Quad bikes still a leading cause of death on Australian farms

As farmer Ben Watts lay on the ground bleeding and in pain after rolling his quad bike, his thoughts focused on his wife and three daughters.

He was in the middle of nowhere and his family had no idea where he was.

"It was one of the scariest days at work," said Mr Watts, whose quad bike that day was not fitted with a roll bar. Roll bars, also known as operator protective devices (OPDs), are designed to protect operators from crush-related injuries in the event of a rollover.

"The bike had rolled straight over the top of me and I just remember lying there with the pain of fractured ribs and the taste of blood in my mouth. All I could think about was making it home to my family."

The sheep farmer from Orange, NSW, was one of the lucky ones. Since 2011 more than 190 Australian families have lost a loved one in a quad bike incident. On farms, quad bikes are a leading cause of death.

So far in 2023, eight people have already died in quad bike incidents in Australia, four of those in NSW.

In 2022 there were 13 quad bike fatalities in Australia including three in NSW.

For Mr Watts, his accident was a major wake-up call. Today, all the quad bikes used on the farm are fitted with roll bars, and helmets are mandatory.

"I know the dangers of quad bikes first hand," he said. "My whole family and workers use quad bikes and now anyone who rides one on our farm must have a helmet done up and have proper training.

"We also have areas of country which are no-go zones because it's too steep."

While awareness about the dangers of quad bikes and the tragic impact of rollovers is increasing, operators need to always be vigilant, said SafeWork NSW inspector, Mark McLean.

"There are so many contributing factors to rollover - even careful, experienced operators can roll their quad bikes," Mr McLean said. "Even with an OPD, you need training to safely operate the high-risk vehicle.

"Quad bikes are notoriously unstable and simple things, like a small hole, a loose rock, a sudden turn, a lapse of concentration, tyre pressure going down, or a log you didn't see in the grass can be the catalyst to a fatal or serious rollover incident.

"Flat ground and riding at low speed is not fail-safe - more than 80 per cent of quad bike incidents that have caused serious injury happened at or under 35kmh, with the majority occurring on flat terrain. An OPD and wearing a helmet can make the difference between a minor incident and a life-long injury - or even death."

Ben Watts said his incident had made him very conscious of how quickly things can go tragically wrong.

"I've been riding quad bikes for more than 30 years but even with that experience behind you, you need to always be thinking about safety first," he said.

"We all want to get home safely to our families each and every night."

For more information visit safework.nsw.gov.au

This is branded content for SafeWork NSW.