Almost every year, many in the agricultural industry are shocked to read the statistics of accidents and fatalities related to quads.
Let’s be clear, we are talking here about those accidents that arise on or in connection with the farm. This excludes those that happen to people, usually young men, who use these bikes in the suburbs as a fashion accessory or for sports.
All terrain vehicles
The quad is a great machine. It was designed to be easy to handle and, more importantly, to be able to tackle tough off-road terrain. Few would argue that it meets those requirements.
Unfortunately, however, the ‘off-road’ label has led and continues to lead to errors of assumption on the part of some riders. Manufacturers originally designed these bikes to cope with off-road conditions, including wet, soft, slippery floors and minor obstructions.
What they weren’t designed for, at least initially, is climbing very steep inclines. As a result, some of the early ones were fundamentally unstable if climbed up a steep slope at 90 degrees to the ground plane. So a significant number of accidents and fatalities have occurred because these bikes just flipped over.
While it is true that there have been some major engineering improvements over the years and the quads are now much more stable than they were before, they still have an “operating environment” related to inclines. The guidelines there are not to be exceeded.
There is also a driving technique for trying to tackle inclines, and it should be mastered and used.
roll bar protection
Closely linked to the previous point is the lack of roll-over protection on the quads.
Now this situation is changing in some countries, but at the time of writing, in many others it is still possible to see these bikes racing on farms with their riders largely completely unprotected. In terms of other tractors and farm machinery, such a thing would be unthinkable because roll and crush protection cages are often a legal requirement.
So unfortunately there are still a lot of serious accidents because quads roll over and stay on top of their riders.
Lack of training
Sadly, another major contributing factor was and continues to be a basic lack of training in terms of how to ride these bikes. Too often, usually, some of the younger farm boys jump on board and run off.
There is a dangerous assumption that if you can ride a motorcycle, then a quad should be easy, because it has four wheels.
In fact, driving a quad safely is a different discipline and requires different skills than driving a two-wheeled machine. Their performance and handling characteristics can be very different and can catch the unwary/untrained.
Summary
Although many countries have made progress through experience, common sense and legislation, injuries and fatalities on quads are still too high.
So, assuming the legislative base is zero from where you are reading this, here are some important tips:
- Don’t let anyone ride quads on your farm unless they have been fully trained and have a lot of experience. That’s particularly important when they’re younger people who may have a tendency to be overconfident in their abilities.
- Until you get to know the person, be sure to “watch” them for a while to make sure they’re using the right techniques and keeping a level head.
- Insist that they wear protective gear when biking, including boots, gloves, a helmet, goggles, and some type of protective suit.
- Make sure the quad is equipped with some form of crush protection. There are several types available.
- Do not allow them to overload the quad by carrying other people, animals or anything heavy.
- Make sure you are thoroughly familiar with the manufacturers’ safety recommendations and the performance of the bicycle. Don’t let anyone ride it until you’ve had them read them and test them beforehand on what they’ve learned/understood!