Size Matters

The Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety recommend “Keeping children off quads of any size,…”. While there is ‘some’ sense in this generalisation because children do think differently and make judgements differently while riding, the generalisation is not fair and stands out as an uneducated opinion.

The size and experience of the operator in comparison to the ATV is the most important factor.

A 15 year old boy who is 6 foot tall, weighs 90kg, has lived on a farm all his life and has been properly trained in ATV operation, would likely operate a large 650cc 4×4 ATV very well.

To pick another hypothetical example, a 21 year old, 5 foot tall lady who weighs 45kg and has no previous experience or training in operating any form of motorcycle should definitely not jump straight on the same ATV and tear off across the paddock.

Rider size, rider ability, the ATV and the task should all align to help ensure everyone’s safety.

It’s more appropriate to acknowledge that…