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From today, quad bikes, also known as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) sold in Australia, need to meet new stability guidelines and have rollover protection at the point of sale.

Source : PortMac.News | Independent :

Source : PortMac.News | Independent | News Story:

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Quad bike 'Roll bars' now mandatory on all bikes sold
From today, quad bikes, also known as all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) sold in Australia, need to meet new stability guidelines and have rollover protection at the point of sale.

News Story Summary:

Dealers have prepared for today's introduction of new safety protection laws for quad bikes by clearing out all non-compliant machines.

It is a big win for safety advocates but a blow for dealers like Mr Johns from Northwest Motorcycles in Ulverstone, north-west Tasmania.

Mr Johns is bitterly opposed to the changes and the penalties for selling non-compliant machines.

"We're talking a $500,000 fine if we were to sell an [non-compliant] ATV after October 11," Mr Johns said.

'Critical in saving lives'

In 2018, the ACCC recommended tougher regulations around quad bikes, including a star safety rating system, following hundreds of deaths across Australia — particularly on farms.

Then in 2019, the federal government moved to introduce the new safety regulations, with the first stage coming into effect in October 2020.

Mick Keogh, the deputy chair of  the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), said suppliers had had a two-year transition period to prepare for the new requirements and those who were still not compliant risked enforcement action.

"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," Mr Keogh said.

Six people have died in quad bike accidents so far this year, and 2020 had the highest annual death toll, with 24 fatalities due to quad bike accidents.

The biggest cause of death was crushing and asphyxiation when a quad bike rolled on top of someone.

Most quad bikes weigh up to 350 kilograms.

There are no laws mandating that quad bikes already in the garage or in the paddock have to have roll bars fitted.

Yard cleared of non-compliant bikes:

Mr Johns said farmers in Tasmania's north-west had been stockpiling in the lead-up to today's change.

"The dairy farmers are very frustrated. They've had to bulk buy," he said.

Three of the big manufacturers — Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha — pulled out of supplying Australia with ATVs after the safety standards were first announced.

It left some small retailers with nothing to sell.

"I've got mates that are Suzuki dealers only, so once their ATVs have gone their business is gone," Mr Johns said.

"They've got nothing else to fall back on, they haven't got a franchise to fall back on.

"We are probably one of the lucky dealers. We have another brand that goes into side by side, but over the years we've sold a lot of Suzuki ATVs and then we've transitioned into Polaris ATVs and Polaris side by sides," Mr Johns said.

Saved by a roll bar:

Dairy farmer Matt Ryan has rollover bars fitted on all but one of his quad bikes and he is happy.

"One of the girls that works for us in the dairy part of our business went down across a bank and tipped it over. Had the bar not been there the situation could have been much different," Mr Ryan said.

While he supports the change, he is not happy about how it all came about — particularly with big-name manufacturers pulling out of Tasmania.

"It's all very well to say you've still got options," Mr Ryan said.

"If you have a local dealer who you have a relationship with and then all of a sudden they are out of the market and they don't have a business anymore because they lost that brand, it is a problem.

"Some of the ones still in the market we wouldn't preference because of reliability."

Bike functionality the same:

Safe Farming Tasmania chair Corey Spencer (Above) operates several properties near Bracknell in Tasmania's north.

He has installed roll bars on his quad bikes.

"We've had it on our bike now for a lot of years and we've never had a situation where the protection device has been an issue to us. The functionality of the bike is still the same as before," he said.

"The regulation is about saving lives."

But Mr Johns said the laws would not solve the safety issue.

"There are units we sold in the late 1980s that are still being used, they're going to be getting old. No brakes. They're going to keep using them because there's no choice," he said.

"They are stockpiling them.

"I really believe that we were getting somewhere with rider training and with the media attention. Then we turned around and banned them.

"What's going to happen in the next 30 to 40 years with all the ATVs out there? Are they going to buy them back?

"Do they think they've solved the problem?"

The ACCC says that Workplace Health and Safety regulators govern the safe operation of quad bikes in work environments including farms.

Businesses may now be held liable for incidents involving a quad bike where reasonable preventative measures and training have not been provided.

Story By | Fiona Breen, Luke Radford & Lachlan Bennett


Same | News Story' Author : Staff-Editor-02

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