SafeWork SA recently issued a safety warning about the dangers of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), including quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles, following a record number of deaths in the past 12 months.

There were five fatalities in 2024, which were the first in South Australia since 2021. 2025 has begun with the death of a side-by-side vehicle (SSV) user who died when his vehicle rolled on a farming property at Tungkillo in the state’s Mid Murray on 14 January.

The latest fatality has taken the state’s ATV death toll to 11 since 2011.

Three men died in separate quad bike incidents in March and April last year on private property in the Adelaide Hills, Whites Flat and Port Broughton.

A man died after being ejected from an SSV he was driving when it collided with another SSV at a property in the state’s South East last September. He was not wearing a seat belt despite there being one fitted to the SSV he was driving.

A Riverland farmer was also killed when the quad bike he was riding rolled on top of him in late October.

“The record number of deaths among ATV users is deeply concerning,” said SafeWork SA executive director, Glenn Farrell.

“Although they’re marketed as ‘go-anywhere vehicles’, they cannot be used safely on all types of terrain and are susceptible to rolling over.”

SafeWork SA is aware that some operators frequently bypass the speed limiter by clipping the seatbelt in behind them and urged SSV users not to tamper with or disable safety features.

“When you do that, you are deliberately overriding a known safety control and increasing the risk of injury or death,” said the regulator, who noted that speed is also a contributor to some incidents on SSVs, particularly on uneven terrain.

Deaths and serious notifiable injuries can easily be avoided if businesses or operators follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions which states that seatbelts must be worn when operating the vehicle. This information is in the vehicle manual and on stickers on the vehicle.

Quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles are classed as all-terrain vehicles. Safe Work Australia data shows 212 people have died nationally as the result of quad bike incidents since 2011.

There were 19 quad bike fatalities across Australia in 2024.

Quad bikes and SSVs are among the leading cause of death on Australian farming properties, and about half of all quad bike related fatalities are the result of rollovers. Even at slow speed, a quad bike can roll over and trap or crush the rider under the weight of the bike, which can weigh up to 400kg.