Manufacturers End Aussie ATV Sales Over New Regulations

[advrider]

Back in October 2021, the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) issued an optimistic press release about the new Quad Bike Safety Standard.

The safety of most new or imported second-hand quad bikes sold in Australia will be substantially improved from 11 October [2021] as a result of increased safety features and improved design standards. From this date, new and second-hand imported general use quad bikes sold in Australia must meet the second stage requirements of the mandatory Quad Bike Safety Standard.

Stage two requires any new or imported second hand general use quad bikes to be fitted with operator protection devices and meet minimum stability requirements. Six people have died in quad bike accidents so far this year, and 2020 had the highest annual death toll with 24 quad bike fatalities.

“Quad bike accidents are the leading cause of death and injury on Australian farms and the mandatory safety standard will be critical in saving lives,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

Well, yes and no. The standard will (possibly) save lives, but not because the quads will be safer. It will save lives because there will be fewer of them. Many riders are unhappy with the idea of installing anti-rollover devices on their ATVs. This has meant dropping sales for powersports dealers, despite a rise in motorcycle and scooter sales!

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the industry association, explained this.

Off-road vehicle sales are down 45 per cent compared to the first six months of 2021. This follows ta decision by the major ATV brands to stop importing ATVs into Australia due to safety concerns with the new quad bike standard. Abnormally high sales in previous years coincided with a huge rush by farmers to buy their favourite brands of ATVs before they sold out.

A senior industry figure told me that the main cause of death on ATVs is carelessness by the rider, and “you can’t fix stupid”. In Mandy Rice-Davies’ immortal words, [he] “would say that”. But the facts appear to bear him out.

The ACCC insists that research “indicates that almost half of quad bike accidents involved riders who had 20 or more years of experience operating them, while less than two per cent of accidents involved an operator with less than three years’ experience”. Basic maths disagrees, seeing that of the 150 people who have died in quad bike accidents since 2011, 23 were children. Two per cent of 150 is three, not 23.

The steep drop in ATV sales dragged total motorcycle sales in Australia down by 14.2 per cent, despite rises of 4.8 per cent for road bikes and 11.4 per cent for scooters. Off road bike sales were down as well, a total of 12.7 percent.

It will be interesting to see if  the ACCC initiative spreads to other countries. Compulsory use of bicycle helmets, which started in Australia, certainly did.

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