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 | ATV Safety | | ETHICS AND ATV's
The truth about most ATV accidents
Recently a popular consumer magazine published a feature on the alleged dangers of ATVs. The article acknowledged that riding two-up or without protective clothing is dangerous, but went on to suggest that ATVs are responsible for a range of evils.
Much of the story was compiled from WorkSafe Victoria records and the National Coroners Information System (NCIS) data base. It included the emotive tale of 39 year-old ATV rider and his seven-year old son who gained notoriety when they crashed while riding their Kawasaki KFX400 on Crown Land near their home on the NSW South Coast. The implication seemed to be that the two were victims of a dangerous machine.
They weren't. Neither had been wearing helmets and both were on the same machine, a practice that ATV makers go red in the face trying to discourage. Later, in a well known women's magazine, the young boys mother said she was relieved that her small daughter had not been on the ATV.
The same article also mentioned the tragic death of a 56 year-old farmer and her three year-old grandson who were killed when "the machine reversed and crushed them both between the bike and a stationary trailer." In fact, the 1989 Yamaha YFM350 in question was later examined by a qualified technician and found to be in a chronic state of disrepair, a regrettable fact in many accidents involving farm ATVs. Only 10% of the brake shoe material remained. The vehicle was judged incapable of stopping within the required distance, even at 8kph. Like many ATVs, the Yamaha had a safety 'lockout' that prevents the engine being started in gear unless the footbrake is engaged, but on this one the reverse lock release cable was so rusted it had seized.
Also highlighted in this story was the case of a 16 year-old farmer's son killed in an ATV accident. "The boy was riding with a friend on his quad-bike when it tipped over," said the writer. "The handlebars of the machine punctured the boy's groin and he bled to death."
That was true. What was not mentioned was that the boy was not 16 but 15 and therefore below the age recommended for safe ATV operation. He was carrying a pillion passenger, had no helmet, and he had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit.
IT GETS WORSE
The NCIS data base says there were 52 quad-bike related deaths between 1 July 2000 and 1 April 2004, but as Honda's national ATV product manager Rod Day points out, even those figures are rubbery.
"Of the 52 deaths linked to ATVs, five cases had nothing to do with an ATV, while negligence or stupidity seem to have been contributing factors in the others," he said. "In 44 cases, no helmets were worn. In 11 cases there was excessive speed. In one case a bull knocked a farmer off an ATV and then crushed him. In nine cases the vehicle was carrying a pillion. In five cases the ATV was overloaded."
Basically, in all the cases reported there was blatant disregard for the manufacturers' recommendations on safe ATV operation. "In all honesty," says Day, "I'm yet to be advised of one example where a trained ATV operator wearing appropriate safety gear and operating the vehicle properly has been killed. If things are done correctly the risks are dramatically reduced."
What we have here are not dangerous machines but a dangerously careless attitude toward them, and that attitude is endemic in our rural communities. Farmers are notorious for riding without protective gear, at high speed, even around stock. They're also notorious for refusing any sort of ATV training from organisations like TAFE or the HART school run by Honda. In all likelihood, you could count on one hand the number of farmers with a Statement of Attainment in ATV operation. What's more, every rural ATV dealer has horror stories of the widespread disregard or even disdain for maintenance.
You can't force farmers into ATV school, or to wear helmets, and you can't stop reckless people endangering themselves and others. You can only hope they see the light and are attracted to it. Soon.
- Barry Ashenhurst
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