Expert warns: quad bikes account for half of this season's road fatalities
Four quad bike riders have died in Latvia this motorcycle season, even though quad bikes are registered ten times less often than motorcycles. A road safety expert warns of a serious problem with how these vehicles are used.
Four quad bike riders have died in Latvia during this motorcycle season, according to Oskars Irbītis, head of the Heavy Traffic Accident Investigation Project at the Road Traffic Safety Directorate, speaking on the TV24 programme "Cilvēks. Ceļš. Drošība" ("Person. Road. Safety.").
Irbītis notes that the number of quad bikes registered in Latvia is roughly ten times lower than the number of registered motorcycles, yet quad bike riders make up half of all motorcycle-season traffic fatalities. He describes this as a very serious problem.
Riders need better awareness of risks
Road safety experts plan to focus more on educating quad bike riders that these vehicles are not simply recreational toys. It is important to distinguish sport quad bikes from ordinary ones, since the latter are not specially equipped for stunts and should not be driven in an extreme manner.
According to the expert, the most common dangerous scenario involves quad bikes tipping over or crashing, which can end tragically if the vehicle falls on top of the rider. Irbītis emphasizes that there is still work to be done to ensure safe use of motor vehicles in Latvia.
The expert also points to a difference in age groups: while safety education for cyclists mainly targets school-age children, motor vehicles — including quad bikes — tend to attract riders who believe they already know how to drive safely, particularly on quad bikes.
The programme "Cilvēks. Ceļš. Drošība" airs on TV24 every second Wednesday evening at 20:30, with the next episode scheduled for October 7.
