar research prompts war of words

A new research released by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on the effects of an Operator Protection Device (OPD) on quad bike roll over incidents has triggered a heated debate between two of the most vocal organisations in Australia when it comes to ATV safety.

On September 16, the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Association) released a statement commenting on the results of the report released in late August, stating the CPSC concluded that roll bars on quad bikes are effective in reducing the likelihood of injury or death in the event of a roll over.

The report used various quad bike models and a test dummy to test the effectiveness of OPDs in rollover accidents at low or moderate speed.

It comes ahead of the Australian Government’s quad bike safety standard becoming mandatory next month (October 2020), under which all new and second hand imported general use quad bikes sold must have a test tag attached indicating the angle at which they will rollover. And from October 2021, all ATVs sold in Australia must have an OPD fitted.

The US CPSC report includes the result of lateral rollover tests conducted on six different quad bike models fitted with ATV Lifeguard and Quadbar OPDs and compared them to tests without an OPD at what the researchers termed low and moderate speeds.

The low speed tests were conducted in scenarios that in many ways mimic Australian conditions and typical quad bike use, the ACCC said.

“The study used state of the art testing equipment including test dummies with sophisticated electronic sensors, and is perhaps the most rigorous real-world test of OPDs yet conducted. The results support the ACCC’s view that OPDs are likely to save lives,” said ACCC Deputy Chair, Mick Keogh.

“In low speed lateral rollover tests involving a quad bike with an OPD, significant impact between the quad bike and the crash test dummy was virtually eliminated,” he said.

“In contrast, in rollover tests of the same model quad bikes without an OPD, the test dummy was struck more than five times more often.”

In moderate speed tests, OPDs were also shown to be effective in reducing impacts between the quad bike and the test dummy, albeit to a lesser extent.

“Importantly, the test results also highlight that a vehicle’s design can affect how it reacts in a rollover,” Keogh said.

“One of the quad bikes tested performed markedly different to others, rolling over faster and further, and striking the test dummy more than any other quad bike with and without an OPD,” he said.

“This shows the importance of the government’s minimum stability requirements that also apply from October 2021. Poorer performing vehicles like this one will no longer be able to be sold in Australia once the stability requirements become mandatory.

“It also reinforces that even with OPDs fitted it is always important to ride safely and wear the appropriate safety gear.”

RELATED READS:

Not one to back down from a fight against the fitting of roll bars on quad bikes, the FCAI (Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries) has lashed out at the ACCC’s statement, accusing the organisation of “cherry picking” points from the report to support its own argument.

“The CPSC report states that ‘neither the Quad Bar nor Lifeguard OPDs reduced the relative number of interactions between the ATV and ATD (crash test dummy) at final rest…’,” the FCAI said.

“Another result from the report states ‘…the OPDs did not reduce the occurrence of the ATV ending up on top of the dummy’s pelvis, abdomen, thorax or head.’

“Significantly, the CPSC has not made any recommendations for or against the fitment of OPDs, indicating the study is inconclusive.”

The FCAI also pointed to a grim image published in the report that seemingly shows the vehicle bouncing off the roll bar and landing on the test dummy from a height.

“In this scenario, the OPD has changed the roll-over dynamics to increase the vehicle’s height and caused it to fall with greater force, ultimately crushing and coming to rest on top of the rider,” the organisation said.

“Previous studies commissioned by the FCAI and undertaken by Dynamic Research Inc. (DRI), an independent USA firm, have clearly shown there is no net safety benefit in fitting an OPD to an ATV.”

As a result of the regulations, particularly the clause concerning mandatory roll bar fitment, major ATV manufacturers have decided to withdraw their products from the Australian market as early as next month.

“This exodus will result in a lack of quality, reliable ATVs for rural and agricultural use, and will leave a gaping hole in the ‘toolbox’ of thousands of Australian farmers,” the FCAI argued.