150 Deaths in only 12 years..... Alarming

It's interesting how our blog sometimes manifests itself. it can be something topical at the time or simply something we observed that people take for granted. This weeks comes from the observation category and really only has a small insurance slant to it.

Over the holiday season many headed to rural properties to camp or hang out with family and friends. A regular activity on these properties is Quad Bike riding. Over January whilst travelling on at least 3 occasions we passed properties where people were enjoying time on a Quad Bike. Don't get us wrong, this is not the fun police coming out, Quads are great fun! However why is it that just about every time we see Quad bike's it's being ridden by a child looking no more then the age of 10 who is not wearing any form of protection? Sorry but it simply doesn't make sense.

With all the world knows about Quad - or All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) - bikes we still let children rip around a paddock and over mounds of dirt with no safety equipment. As we said today it's very little about Insurance, purely information. We will though briefly touch on an insurance element to be aware of. Some policy wordings have very clear exclusions on the use of 'unregistered' vehicles. This also depends on the size of your property. If on acreage of generally 10 or more then you should be considering a Farm Policy. We see more and more homes on large plots nowadays which the traditional Home & Contents policy is not designed for. Putting your insurance on a Farm Pack provides extra cover particularly in regards to Public Liability.

If looking at one example of a Home & Contents Policy, it excludes any legal liability arising from the use of unregistered vehicles, aside from Lawn Mowers, Ride On lawn mowers, golf buggies and motorised wheel chairs. This is fairly common in the market. So, say for example your young son invites his mates over and you let them rip around the paddock on the Quad bike, it flips and severely injures a child. Are you negligent? Probably. But as this is an unregistered vehicle will your Insurance policy pick up any demands for compensation coming from the injured child's family? Potentially not.



This is a frightening fact and is often overlooked in the pursuit of a 'cheaper' premium.

The facts are Quad Bikes are causing more and more deaths each year. In the news over January there came the tragic story of a man and boy killed in an accident on a dry creek bed at a property outside Townsville. This makes 6 fatalities now in North Queensland alone in 12 months!

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/man-and-boy-9-killed-in-quad-bike-tragedy-at-alice-river/story-fnjfzs4b-1226794685041

Because of the nature of the vehicles accidents are always a real threat. A story recently revealed that a trained Quad bike safety lecturer had a bad fall at low speed. Have a read of the below link as it can happen so easily.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-06/quad-bike-accident/5140052

With rapid acceleration on volatile surfaces, it's too easy to flip a quad. Experienced riders come to grief so imagine what it does in the hands of a child.

Despite having Four wheels, the quad bike is not a stable vehicle, due to a high centre of gravity and narrow wheelbase. Most injuries and deaths involve the bike rolling onto the rider. And when you consider that many owners of quads do not ensure the rider wheres a helmet or any other protective gear, a low speed accident can become fatal. A medical journal released in 2013 revealed that use of Quad bikes is killing 18 Australians a year!

Please have a read of the link below. There's no point us commenting more when the facts are so widely available in mainstream press.

http://www.news.com.au/national/medical-journal-australia-study-wants-kids-banned-from-quad-bikes/story-fncynjr2-1226719545615

The University of Sydney's Australian Centre for Agricultural Health & Safety (ACAHS) says 150 Australians have died in Quad Bike accidents since 2001. To put that in perspective, 217 people since 1791 have been killed by a shark! That's less than one a year compared to roughly 12 Quad Bike deaths a year in just 12 years.

Medical experts are calling for a ban on children riding Quad bikes as children under the age of 14 are making up the highest number of injuries in hospitals around Australia.

Have a read of these stats on the fatalities and conditions, it's startling

http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/whs-information/agriculture/quad-watch/pages/quad-bike-fatalities

The age of the victims is the part that is disturbing. With all we know about the dangers we still let children do it. Driving out to the local tip on the Australia Day Long Weekend we saw a quad bike on a private property. Sad fact is the adults were standing against a fence holding a helmet whilst a child of say 7 - 8 years was trying to do hand brake skids with no helmet on! I'm sorry!! Saw it with our own eyes.

Cant really say much more but human common sense has to kick in at some stage huh!? If you enjoy riding a quad bike, then sweet, carry on. But please just think about the facts gone before. A child has a mind that simply cant judge distance, inclines, rough surface and acceleration, how are they supposed to compute trouble that may arise. Go back to the Safe Work Australia stat sheet, adults, experienced farmers and the elderly are all victims.

There are places you can go to for information and even training on proper use of Quad Bikes. There are manufacturer's guidelines for usage and load limits on all Quad Bikes, do you know what are they are for your vehicle? We strongly urge you seek it out. The below link is from Farmsafe Australia and is a good guide.

http://www.aghealth.org.au/tinymce_fm/uploaded/fs_docs/guidance/Quad_bikes_and_Side_by_Side.pdf

Whilst we stop short of saying ban children riding them, common sense has to be used. We personally would not consider putting our 8 or 5 year daughters on a Quad Bike but don't condone others that do. We do plead though to ensure helmets and relevant safety gear is worn. If on property, maybe use a grader or tractor to mark out a specific track that is level and clear. Keep an eye on them at all times is obvious. These stats are alarming and need to be addressed with a view to lowering the number of deaths. Two in just the first week of 2014 is a poor indication that the trend is not changing. Please take care.

** Information used in this blog is of a General Nature only. Reference is made to information obtained from betterhealth.vic.gov.au, CGU Insurance, Comminsure, The Townsville Bulletin, news.com.au, Farmsafe Australia, Safe Work Australia and The ABC.