2023-08-21 13:15:00
Last May, a young man from Liège, on vacation in Rhodes, lost his life during a buggy ride. The driver lost control of the machine, which collided with a small construction truck. Both vehicles immediately caught fire.
This is not the first time that facts remind us that the practice of the quad, as pleasant as it is, as sensational as it is given its ability to accelerate in a very short time, is not without danger.
In Belgium, from 2012 to 2015, the number of accidents, without injury or with serious/slight injury or with death, exploded from 9 to 63 (including 10 deaths), according to statistics provided to us by the Vias Institute. Since then, it has gradually fallen to reach a total of 7 in 2022, despite a bizarre peak of 85 in 2018. “There is a decrease probably because there are fewer quads in circulation”, supposes Benoit Godart, door -word of the Vias Institute.
Benoît Godart, BRSI spokesman (Christophe Bortels) ©Christophe Bortels
Disavowal? Admittedly, by dint of undergoing the speeches which recall that they pollute and make noise, the quaders have, in a way, joined the ranks of contemporary plague victims. But it’s not just that. Yes, in 2016, 2,052 quads were registered and only 854 in 2017. Market collapse? Not only ! Some of these vehicles now have the possibility of being registered as agricultural machinery and no longer appear officially as quad registration. Let’s say that the use seems to have branched off from the field of leisure to use for agricultural purposes, when a farmer wants to go around his cows in a pasture for example. Moreover, according to the figures communicated to us by Febiac, among the registrations of agricultural tractors in 2022, six brands of quads refer to a total of 1,078 registrations. In short, if we add up, sales have dropped, not collapsed, but the use is no longer as fun.
It is true that quads have been banned in the Brussels Region since 2015, but also in Charleroi (since 2014), Mons or even La Louvière, for example.
“It is an extremely dangerous vehicle, which must be handled with care”, describes Benoit Godart. Its speed can reach 130 km/h and its weight varies between 200 and 400 kg. The accelerations and reactions of this vehicle are very brutal. Stability can also be a problem”, resumes the Vias spokesperson. “If you don’t have enough control of this type of machine, when going uphill, downhill, overcoming obstacles or cornering, the quad can easily overturn. There cannot be a passenger but the seat is wide enough to accommodate another person. The quad is believed to be easy to ride. There is nothing more false. Hence the danger when a tourist, for example, takes advantage of his vacation to rent a quad when he is not necessarily accustomed to it.
Basse-Meuse: access prohibited for quads and motocrossers in the “Sur Heez” quarry
Vias pleads more broadly for a general ban in cities or even municipalities. “These vehicles have no business in town. Given their deafening noise, the power of their acceleration, we plead for a broader ban on quads, in all urban areas of the country. That would be more consistent.”
The Highway Code already allows municipalities to carry out this ban. A panel exists. It is therefore up to each municipality to decide.
“Outside cities, however, quads can have real use. For example for a farmer who would use it to go to his fields”, continues Benoit Godart.
Mons: Quads and motorcycles are not welcome at the Héribus
There are three types of quads.
First, four-wheel mopeds (class B). On the road, they cannot exceed the speed of 45 km/h. The driver must be at least 16 years old and have an AM license, or a classic driving licence. The plate must begin with the letters SU.
Secondly, motor quadricycles: the driver must hold and carry a B license and be at least 18 years old.
The plate must be square and start with the letter “M”.
Third, the agricultural or forestry tractor: they cannot exceed the speed of 40 km/h. They must be registered as agricultural or forestry tractors, with a plate that begins with GL. To drive it on public roads, a G license (tractors) and being at least 16 years old are required.
At dusk and at night, a flashing amber light is mandatory. The maximum authorized speed (= 40 km/h) must be indicated on the right side of the rear face of the vehicle, with a speed plate.
For all types of quads, wearing a helmet is compulsory, unless the vehicle is fitted with a cockpit. The danger triangle is the only equipment required on board. Lights don’t have to be on all the time.
Whichever quad you drive, you may not transport more people than the number for which the seat(s) is (are) fitted, and no person may be transported in a possibly hitched trailer . As for the load, its width cannot exceed more than 0.30 m the width of the unloaded quad, with an absolute maximum of 2.50 m. It may not exceed, at the front, the end of the vehicle, and may not exceed the rear end of the vehicle or the trailer by more than 0.50 m.
Quads are motor vehicles. The civil liability to which they may give rise must therefore be covered by an insurance contract. The driver must be able to present the certificate justifying this contract. The vehicle must be the subject of a certificate of conformity but you must not carry one.
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