By Martin Banks - 30th November 2011
Quads used on the road do need to be safer, quieter and more visible
Malcolm Harbour
Senior MEP Malcolm Harbour says that proposed EU rules aimed at making quad bikes safer could have a "severe" knock-on effect on the costs of utility all Terrain vehicles (ATVs) used on many farms.
The Conservative deputy said, "Quad bikes are used for many different purposes and they should not all be lumped together, as the commission has proposed.
"Quads used on the road do need to be safer, quieter and more visible."
Harbour, a British member, is chairman of the internal market committee which leads parliament's work on vehicle type approval rules.
He added, "However, ATVs used on farms should offer good value, be adapted to the terrain, and safe.
"Safety features that are welcome on road quads would make farm quads less suitable and less safe, yet they would become significantly more expensive. ATVs are an integral part of many farms and they must not be regulated out of existence."
"This is why I worked with industry to introduce a new category for utility ATVs into the tractors regulation, and why I am now leading on the necessary adaptations to the draft motorbikes regulation."
Harbour said he is in the "unique" position of being responsible for both draft laws for the Conservatives.
Harbour's concerns are shared by Larry Keller, president of the all terrain vehicle industry European association (ATVEA), who said, "Utility ATVs are used, for 98 percent of their life, on unpaved surfaces, very often in rough terrain.
"In this respect, they are similar and complementary to agricultural tractors.
"To have a category that requires on-road features emerge as the only available classification option for utility ATV's, at this late stage of the regulatory process, would be detrimental to farmers and other professional users at a time when they are suffering from the economic recession and increased financial difficulties."
ATVEA is urging the commission to take a more "pragmatic" approach to the matter "so that farmers and other professional users can continue to benefit from the unique characteristics of utility ATVs".
Further comment came from National Farmers Union (NFU) deputy president Meurig Raymond, who said, "The commission proposal to increase the regulation on ATVs is extremely worrying."
"It is essential that these machines are safe for use but the suggested technical changes are overly burdensome and could significantly decrease the off-road ability of quad bikes rendering them useless to many farmers who rely on them for their day-to-day work.
"We have worked hard through our Brussels office to find a solution and we therefore welcome Harbour's efforts to improve the commission proposals."
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