Quad bike riders without helmets 'are at risk of death'

Date: 3/8/2010

A doctor has called for a change in the law to force quad bike riders to wear helmets in order to protect them from serious accidents.

Dr John Heyworth, President of the College of Emergency Medicine, told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat unprotected riders are at real risk of serious injury or death because head injuries are the biggest killer in incidents of this kind.

"For goodness sake let's protect these riders. It's a simple bit of protection for them that will save lives," he added.

Dr Heyworth's stance was supported by Kevin Clinton, Head of Road Safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who added that quad bikes can reach very high speeds and riders are likely to be flung off in the event of an impact.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning stated there are no plans to make helmets compulsory, but the government will keep the issue under review.

Recently, the European Commission outlined its target to halve the number of road deaths in Europe within the next ten years.

Posted by Sarah Bailey