Government forced into “embarrassing climbdown” as it finally announces review into quad bike safety laws

For months, ministers have resisted calls for a change in the law to make new safety devices on quad bikes mandatory, citing evidence from the Health and Safety Executive that found they could do more harm than good.

But the Health and Safety Executive has been forced to admit in material released under the Freedom of Information Act that evidence ministers have been referring to dates way back to 1999 and has not considered new findings from the United States and Australia, which show new technology can save lives.

The former transport minister Richard Holden MP, now the Conservative Party chairman with a seat in Cabinet, told the House of Commons in June that “research by the Health and Safety Executive on quadbikes used in the workplace is that Roll Over Protection Systems, which includes roll bars, may lead to an increased risk of injury”.

As late as 14th September this claim was repeated by transport minister Baroness Vere, who told the House of Lords that “research by the Health and Safety Executive on quad bikes used in the workplace is that Roll Over Protection Systems, which includes roll bars, may lead to an increased risk of injury in the event of an overturn by either preventing the operator from separating from the machine or striking the operator as the machine overturns”.

But information now released by the Health and Safety Executive, released under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed this research was carried out 25 years ago.

The Health and Safety Executive now says it will review and refresh the evidence base which governs rules regarding quad bike safety, with a particular focus on ‘Operator Protection Devices’ (OPDs).

It marks a major victory for campaigner Christine Lynn who has been calling for additional mandatory safety measures since the death of her husband two-and-a-half years ago.

Christine Lynn commented: “With Australia and the Republic of Ireland adopting new laws governing quad bike safety, I am amazed the UK Government has been refusing to act because it has been considering outdated research and has not conducted its own review.

“The evidence from Australia and the United States shows that new devices to protect quad bike users can and have saved lives. It is vital we follow the likes of Australia in introducing stricter quad bike safety laws, so accidents like the one my late husband was in do not unnecessarily cost more lives. I am therefore pleased the Health and Safety Executive has finally agreed to review the evidence, 25 years on from their last assessment.”

Lynn’s husband, Denis, died when his quad bike rolled over at low speed in May 2021. Lynn insists her husband, who was one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs and founder of the food producer Finnebrogue, would have survived if his quad bike had been fitted with an operator protection device.

Her campaign has been backed by the former Northern Ireland first minister Baroness Arlene Foster, the Labour Party peer Baroness Margaret Ritchie and Strangford MP Jim Shannon.

Baroness Ritchie commented: “This is an embarrassing climbdown from the Government. I will continue the campaign in Parliament in order to ensure that UK legislation on quad bikes is changed in line with the provisions in other countries such as the Republic of Ireland and Australia for enhanced safety standards. Better safety standards are urgently required and legislation needs to be brought forward to ensure that this happens so that additional safety measures are made mandatory.”

A poll conducted by Savanta Comres in the summer found that two-thirds of the public (65 per cent) support calls for these safety devices to be added to quad bikes as a legal requirement. Only five per cent opposed the change, while the remaining respondents were undecided.

In Australia, which has recently made OPDs mandatory, the University of New South Wales found that half of the quad bike deaths caused by rollovers could have been avoided if they were fitted.

In the United States, a 2019 review for the Consumer Product Safety Commission used state of the art testing equipment including test dummies with sophisticated electronic sensors, and is perhaps the most rigorous real-world test of the new technology yet conducted. The results found OPDs care likely to save lives.

In the Republic of Ireland, a new quad bike law came into effect in November 2023. Those who use quad bikes will now be obliged to wear helmets and to undergo safety training. The Irish Health and Safety Authority (HSA) says the new quad bike law, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulation 2021, is the first of its kind in Europe.