Quad bike rollover protection will soon be mandatory

The second stage of the highly-contentious quad bike rules are set to be mandated in October, with the ACCC claiming that quad bike safety will be “substantially” improved as a result.

From October 11 2021, all new and second-hand imported general-use quad bikes sold in Australia must meet the second stage of the mandatory Quad Bike Safety Standard. This stage requires all general-use quad bikes to be fitted with rollover protection (known as operator protection devices) and meet minimum rollover stability requirements.

This follows the introduction of Stage 1 in October 2020, which mandated that quad bikes must be fitted with appropriate warning labels and display stability testing results.

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According to the ACCC, six people have died in quad bike accidents so far in 2021, with a record 24 fatalities being recorded in 2020.

The Australian consumer watchdog believes the new safety standard will help reduce the amount of quad bike-related fatalities, which is numbered at over 160 in the past decade.

“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,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh. “A high proportion of quad bike accidents are due to rollovers, and the additional safety requirements include physical design changes to mitigate rollover risks.”

Since Stage 1 was introduced in 2020, the ACCC has led national surveillance on quad bike suppliers to ensure they are meeting the requirements. Inspectors surveyed 246 dealerships 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,” Mr 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.”

Despite the ACCC’s insistence that the new safety standard will improve quad bike safety, a number of critics, including the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry (FCAI), farm lobby groups, and leading quad bike manufacturers, believe that new rules are not adequate and may in fact result in increased injury and fatality rates.

In particular, the use of rollover protection has been heavily opposed, with critics claiming that there is not enough evidence to prove the effectiveness or safety of operator protection devices (OPDs). The FCAI also found critical errors in an ATV safety report by Farmsafe, which supported the ACCC’s recommendations.

The FCAI believes other measures, such as mandatory helmet use, passenger and age limits and improved rider training would be more effective in preventing quad bike deaths and injury. The ACCC encourages these measures, but it has so far refused to mandate them as part of the safety standard.

Major manufacturers also believe the new rules were introduced without adequate research and evidence, and have removed themselves from the Australian market as a result. Only a select few smaller manufacturers have chosen to comply with the OPD rules.

The ACCC says that further inspections will be carried out, and has encouraged consumers and businesses to make an official complaint should they come across a non-compliant quad bike. It also requires all involved in the supply-chain to report any serious injuries or incidents within two days.