STRICTER controls on potentially deadly quad bikes and scramblers that have been causing havoc in local communities across Dublin are long overdue, a Southside TD has declared.
The Fianna Fail TD for Dublin Mid-West, John Curran, said that a Bill being introduced by his party will improve safety on all-terrain vehicles, also known as quad bikes.
According to Deputy Curran, there are currently no legal rules in place requiring quad bike manufacturers to have roll cages on the vehicle.
There are also no health and safety rules requiring the mandatory use of protective headgear.
He has stated that if supported and passed through the Oireachtas, the All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Bill 2018 will make it mandatory for quad bikes to have anti-roll bars and for users to wear protective headgear.
“These quads have the potential to overturn and if a driver was to lose control of the vehicle they could be very seriously injured,” Deputy Curran said.
“There is a clear need for a stronger legislative framework to protect those that insist on using them, particularly young people that are unsupervised by a parent or adult.
“In Australia moves are afoot to implement similar measures due to the high number of fatalities and injuries arising from quad bike accidents, while some US states have set minimum age limits on their use.
“It’s important we learn from these accidents and adopt measures to try and prevent them from happening in our community."
In January of this year, Southsiders were warned of the dangers posed by riding scramblers and quads in the wake of two serious accidents.
South Dublin County Council issued the warning to people about the dangers of using scramblers and quads without wearing the proper head gear and protective equipment.
The warning was issued following reports of two incidents, one of which was a head-on collision with a jeep in which the driver of the quad was lucky to escape life-changing injuries.
“In tandem with this Bill it is crucial that we see greater enforcement and compliance with the existing by-laws to ensure young people and their parents are encouraged to heed the dangers of improper use," Deputy Curran added.
“The All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Bill sets out the need for anti-roll bars on these vehicles and will legislate for the mandatory use of protective headgear to improve overall health and safety.” standards.”