Quad riders urged to wear helmets

The teenager's family have called for the bikes to be banned

Headway, the brain injury charity, has called for the wearing of helmets to be compulsory while riding quad bikes.

It follows a road accident on Monday in which a County Armagh teenager was critically injured.

Caitlin Reid from Headway said: "It is scandalous and frightening that the law allows people to ride these machines without wearing helmets.

"The law needs changing immediately, otherwise we are likely to see a great deal more lives needlessly ruined."

Cal Morgan, 15, was in collision with a car on Ballygassoon Road in Armagh while on a quad bike, which was a birthday gift. He is currently in intensive care in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

His grandmother, Brigid Donnelly, said quad bikes were dangerous and growing in popularity.

"They're taking the place of bicycles now," she said.

"They're very open and very dangerous, if you hit anything you haven't a hope and the most of them (riders) don't wear helmets."

Cal's aunt, Petriona Donnelly, said that it would be a while before they knew if the crash would have a lasting effect on her nephew.

"He has had a lot of bruising to his brain, and he has pressure round his brain," she said.

Most quads available in Northern Ireland are designed for off-road use only and must not be used on a road or footpath DOE spokesperson

"The doctors and nurses have worked very, very hard and they have said that he's a lot more stable.

"They will not be sure until he comes out of his anaesthetic, and that may be a couple of days, to assess whether there has been any permanent brain damage."

It is the second accident involving a quad bike to hit the family within a year. A 16-year-old cousin of Cal suffered serious abdominal injuries in a crash last year.

The family have appealed for more to be done to highlight the dangers.

A DOE spokesperson said there was currently no requirement for riders to wear a protective helmet.

"As quad bikes are mechanically propelled vehicles, the law requires that if they are to be used on a public road, they must have an EC Certificate of Conformity and comply with Construction and Use Regulations and Lighting Regulations," he said.

"Most quads available in Northern Ireland are designed for off-road use only and must not be used on a road or footpath.

"In the case of anyone riding a road legal quad on a public road they must be at least 17 years of age, have an appropriate driving licence and a minimum of third-party insurance.

"The quad must be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Agency and registration plates must be displayed."