Accidents involving quad bikes remain unacceptably high, with quads accounting for 6% of all reported work-related fatal incidents involving vehicles in the 10-year period from 2010 to 2019.

The high incidence of accidents has prompted the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) to put forward proposed new regulations, which include all quad bike users being legally required to wear appropriate head protection at all times when operating a quad bike and also undergoing operator safety skills training.

One-third of respondents said that they do not even own a helmet

ATV users tend to avoid wearing head protection when riding on ATVs, with recent research carried out by University of Aberdeen, Scotland, showing that two-thirds of Irish and UK farmers do not wear a helmet.

One-third of respondents said that they do not even own a helmet.

Peer perception and a feeling that it is unnecessary to wear a helmet for short journeys or where the vehicle will be used at a slower speed were reasons raised for not wearing helmets.

The proposed rules are pending final review by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the HSA expects them to come into law later in 2021.

The rules pertaining to wearing helmets are not applicable to side-by-side ATVs which have two seats, a cab and seat belts.