Quad driving Tests ???

[catmandoes]

Despite the fact that I would be very dissapointed if specific compulsery driving tests were introduced for Quad riding i can see the sense and indeed need for it.

Many people buy Quads without any real understanding of how to ride them properly. Lets face it, controlling quads can be dangerous, often because of the unexpected hole or ditch. People often ride beyond their capabilities until they gain enough experiance to know otherwise. RedPred witnessed a accident recently that was clearly a result of inexperiance and could have been fatal.

I think that the Quad industry needs to take some responsbility in these matters. There are many underhand entrepreneurs out there wanting to make a fast buck by selling chinese quads to anyone and giving the impression that there is no reall skill involved. It takes skill, judgment and experiance to ride a Quad properly. People need to start somewhere and in that sense people should seek out and associate themsleves with groups such as ours. Its worth considering that the UK quad riding expertise and advice rests within small groups of enthusiasts. Clearly, from the types of regulations that the government have in place for assessing what quads are suitable for the road, they dont really understand Quad safety.

[RED PRED]

Yes and No, the accident I saw was a young prat showing off and overshooting a corner and running head first into a tree ROFLMFAO, his chinese junk was well smashed .
Training would not have prevented it .
Quads are such a small leisure activity that it would not be worth anyone doing training financially, as an ex biker, I would say bikes are far more dangerous than quads due to quads relatively slow speeds and acceleration compared to bikes and the fact that bikes have two wheels and it is easier to fall off them .
It is stupid that you have to pass a car test to ride a quad on the road, but a bike is as far removed from quad riding as a bike .
What is wrong with the CD you get from Polaris about quad safety LOLOLOL .

[catmandoes]

I think the problem is partly because they are easier to drive than a Motorbike. It lulls people into a false sense of security. Many think that beacuse its got 4 wheels then it easy to drive a Quad. Of course, if you driving in a stright line on a flat surface then it is indeed no problem. However the concept of a fixed back axle and having to distribute your weight to avoid the bike tipping over is completely missed by many people.

There are a LOT of accidents on Quads, fortunatly only a small percentage get reported because most of the time people just stand up and walk away from it.

I think there needs to be a better system to promote driving skills amongst those who are too eager to just go out and buy a death trap, Chinky . The safty dvds are just so irrelevent and bad they are laughable. The one i got tolds me never to take my Quad on uneven ground. I mean, get real. No-ones going to take videos like that seriously. I have heard the EASI course arnt really any more helpful, but i havnt done one yet so it just heresay.

[RED PRED]

I think you are right to be concerned but I would not like our friend Wellzy to have to undertake all that training and pass tests when he already knows how to ride a quad, on second thoughts, bring on the legislation ;):D

[catmandoes]

lol. very true, i wouldnt want to have to take a test when ive bee riding for years. Think they need to do something though.

The bad application of the currently quad related laws and the peopple who dont learn to ride properly give our sport a bad name.

[RED PRED]

To be honest, population wise, quadding is such an irrelevant pastime that it is not worth bothering with, out of a population of some 60 million, I bet there are no more than 5000 road legal quads out there .
We only think it is because we are hooked, the average Joe Bloggs out there knows nothing about it .