Five in six quad bikes for sale meet regulations: ACCC

Eighty-four per cent of quad bikes assessed by Australia’s consumer law regulators were compliant with the first stage of a new national safety standard that came into force in October last year, new figures from the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) reveal.

The ACCC and state and territory consumer protection agencies have coordinated national market surveillance to determine whether quad bike suppliers have complied with the stage 1 requirements of the Quad Bike Safety Standard, introduced in 2019.

The Standard has been introduced in two stages, to provide manufacturers time to make necessary adjustments to quad bikes.

Stage 1 requirements include that all new and imported second hand quad bikes sold in Australia be tested for lateral static stability, have a hang tag attached to them showing the angle at which the quad bike tips onto two wheels, and carry a roll over warning label on the bike. The owner’s manual must also include roll over safety information.

While most machines inspected have met the requirements, roughly one in six were non-compliant, said ACCC Deputy Chair, Mick Keogh.

“Suppliers (of non-compliant units) have so far co-operated with our investigations and taken steps to fix problems, including recalling non-compliant bikes where necessary," he said.

In March this year, following site inspections by state regulators, Suzuki voluntarily recalled 490 quad bikes that were not fitted with the required reflectors, compliance certificate labels, hang tags, and had information missing from the owner’s manuals.

“Enforcing the quad bike safety standard is an ACCC priority this year and all quad bike suppliers should be aware that we will be keeping a very close eye on their compliance,” Keogh said.

From October 11, 2021, the next and final stage of the Safety Standard will come into effect, which dictates that all new and second-hand imported general use quad bikes sold in Australia must be fitted with operator protection devices (OPDs) and meet minimum stability requirements.

“The second stage requirements are absolutely critical for improving the safety of quad bikes and saving lives,” Keogh said.

“Suppliers have had plenty of time to make sure that all new quad bikes for sale meet all requirements of the Safety Standard.

“We will be conducting national surveillance again this year and cracking down on anyone supplying non-compliant quad bikes." 

ACCC is urging consumers and businesses to make a complaint if they believe they have seen a quad bike offered for sale or have been sold a quad bike that does not comply with the requirements of the standard.

Following the announcement of the Safety Standard back in 2019, a number of major players in the local ATV market such as Honda and Yamaha have decided to withdraw their products as they did not believe fitting OPDs to their machines will make them safer.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which represents the quad bike manufacturers, has been a vocal critic of the Safety Standard from the get go, constantly questioning the safety of ATVs fitted with OPDs. The FCAI is arguing instead that education and helmet wearing are the best methods for preventing casualties or fatalities related to ATV use on farms.

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