Plea for caution

‘‘Three of these have been children, and four of these incidents have been the result of quad bikes rolling,’’ he said.

‘‘If you choose to continue using quad bikes on your farm, you should not allow children under 16 to drive or ride as a passenger on any adult-sized quad bikes.

‘‘These vehicles are simply too heavy and dangerous for children.

‘‘Please always wear a helmet and ride slowly and sensibly.’’

Victorian farmers are able to access rebates of $1200 to help cover the cost of installing crush protection devices.

‘‘Alternatively, if you want to move away from the use of quad bikes on your property, the $1200 rebate can go towards the cost of buying a side-by-side or small utility vehicle,’’ Mr Jochinke said.

‘‘In less than three years, the rebate scheme has received over 4400 applications and saved Victorian farmers almost $4million.’’

■Farmers wishing to apply for the rebate should phone the VFF on 1300 882 833 or visit: vff.org.au/quadbike to apply for the rebate immediately.