Quad bikes are the new celebrity toys, but they can be lethal if driven without proper training, writes Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor
Take an uncoordinated, mumbling rock star in his mid-50s who has trouble handling a remote control, and set him racing around the grounds of his English country estate on a high-powered all-terrain vehicle. Sounds like a recipe for good TV. Certainly good MTV, and a potential You've been Framed moment.
Unfortunately for Osbourne, it all came to a terrible pass with Ozzy in hospital undergoing emergency surgery on Monday night after breaking his neck, collarbone and eight ribs. He's not the first celebrity to come a cropper on the four-wheel all-terrain bikes known as quads. Comedian Rik Mayall spent five days in a coma after his quad landed on top of him in 1998.
Lad magazine FHM recently described quads as "the ultimate big boys' toy". Despite their agrarian roots, the rapid growth in sales has more to do with fashion and fun than farming. They are the latest favoured purchase of wealthy parents for usually spoilt children, or celebrities with more money than sense. Chris Evans rides one around his estate. Robbie Williams and David Beckham have been snapped aboard quads.
"They're the latest rich person's toy," says Esquire magazine editor Simon Tiffin.
For a man who has diced with death and proved indestructible to chemical doses that could comatose a herd of cattle, the thought of Ozzy in safety gear seems anathema. Yet for those who race quads and take the precautions, celebrity topples are a nightmare. Val Bell, long-time quad racer and vice-chairman of Quad Racing Ireland, says Ozzy's accident is a setback for the sport.
"I'm surprised Ozzy could even ride a bike," he says. "He seemed like an accident waiting to happen. The fact is these 'city slickers' don't know how to ride a bike, don't even try to learn, and then everyone seems surprised when they end up in trouble."
Quad retailer John Sheehan agrees. "The problem with many of the accidents involving celebrities is that they're starting out on the likes of the 660cc Yamaha Raptor, a bike capable of 80 mph and with the equivalent acceleration of a good two-litre car, without learning the basics on a smaller bike. The problem is you don't need a licence or mandatory training when you're on your own property."
Away from the wonderful world of celebrity, quad bike popularity has rocketed in the last five years. In its biggest market, California - coincidentally the mecca of the middle-aged celeb - quad bike sales are now estimated at 52,000 compared to 27,000 normal two-wheeled bikes. In recent years there's been a massive increase in sales of quads in Europe, driven largely by the rising popularity in sports quads. The ATV, or all-terrain vehicle, as quads are sometimes known, was developed in Japan as a three-wheeled farm vehicle, or trike, an inexpensive mini-tractor that could go just about anywhere. But their recreational use was quickly spotted in the US and since the 1970s ATVs have been sold for both purposes.
According to Val Bell, "the trikes were prone to instability in corners and were given to tipping over. There was a series of litigation claims mainly in the US so the big manufacturers stopped building trikes altogether in 1989."
Today, a huge range of four-wheeled ATV models is available, from small 50cc quads capable of 25-30 mph, designed for kids of four years and upwards, to the ultimate 660cc sports models used by racers. Prices here range from €1,630 to €12,000-plus for a standard Yamaha Raptor or Polaris, a firm better known for its military hardware. The quads' popularity is due partially to the fact they are so much easier to ride than a two-wheeled motorcycle. They now feature on nearly every adventure centre's activity list and in nearly every seaside resort on the Spanish costas. Yet as they have grown in popularity, injuries have incrementally risen. In Britain, six people have been killed in quad bike accidents since April. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, there were 4,200 injuries in 2002 in Britain, compared with 1,200 in 1998. A quarter of those hurt last year suffered serious head injuries.
Two weeks ago a 21-year-old ESB contractor from Brazil working on line maintenance in Co Kerry was killed after his quad collided with a telegraph pole on a road near Moyvane. ESB technicians use the quads to inspect lines and poles and Kevin MacDermott of ESB Networks points out that the firm has a training course for all staff and contractors who ride its fleet of 150 quads.
Yet, while employers are required to provide training to employees, there's nothing to stop celebrities or the general public heading off without helmets on the biggest bikes they can afford. Although retailers advise purchasers on basic safety instructions and recommend that riders wear the proper padding and helmets, there's no licence required and few ways to encourage people to ride them wisely. "If you're going to spend €6,000 or more on a bike the least you can do is spend another €300 on a helmet and body armour," says Val Bell.
Common sense, as with all motor vehicles, is the key. Unfortunately, it's not a trait normally associated with Ozzy and his celebrity ilk.