Quad bike roll bars soon mandatory

The deadline is fast approaching for ATV brands in Australia to ensure their quad bikes will comply with the latest set of regulations set to come into effect from October 11, 2021.

The second stage of the Quad Bike Safety Standard requires all quad bikes sold in the country, new and second hand, to be fitted with an operator protection device (OPD), as well as meet minimum stability requirements.

The ACCC says mandatory fitment of roll bars on quads is a big step forward in improving ride safety on farms. So far this year, six people have died in quad bike accidents while 2020 had the highest annual death toll with 24 quad bike fatalities.

“Quad bike accidents are the leading cause of death and injury on Australian farms and the mandatory safety standard will be critical in saving lives,” says ACCC Deputy Chair, Mick Keogh.

“A high proportion of quad bike accidents are due to rollovers, and the additional safety requirements that are about to come into force include physical design changes to mitigate rollover risks.”

Stage one of the safety standard was introduced on October 11, 2020, and the ACCC and state and territory consumer protection agencies have coordinated national surveillance on suppliers to determine their compliance with the first stage requirements.

Inspectors surveyed 246 dealerships nationally and found that 84 per cent of quad bikes were compliant.

“Consumer law regulators will be conducting another round of surveillance to monitor compliance with the quad bike safety requirements,” Keogh said.

“Suppliers have had a two year transition period to prepare for the new requirements and those who are still not compliant risk enforcement action.”

Keogh says while the enforcement of roll bar installations will greatly help prevent casualties from quad bike accidents, riders still need to practice safe riding and ensure they are doing all the right things.

“When it comes to vehicle safety issues, there is no single solution and, of course, safe riding precautions remain extremely important,” he says.

“Quad bike owners should always wear helmets and the right safety gear, complete the necessary training, and never let children ride adult bikes.”

The 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 safety standard.

Since the Quad Bike Safety Standard was formally introduced in October 2019, the regulations have been both welcomed and slammed by a number of groups involved, including Farmsafe Australia, National Farmers Federation, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), just to name a few.

While the safety standard mandates a number of things including the need for quad bikes to meet minimum stability requirements and comply with international safety standards, perhaps the most controversial is the mandating of the fitment of roll over protection structures on the machines.

On the one hand, the groups advocating for farmers’ safety have welcomed the regulations with open arms, insisting that the installation of roll bars will greatly prevent unnecessary injuries and death related to quad bike use on farms.

On the other hand, the FCAI and a handful of major manufacturers have been up in arms about the regulations, arguing that there have been little to no evidence of OPDs providing safety benefits when installed on ATVs, and that they might even cause accidents instead of preventing them.

FCAI, along with the manufacturers it represents, is adamant that the best ways to prevent quad bike accidents is to wear helmets, receive proper training prior to riding, and prevent children from riding adult sized bikes.

As a result of the mandate, a number of manufacturers including Polaris, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda have decided to withdraw their quad bike offerings from the Australian market, leaving a handful including CFMOTO and Segway to compete in the local market.

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