Lids and kids head ATV safety thrust

The numbers of people killed each year in this country on All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Side-by-Side Vehicles (SSVs) could be cut drastically by a wider uptake of helmet use and ensuring that kids were kept off adult ATV models, says the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

In 2016 a total of 10 people died in ATV accidents throughout Australia.

Addressing media at the recent launch of Yamaha's Kodiak 450 quad bike, the ATV Manager for the FCAI, Mark Collins, said recent coronial enquiries had revealed some clear trends in ATV/SSV accidents.

"Thirty per cent of the people involved in these incidents could have been saved if they'd had a helmet on – so helmets are really, really important, we learned that," he said.

"Twenty per cent or one in five of all fatalities are children under 16 who should not be on the vehicle in the first place; 10 per cent were passengers riding two-up on a single-seater; and 10 per cent were affected by alcohol. That is 70 per cent of all fatalities right there, so what can we do for the other 30 per cent in terms of better training and compliance?

"How can dealers become more involved and how can the media become more involved in communicating safe practices?"

Farm safety
Denis Roberts, Yamaha Motor Australia's Divisional Manager, Motorcycles, echoed the sentiments.

"There is only about 15 per cent of farmers who actually do wear a helmet, so you can imagine what the opportunity for an accident and a serious injury or fatality is," he said.

Mr Roberts said Yamaha had a moral obligation to their customers regarding farm safety, which shaped their approach to the products themselves, how they're sold and after they're sold.

"One of the biggest reasons for fatalities in farmers is fatigue, so if we can take some of that fatigue away by making the product more user-friendly and placing less fatigue on the rider, it's going to contribute to safety significantly," he said.

"So get the right education and training, and one of the other biggest things is keeping kids off adult ATVs.

"If we all work together as a group and communicate to our customers and our audience, we have the potential to save 70 per cent of those lives that are lost."

To that end, Yamaha has partnered with an accredited training organisation to form the Yamaha ATV/SSV Safety Institute, which has 46 rider trainers across the country.

It has also developed online training for ATV/SSV riders, which – while falling well short of one-on-one training – still gets people thinking about the topic and underlines basic techniques and practices.

"It's not a substitution for [face-to-face] training but it's still a good educational tool, and if we can get any education out there it will make a difference," he said.

Yamaha was also a driving force behind the production of the world's first fully certified ATV/SSV helmet. Developed in collaboration with Shark and Ficeda Accessories, the Shark X16 addresses many of the complaints held up by farmers as reasons to forego helmets.

It's light, at just 1200 grams, and it features a high-flow ventilation system to help riders keep cool in warmer weather. There's also a quick-release buckle and the ear pods allow the rider to hear – important in the case of mustering, when the rider needs to keep track of their cattle.

Coming with a clip-on peak, it's also available with a number of accessories to suit certain tasks, such as neck skirt, a dust filter, a fly screen and more. Click here to read our review of the Shark X16, which comes with full ECE 22-05 compliance.

ROPS attack
Roll Over Protection Systems (ROPS) has been a hot topic in ATVs lately, but the FCAI says the case for the devices simply isn't there, as underlined by local tests. Recent local testing of ROPS systems replicated tests carried out in the US, which saw dummies placed on autonomous ATVs and then deliberately rolled.

"The dummy was always wearing a helmet and we did the same rollover events – uphills, downhills, with a side slope – with and without a CPD [Crush Protection Device]," he said.

"As the data shows, there's no real benefit to fitting a CPD."

This was echoed by the New South Wales and Queensland Coroners, said Mr Collins.

"Neither the NSW or Queensland coroner recommended the fitment of Crush Protection Devices; they said that more work was required," he said.

At the recent launch of the Yamaha Kodiak 450, sandwich boards prominently displayed the message, 'Never fit ROPS; we won't have a bar of it'.

Mr Roberts also said potential ATV buyers shouldn't be directed towards SSVs over ATVs purely for safety reasons.

"There's been a bit of a move where people are trying to push people onto SSVs," he said.

"Realistically, an SSV should be used for whatever it's meant to be used for – it's not a substitute for an ATV. An ATV has very unique benefits for the average farmer – obviously price, they're more nimble and so on."

Safer future
Looking ahead, the FCAI said it was examining the uptake of a set of minimum vehicle standards with which ATVs and SSVs should comply, perhaps based on the current North American system but modified to reflect local products and usage.

Above all else, the message is there's much that can be done to improve ATV/SSV safety and reduce the current level of serious accidents.

"We want to deliver a message that farming life is great so let's keep it that way, and the best way to keep it that way is to protect yourself," said Mr Roberts.