Side-by-side vehicles fact sheet
A side-by-side vehicle (SSV) is different from a quad bike, they are typically sit-in, have a steering wheel, seat belts, rollover protection and have a higher load capacity.
Depending on the job, SSVs can be a good alternative to quad bikes.
Sixty per cent of the quad bike fatalities examined by the NSW Coroner in 2015 involved a rollover. SSVs are considered to be an effective way of protecting against quad bike related injury and fatalities on-farm.
The safest vehicle is the one best suited to the job. Before you purchase a vehicle for your farm, talk to your local dealer about your own farming situation and read the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure the vehicle is suitable for the task and circumstance.
You can also check out the testing done by the transport and safety researchers from the University of New South Wales here.
Next steps
To stay safe while using a SSV, make sure that you:
- choose the right vehicle for the task
- do a safe SSV driving course
- wear a seatbelt if driving or are a passenger in a SSV
- consider wearing a helmet
- maintain and operate vehicle in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions
- don’t let kids ride adult-sized SSVs.
Further information
Call us on 13 10 50 or visit: