Farm bike death prompts call for tougher regulation

The death of a 10-year-old boy in South Wairarapa is the third fatal quad bike accident this year, and has prompted calls for action to prevent further fatalities.

Simple safety messages around the use of quad bikes can go a long way to preventing these utterly unnecessary deaths, said Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean.

Sadly, the number of incidents did not appear to be reducing, he said.

"I don't think we can honestly say we're seeing any signs of it."

The bikes were okay when used for the purpose for which they're designed, but when pushed beyond that, or used by children they became potentially dangerous, he said.

"I suspect that the key message is training and awareness that they're not toys. They're not something that kids should be around."

Coroner MacLean acknowledged there was much debate around protective measures such as roll bars on bikes: "Sometimes, the very protective device itself can be the cause of injury that might not have otherwise happened."

The number of fatalities was "only the tip of the iceberg", as there were many other nears misses, he said.

A push by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment was launched in September to reinforce safety messages to reduce quad bike injuries and fatalities.

Typically, five people will die and 850 will be injured each year in accidents involving quad bikes on farms, according to Department of Labour figures.

But pushing safety messages was not enough, argued New Zealand Safety Council Trust chief executive David Calvert.

"I actually think that the legal process should follow through and the parents should be prosecuted.

"We have to draw a line in the sand somewhere - no 10-year-old should ever be on a quad bike," he said.

Parents needed to take responsibility for the safety of their children, said Mr Culvert, and there needed to be tighter regulations especially on farms.

Federated Farmers health and safety spokeswoman Jeanette Maxwell hit back at the claim, saying the line between work and home was blurred on farms. Parents should keep their children safe but "dare I say it, accidents happen".

"We can't wrap them in cotton wool because they get no life experience," she said.

Yesterday's incident brought back memories for a Taranaki mother whose daughter Iritana Apaapa, 14, died when she was was thrown from her bicycle that was being towed by a quad at speed in 2002.

"My heart goes out to that family. I'm thinking of the family but parents have got to wake up, those bikes are bloody dangerous," said her mother Jo.