Most ATVs sold meet new safety standards

ATVs

New safety standards for all-terrain vehicles were met by five out of every six sellers, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission says

Up to standard

Market surveillance conducted by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has revealed 84 per cent of the quad bikes sold in Australia complied with recently introduced safety standards when sold.

The ACCC joined state-based consumer law regulators to detemine whether both manufacturers and dealers of ATVs met the Stage 1 Safety Standards that came into effect in October last year.

Those standards stipulate that all new and imported second hand quad bikes in Australia must carry rollover warning labels, as well as being tested for lateral static stability and be sold with a hang tag attached that shows the angle at which the quad bike will tip onto two wheels. Rollover safety information must also be included in the owner’s manual.

These measures were introduced to improve the safety of the vehicles, which were the leading cause of death and serious injuries on Australian farms.

Across the past decade, 163 people have died in quad bike-related incidents, including three which have occurred in 2021.

ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh says suppliers cooperated with the investigations and added that the clear majority of dealers were complying with the new standards.

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

Among those was Suzuki, which the ACCC said formally recalled 490 quad bikes in March after finding they were not fitted with the required labels and reflectors.

“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,” adds Keogh.

Stage 2 of the Safety Standard on quad bikes will come into effect on October 11 this year, which will require all new and second hand imported general use quad bikes sold in the country be fitted with operator protection devices (OPDs) and meet the minimum stability requirements.

OPDs must be either fitted into the bike or integrated into the bike’s design while also meeting lateral stability minimum tilt table ratio (TTR) of 0.55 and a front and rear longitudinal pitch stability TTR of 0.8.

Keogh says the implementation of Stage 2 standards in October is pivotal for improving farm safety.

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

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

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

Following the new announcement of the safety regulations last year, major manufacturers Polaris, Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki all announced their intention to withdraw from the Australian ATV market.

Segway, CFMoto and Kymco are among the companies that have committed to meeting the new regulations and will continue selling compliant ATVs in Australia.

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