AgForce push to license quad bikes could backfire

The latest move to oppose quad bike roll bars misses this point; farmers don’t want to be told what they can and can’t do on their farm, writes Ed Gannon.

Sign of the times: A push to license quad bike riders could make L plates a common sight on farms. Digitally altered image.

WORKPLACE safety has never been in sharper focus than it is now, a month into new criminal manslaughter laws in Victoria that put onerous conditions – and consequences – on employers.

So it is odd to see that in the most dangerous of workplaces – the farm – there is a push to water down some safety rules that could expose farmers to even greater chance of prosecution.

The Weekly Times has covered quad bike safety extensively over the past decade, recording the death rate of accidents involving the machines – 14 deaths nationally so far this year – and the debate over whether it is the bike or rider at fault.

That debate effectively ended last October, when the Federal Government ruled it was the bike, with all new quad bikes sold from October next year required to have roll bars fitted.

That prompted major quad bike manufacturers Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki to declare they will withdraw from the market.

And some farmers also say the roll bars run the risk of catching on a low branch, and could even hurt them in the event of a rollover.

But the government move has the backing of farm groups and others such as the Country Women’s Association and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. That is until last week, when Queensland farm group AgForce broke ranks to oppose the roll bar laws.

Instead, AgForce called for mandatory training and licences for quad bike riders.

It is that final point – licences – that is the most contentious.

Much of the commentary opposing compulsory roll bars was from riders complaining the Government shouldn’t be telling users – of whom most are farmers – what they can and can’t do on their property. “Nanny state” is a common term.

I’m not sure, then, how telling them they need to get a licence to ride a quad bike on their own farm is going to go.

That would not only mean going through the process of getting the licence, plus the cost of getting and renewing the licence, but actually wearing L plates for the first year.

And what about the 250cc limit that motorbike learners must adhere to?

Most quad bikes have significantly greater power.

On balance, it makes riding a quad bike with a roll bar a more palatable option.

It appears this is some sort of reverse psychology by the Queenslanders to get everyone behind roll bars.

Yet the campaign is backed by ATV retailers who can see a profitable part of their business going out the door.

Unfortunately for those traders, you can’t help but feel that a push to licence quad bikes riders on private land will only accelerate the workhorse’s demise.

• Ed Gannon is editor of The Weekly Times

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