The Australian Quad Bike Safety Industry Action Group (IAG) forum in Tamworth on Tuesday heard from industry stakeholders on how to work together to reach a goal of zero quad bike-related deaths by 2020. 

In 2016, there were 10 quad bike fatalities in Australia. Already this year, there have been four in NSW.

Queensland introduced new laws in February in response to the high rate of quad bike deaths and accidents, with children under the age of eight prohibited from being passengers and mandatory helmet use on all roads.

While there have been calls for NSW to follow suit, the state government is instead focusing on a collaborative strategy to encourage and support farmers to adopt new safety practices under its Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program.

Since the last IAG meeting at Dubbo in February, the NSW government has doubled the value of rebates, announced free training and helmets for farmers. 

It also launched a confronting advertising campaign featuring Tamworth teen Amber Thomas, who was injured in a quad bike accident when she was just 14.

It’s a move NSW Farmers’ Special Counsel Matt Waring hopes will make people start to prioritise safety.

The forum heard hard facts that rollover equipment and helmets helped save lives, and that it was everyone’s responsibility to make farm safety a priority.

“If you look at the findings, you can just dismiss the skeptics,” Mr Waring said.

“They definitely reduce the risk of serious injury and death for people that are using quad bikes.

“Even the use of helmets, for example, will reduce the severity of injuries by 50 per cent.”

Mr Waring said quad bike safety was “everyone’s duty”.

“We’ve had three (IAG) quad bike meetings so far and it’s working towards a goal of zero deaths by 2022,” Mr Waring said.

“That’s the ultimate outcome, so it’s working out ways to get there, whether it be advertising, rebates.”

SafeWork NSW Central North manager John Ringland said the forum aimed to work in partnership with farmers to come up with safety solutions.

“We know it’s one of the most dangerous pieces on farms, heavily over-represented when it comes to statistics of injuries on farms,” Mr Ringland said.

In March this year, the state government doubled the value of rebates available to farmers for quad bike safety measures.

The rebate, introduced in July last year, gave farmers access to a one-off rebate to buy helmets, undertake training, retrofit safety equipment to existing quad bikes, and/or buy a safer side-by-side farm vehicle.

That has since doubled to $1000 for the purchase of a side- by-side vehicle, $500 for the retrofitting of safety equipment to an existing quad bike, and $90 for the purchase of an approved helmet. 

 SafeWork NSW executive director Peter Dunphy said the IAG played a vital role in reducing the unacceptable level of quad bike-related injuries and fatalities.

“Quad bikes are a leading cause of death on Australian properties, with 113 fatalities across Australia since 2011, including 32 in NSW,” Mr Dunphy said.

“Every fatality has an immeasurable effect on families, friends and communities.”