A recent CBPP analysis underlines just how important these safety provisions are. They go a long way in preventing deaths from farm quad bike crashes. In the last 20 years, 95 per cent of fatal quad bike incidents at work occurred on farms. This shocking statistic should be a major alarm for agricultural workers and work zone safety advocates. Farmsafe Australia and AgHealth Australia recently launched a report. Specifically, it looked at the effect of the mandatory introduction of rollover protection that took place between model years 2020 and 2021. These results indicate a large decline in quad bike fatalities. Perhaps this drop is most noticeable in the states of Victoria and Queensland after the implementation of these safety measures.
And the data speaks—it’s 2016-17 that is the highest year in fatalities. Rollovers accounted for 65 percent of quad bike deaths in that period. The incorporation of these new safety measures seems to have worked because quad bike deaths decreased dramatically by 2024. Felicity Richards, chairperson of Farmsafe Australia, emphasizes the importance of helmets and rollover protection in saving lives among farm workers.
Positive Trends in Quad Bike Safety
Tony Lower, honorary associate professor, AgHealth Australia, said that the 2022 reduction in quad bike fatalities in farms was encouraging. He calls this trend a “revolution” in safety for agriculture. He noted the effectiveness of recent regulations, stating, “Rule changes like this can have significant outcomes on people’s lives.” This hits home with the data showing a massive reduction in occupational quad bike fatalities and rollovers in Victoria. This underscores the effective change that can be made through implementation of better safety protocols.
In neighbouring Victoria, a crackdown on operators not fitting operator protection devices has helped drive more positive safety outcomes. Richards is hopeful that these amendments will set a precedent for future steps towards quad bike safety. “We’re really hopeful that quad bikes will ultimately follow that trajectory of tractors … with the introduction of rollover protection, there’s been incredibly significant improvements in outcomes,” she stated.
So too did Queensland, which saw a reduction in quad bike deaths after passing comparable safety regulations. New South Wales saw an increase in deaths during this time. This significant increase begs the question of whether or not these safety improvements are being consistently implemented across all areas.
Comprehensive Safety Approaches
To their credit, both Richards and Lower have been strong advocates for a more holistic approach to quad bike safety. They talk about the importance of changing culture on farms to encourage innovations in safety protocols. “Our focus has been on encouraging people to create a culture where they are doing things like always having operator protection devices on the bike, always assessing the terrain and the training of the person using it, and always wearing the helmet,” they stated.
Further inquiry should be recommended into Victoria’s successful strategies, in order to better understand what makes them effective. “One of our recommendations is to actually look exactly at what Victoria’s done, why it’s worked, and look at that in more depth,” he said. We hope that this analysis might be helpful, both to our readers in the ACT and to other jurisdictions looking to improve their quad bike safety programs.
The report underscores the critical need to address persistent, long-term quad bike stability problems. We can achieve this by ensuring that potential severe injury rollovers are prevented. Lower further stressed that there the importance of regular maintenance for helmets and vehicles to keep them, too, in safe working order. They’ve been deeply engaged in outreach to farmers. Together, they take care that helmets and vehicles are mechanically sound.
Looking Ahead
This significant recent reduction in quad bike deaths should be encouraging. As much progress as it represents, Richards and Lower both acknowledge there is still much work to be done. “Of course, we’d like to see it at zero but all being said, it is headed in the right direction, which is a really fantastic effort,” Lower remarked.
Safety improvements are changing quickly. Ongoing independent research and enforcement of strong regulations will be crucial in preventing more deaths and safeguarding agricultural workers who rely on quad bikes to carry out their day-to-day responsibilities.
