OPINION: The Australasian College of Surgeons has come out swinging, saying no-one under 16 should be allowed to use a quad bike. They want the Government to legislate to make sure it's illegal – I think they might be right.
The stats are pretty alarming. In the four years until 2013, for example, more than 1400 children - 700 of them aged nine or under – were injured while on quad bikes or other all-terrain vehicles.
Would we accept that many kids' injuries - a lot of them serious - from any other pastime? Rugby, maybe, but these are not simply strains and sprains we're talking about. These are broken backs and serious head injuries, limbs lost, paralysis…do I need to go on?
Since 2008, the Accident Compensation Corporation has paid $29 million on 11,084 claims for injuries and 26 claims for accidental deaths involving quad bikes and ATVs.
Among those were 260 children aged 4 or under, 472 children aged between 5 and 9, and 733 aged 10 and over.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has been clamping down on quad bike injuries over the past few years. They say that popping a couple of kids on the back of a vehicle not suited for passengers is clearly not choosing the right vehicle.
They point out that there are no second chances; there's a huge family and community impact when a child is harmed.
Federated Farmers blame this squarely on recreational users of quad bikes.
As far back as 2013 they were saying 99.99 percent of farmers were trained in operating quad bikes safely, wore helmets and kept their vehicles properly maintained.
They also point out that quad bikes are an "absolute necessity" for farmers, who could not afford any restrictions on their use.
The PM was asked about this today and he says he reckons it's ok and enough's being done. As he tootles round the country he sees more and more farmers using helmets when they never used to, he says.
He's got a point. We are getting more aware of the dangers.
But that's not going be much comfort if your kid's killed when they lose control of one of these things.
So do farmers have something to answer for here as well I wonder? Even Fed Farmers agree that kids have no place riding powerful and unstable quad bikes, and when you've got Safekids, ACC, WorkSafe NZ and even quad bike manufacturers all strongly advising under-16s not ride these things, I reckon it's about time to give it a push.
Alison Mau hosts RadioLIVE Drive from 3pm-6pm weekdays.
