Why is NZ so lax on the ATV deaths?

[danchop]

i see another farm worker killed yest and another seriously injured the day before and a whole heap killed or injured in past years,yet nothing constructive has ever been done about it.
last week coming back on sh16(wellsford-helensville)i came to a halt as a truck had flipped its trailer and it was reduced to one lane,in front of me was a farmer on an atv towing a trailer with no number plate and no helmet and the police just waved him through with the rest of the traffic.
also that piha coastguard watch on tv just about always shows the life savers hooning up the beach with no safety gear on,
why is this?

[ellipsis]

.....its the old 'cant happen to me' syndrome, a lot of the time.My son went to a place where they zoom around hilly rutted area on quads once...I specifically told these people I didnt want my boy out on the quad bike...he was about 10 ....found out later on that he was let loose on one...when I asked why ...was told that " it was safe and their kids hadnt had any problems before"....when I told them of my loathing of them and about the proven risks/dangers of them , I was laughed at....wasnt laughing by the time I let go of the pricks throat....I am a rural dweller and can document at least half a dozen rollovers in our area with the fucking things that have resulted in lucky escapes and some not so lucky , just in the last year...never had problems with my sons falling off dirt bikes...part of the deal...

[duckonin]

i see another farm worker killed yest and another seriously injured the day before and a whole heap killed or injured in past years,yet nothing constructive has ever been done about it.
last week coming back on sh16(wellsford-helensville)i came to a halt as a truck had flipped its trailer and it was reduced to one lane,in front of me was a farmer on an atv towing a trailer with no number plate and no helmet and the police just waved him through with the rest of the traffic.
also that piha coastguard watch on tv just about always shows the life savers hooning up the beach with no safety gear on,
why is this?

The first maybe the police had enough problems to deal with (Truck) the 2nd it is a bit impractical to wear safety gear on a farm, sure a helmet..The ATV of today is very heavy if they roll on you or pin you down it is going to hurt, 'most' of these accidents on farms are due to the "brain" can do attitude, almost all could be avoided if the dumb fucks driving them remembered they are on a bike not driving a truck, tractorFarmers tow very heavy implements or trailers behind these bikes when they are clearly not made to do that, in work shops some frames are pulled apart from towing these weights, some of these bikes are up to 700cc and the ave farmer thinks it should be able to tow anything at all..Plus the bloody speed they drive at you really need to see some of the pricks at calving time trying to head a cow off, and they call themselves stock men , yeah right that term died years back...

But human nature the way it is...

[bogan]

one reason, tptb know farmers will just laugh at them if they try and make helmets on farm quads compulsory. Also, if you consider the number of hours spent on quad bikes per year, you may find it's safer than driving a cage?

[Katman]

At least the lifeguard quads are kept in good condition.

A lot of farm quads are allowed to deteriorate to the point of becoming death traps.

[turtleman]

How many of these have actually had any tuition/training on how to operate the machinery in a safe manner ?
I think that would probably be more important than enforcing safety gear/rollbars etc (though those should not be discounted as a precautionary measure).

[Edbear]

How many of these have actually had any tuition/training on how to operate the machinery in a safe manner ?
I think that would probably be more important than enforcing safety gear/rollbars etc (though those should not be discounted as a precautionary measure).

You're absolutely right! Showing someone how to operate the machine is not the same as teaching them how to ride one safely! These things tip over VERY easily and for a previous poster, I doubt very much whether helmets are the main issue with farm quads as it is inevitably a roll-over and crushing that is the issue. So a roll bar would be the very basic of necessary equipment on one.

IMHO a two-wheeled farm bike is inherently much safer and for carrying and towing those little Jap trucks are fantastic! They'll carry more, tow more, go most places and drivers are far less tempted to take four wheels where four wheels shouldn't be.

[bogan]

all the safety gear you need is a dog on the back, when he bails, you maybe wanna take it down a notch

They ain't that easy to roll over, but they do go suddenly, and at slow speeds turning into the roll isn't likely to right it. This is where the problem lies, me and the old man actually discussed the possibility of a tip sensor for my final year uni project, think thats the only way to go, roll bars are too inconvenient for carrying loads, helmets and other safety gear are too inconvenient for most riders as well. Integrated tips sensor that tell you to cut that shit out would be the way to go, anyone wanna give me some funding to develope one?

[Katman]

They ain't that easy to roll over, but they do go suddenly, and at slow speeds turning into the roll isn't likely to right it.

When a ball joint decides to go (on any sort of slope) they can roll very easily.

[bogan]

When a ball joint decides to go (on any sort of slope) they can roll very easily.

that's why most farmers get a honda, superior build quality

[scott411]

that's why most farmers get a honda, superior build quality

Suzuki was the number one quad last year, and for 3 of the 5 years before that as well, no data is held to see what quads are in more accidents either.

the tip sensor has issues as well, as depends where it sits as sometimes you need power to get you out of a situation, the big road bikes have tip sensors as well and i know of at least one road racer that set one off with out falling off, i do not think that it will be a save all feature

this seems to be a very emotive subject that comes up every so often, i think the fact that more people committ suicide than die on the roads in all vehicles, and on the farms in all vehcles put to together is more of a burning issue

[sil3nt]

I remember when i was about 7 or 8 i was helping out a neighbour on the farm and he asked me to drive the quad down to the bottom of the paddock. It was a straight track about 4 or 5 metres wide with shallow ditches on either side. Managed to end up in the ditch on two wheels . Was lucky it didn't roll completely over on me!

[SMOKEU]

Shit happens. There is nothing that can reasonably be done to reduce the number of deaths on quad bikes. The police can't supervise every farmer who is riding a quad bike, and people can get away with a lot more on their own property than out in public.

[bogan]

Suzuki was the number one quad last year, and for 3 of the 5 years before that as well, no data is held to see what quads are in more accidents either.

yeh but they had to change the color to red to be able to compete

the tip sensor has issues as well, as depends where it sits as sometimes you need power to get you out of a situation, the big road bikes have tip sensors as well and i know of at least one road racer that set one off with out falling off, i do not think that it will be a save all feature.

yeh you'd have to put a bit more intelligence in it than road bike ones, as it's gotta go off before tipping not after!

this seems to be a very emotive subject that comes up every so often, i think the fact that more people committ suicide than die on the roads in all vehicles, and on the farms in all vehcles put to together is more of a burning issue

good point, but how you sposed to put a tip sensor in a person?

[robo555]

How about just fitting roll cage/roll bars?