Two-thirds of farm quad bikes failed safety check

THEY are reckoned to be one of the best inventions of the last half century, but quad bikes have been identified as one of major causes of fatalities or serious injuries on farms.

Latest statistics from the Health & Safety Executive show that transport-related incidents are now the second biggest cause of fatalities in agriculture in Scotland. An initiative to reduce the scale of the problem has seen the HSE carry out an intensive on-farm inspection of quad bikes throughout the country.

Almost two-thirds of the vehicles inspected failed the test, many with basic faults such as poor brakes and incorrect tyre pressures being identified.

Paul Stollard of the HSE advised farmers to check tyre pressures, brakes and throttle before jumping on the vehicle. "Failure to do so could cost lives," he said.

And NFU Scotland policy director Scott Walker urged anyone using a quad bike to wear a helmet, because head injuries were a significant factor in many of the incidents. He also urged farmers to make use of refresher training courses.

While many experienced drivers may feel they had no need to courses, there were newcomers to the industry where instructions on quad bike safety would be very important, he said.