As the school holidays and Easter camping trips approach, the Palaszczuk Government is asking parents to think about safety before their kids jump onto a quad bike.
Minister for Industrial Relations Grace Grace said that Queensland held the unenviable record of the most quad-related deaths in the country.
“Quad bikes are a useful tool on farms – and great fun when you have time on your hands,” Ms Grace said.
“But it’s an absolute tragedy when a few basic safety rules are overlooked and the unthinkable happens.
“One in five deaths on quads are children. Some just didn’t have the right training, some were on adult bikes which they had no chance of controlling.
“And frustratingly, half were not even wearing a helmet.”
Ms Grace said that a quad bike safety social media advertising campaign would run again from this weekend and into the Easter holidays.
“We know that our Ride Ready adverts are getting the message through to the community,” she said.
“We’ve commissioned independent market research for the last few years which shows the advertisements have driven positive changes in attitudes towards quad bike safety.
“Most parents now agree they would never let their children ride without a helmet, and more are only letting them ride smaller bikes that are more suited to their kids’ size, strength and weight.
“The Palaszczuk Government is committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries on quad bikes.
“But we need everyone who uses them to remember a few basic rules – get formal training, always wear a helmet, keep kids off adult bikes, don’t double and don’t overload.”
As an added incentive, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is giving away 50 quad bike helmets over the next few weeks. If you think you know quad bike safety and want to have a chance at winning, download the Ride Ready game app, answer the questions correctly, and conquer all three challenges to be at the top of the leader board.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland launched the Ride Ready campaign in 2016 in response to coronial recommendations to implement a public awareness campaign on quad bike safety. The recommendations followed an inquest into nine quad bike-related deaths in Queensland in 2015.
