Most quad bikes inspected met new national safety standards.

MORE than 80 percent of quad bikes assessed under a new national safety standard were compliant, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said today.

The ACCC said 84pc of quad bikes assessed by Australia’s consumer law regulators were compliant with the first stage of a new national safety standard that came into force in October last year.

The ACCC and state and territory consumer protection agencies have co-ordinated national market surveillance to determine whether quad bike suppliers have complied with the stage 1 requirements of the Quad Bike Safety Standard.

The standard was introduced in 2019 to improve the safety of quad bikes, which are a leading cause of death and serious injuries on Australian farms. In the past decade, 163 people have died in quad bike-related incidents, three of which have occurred so far this year.

The standard has been introduced in two stages, to provide manufacturers time to make necessary adjustments to quad bikes.

Stage 1 requirements include that all new and imported second hand quad bikes sold in Australia be tested for lateral static stability, have a hang tag attached to them showing the angle at which the quad bike tips onto two wheels, and carry a roll over warning label on the bike. The owner’s manual must also include roll over safety information.

ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said in partnership with the states and territories the ACCC has visited quad bike dealerships around the country to see if quad bikes being sold meet the stage 1 safety requirements.

“Although 16 per cent of quad bikes inspected, or roughly one in six, were not compliant with the safety standard, suppliers have so far co-operated with our investigations and taken steps to fix problems, including recalling non-compliant bikes where necessary.”

In March, following site inspections by state regulators, Suzuki voluntarily recalled 490 quad bikes that were not fitted with the required reflectors, compliance certificate labels, hang tags, and had information missing from the owner’s manuals.

“Enforcing the quad bike safety standard is an ACCC priority this year and all quad bike suppliers should be aware that we will be keeping a very close eye on their compliance,” Mr Keogh said.

From 11 October this year when stage 2 of the Safety Standard comes into effect, all new and second-hand imported general use quad bikes sold in Australia must be fitted with operator protection devices and meet minimum stability requirements.

“The second stage requirements are absolutely critical for improving the safety of quad bikes and saving lives.

“Suppliers have had plenty of time to make sure that all new quad bikes for sale meet all requirements of the Safety Standard,” Mr Keogh said.

“We will be conducting national surveillance again this year and cracking down on anyone supplying non-compliant quad bikes,” Mr Keogh said.

Consumers and businesses can make a complaint to the ACCC if they believe they have seen a quad bike offered for sale or have been sold a quad bike that does not comply with the requirements of the standard.

Separately, all participants in the supply chain for consumer goods are required to report serious injuries associated with the goods within two days of becoming aware of a reportable incident.

More information is available on the Product Safety Australia website.

Source: ACCC.