The danger of unprotected riders of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), also known as Quad Bikes, being involved with fatal accidents was brought to the fore again with the recent death of much-respected female executive and Medibank chief marketing officer, Lisa Ronson, 52, when she lost control of an ATV she was riding on her family property near Daylesford, Victoria, on Saturday evening.
According to official sources, 42 children and 207 adults have been killed in quad bike accidents in the last 20 years, highlighting the danger these vehicles pose even in the hands of experienced riders. It's the third death involving an ATV on a rural Victorian property in two months.
Data from Safe Work Australia also reveals that around two thirds of these accidents occurred in the workplace and that quad bikes are a leading cause of death on Australian farms.
CF Moto brand ATV showing mandatory 'quad bar' rollover protection. (supplied) |
"Every ATV sold across the country must have an approved quad bar fitted," said John Davies of Gawler Motorcycle Centre, a leading reseller of the top-selling CF Moto brand of ATV, "unfortunately we have no control over what people do when they take them home."
These quad bars must pass a rigid test and vehicles sold with these devices carry a tag explaining their conformity to regulation.