South Australians are being reminded about the dangers of all-terrain vehicles (ATV), which includes quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles (SSV), following the deaths of six people over the past 12 months

There were five fatalities in 2024 - the first in South Australia since 2021. And already this year, a man on an SSV - a four-wheeled vehicle that often has seatbelts, side-by-side seating and a roll-over protection cage - died when his vehicle rolled on a farming property at Tungkillo in the state's Mid Murray.

Three men died in separate quad bike incidents in March and April last year on private property in the Adelaide Hills, White Flats and Port Broughton.

A few months later, in September, a man died after the SSV he was driving collided with another SSV at a property in the state's South East. The man was not wearing a seat belt despite one being one fitted to the SSV and was ejected from the vehicle in the incident.

A Riverland farmer was also killed when the quad bike he was riding rolled on top of him in late October.

These fatalities - which have taken the state's ATV death toll to 11 since 2011 - has prompted SafeWork SA to urge SSV users not to tamper with or disable safety features.

SafeWork SA is aware that some operators bypass the speed limiter by clipping the seatbelt in behind them, deliberately overriding a known safety control and increasing the risk of injury or death.

According to Safe Work Australia data, 212 people have died nationally as the result of quad bike incidents since 2011. Last year, there were 19 quad bike fatalities across the nation.

SafeWork SA Executive Director Glenn Farrell said the record number of deaths was "deeply concerning".

"Although they're marked as 'go-anywhere vehicles', they cannot be used safely on all types of terrain and are susceptible to rolling over," Mr Farrell said.

"In addition to reading the safety instructions, I urge users to visit the SafeWork SA website where we have comprehensive information about quad bike safety."

Quad bikes and SSVs are among the leading cause of death on Australian farming properties.

About half of all quad bike related fatalities are the result of rollovers. Even at slow speed, a quad bike can roll over and trap or crush the rider under the weight of the bike, which can weigh up to 400kg.

For more safety information, visit SafeWork SA.