When I logged on to blog on I was intent on dissecting, debunking and dismissing all of the diatribe on the internet to do with Safety and the use of All Terrain Vehicles (quads, buggies and the like). I wanted to disseminate my vitriolic dissuasion from the highest dais.
Until 4 pm today I was utterly contemptuous of the need to formulate Reference Groups and National Strategy Plans to outline bleating obvious - All Terrain Vehicles are dangerous.
At about 3:54 pm, being the responsible blogger I am, I thought I'd best do a little research before I put pressure to keyboard. Discounting the fact that I am a 100% fully organic Crash Test Dummy with a pulse, I put aside my fractured and bloodied experiences and dived into the ocean of online statistics. I almost immediately came to realise, with crystal clarity, that......All Terrain Vehicles are very, very dangerous. They kill many people indiscriminately: old, young, male and female. This makes me sad....and angry at the same time.
Does an accident that would be considered minor or innocuous for a young male kill the elderly farmer who is no longer as robust. In 2011, one of the deceased was 94! Yes - 94! I don't expect I will even be able pull up my own pants at 94.
Of the (average) 50% of women who die as passengers, how many were wearing helmets when they jumped on the back of their boyfriends Yamaha Raptor 700SE (i.e. very fast and angry racing quad). The stats suggest very few. In 2012 all four passenger deaths were female. Aged 5, 7, 13 and 18 none of the victims were wearing helmets.
The situation is that bad that there is actually a Register of ATV Deaths generated from the National Coroners' Information System. That means, not only are there a lot of deaths, but those deaths are worthy of Coronial inquiry.
I am angry at quads and the people who chose to ride them; myself included. They are convenient, comfortable, agile, well equipped, fit for the task, dynamic and some are even desirable. They are seductive in their appeal and they invite you to push them beyond your own ability as a rider. The consequence is a high crash frequency. The motto of the video linked below is 'would you risk it'. Normally, people would not take unnecessary risk with mundane tasks. But ATVs over-ride our internal risk regulator whether the pilot is 9 or 94.
I have crashed road bikes, road racing bikes, road racing sidecars, supermoto bikes, dirt bikes ridden for recreation, dirt bikes ridden under race conditions, quad bikes ridden for recreation and quad bikes ridden during field work. This week I managed to add yet another string to my bow by cartwheeling an off road buggy and hurting myself quite badly in the process. To ensure my safety the manufacturer had kindly fitted racing bucket seats, a five point harness and a full roll cage. I was wearing motocross pants, boots, full-faced helmet and gloves.
Does this make me a model citizen for recreational off road motor vehicle use? No, it does not. Riding at relatively ( circa 50 kmph) low speeds on the soft loamy clay of my Swan Valley property, I demonstrated all the intellect of a 100% synthetic Crash Test Dummy and chose not to secure my self within the harness. The poetry of justice through punishment for my complacency was epic in its performance. I watched, as if in slow motion, my arm shoot out to the left to cushion my fall. Too late did I realise the gravity of this error as the roll cage roof came down upon it. Crushed for only a second it had gone bloody and blue before the buggy had even came to rest.
Heed the following advice.
The working groups and reference groups and friends groups and community groups can preach safety until the cows come home. But it will always remain the choice of the rider to make their own decision on whether to ride to their ability or to push the limits. Whatever the case the rider should be the only one responsible for their actions.
I ride hard, I crash, I get hurt, I heal and then I ride hard again. Am I irresponsible? No. I choose to ride like I do and, as a result, I crash frequently. Make the choice that is right for you. Establish, accept and implement your own level of common sense. Live your life; don't endure it. Don't expect sympathy for stupid mistakes and wait your turn in Triage no matter how much it hurts. Ride your All Terrain Vehicle over 'most terrain' only after you have developed a synergistic relationship with it.
I ask one thing: Please take care of the kids as they, unlike us, are not responsible for their own actions.
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