An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riding school for children will open in Western Australia's Great Southern region despite heated opposition from nearby residents.
ATVs, including side-by-sides and quad bikes, are off-road vehicles often used on rural properties.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), quad bike accidents are the leading cause of death and severe injury on Australian farms.
It said six Australians had been killed in quad bike accidents so far this year, and there were 150 quad bike deaths between 2011 and 2020 in Australia.
That included 23 children.
Philip Morgan on Tuesday won a long-running battle to get an ATV training ground approved on his Youngs Siding property, 40km west of Albany.
Mr Morgan needed approval from the City of Albany before creating his dream retirement venture — something he hoped would also save lives.
However, his neighbours told councillors they were concerned about the noise the vehicles would create and urged them to reject the proposal.
Saving lives
Mr Morgan said he wanted to teach kids how to ride ATVs safely following numerous farm deaths involving them.
"There's a big gap out there, lots of kids get on these machines on farms and they haven't really been given any tuition or training and they learn the hard way," he said.
"There are a lot of injuries, sometimes unfortunately death. We've had deaths in this area from people riding ATVs."
Mr Morgan will train kids aged from six to 14 years.
Only four-wheel vehicles will be used, as he deemed two-wheel motorbikes too dangerous for young children.
Neighbours opposed
Mr Morgan's neighbours aired their concerns at council meetings this month.
Opponents argued that Mr Morgan's school was targeted at children and said they believed most deaths that occurred on ATVs were of adults.
They were also concerned about Mr Morgan being allowed to operate on Sundays, something they feared would disturb the serenity of the area.
However, Mr Morgan said the ATVs were not too loud and would be operated within the time restrictions.
"I don't anticipate any noise levels that would disturb the amenity of the district," he said.
City of Albany councillors unanimously supported Mr Morgan's proposal.
Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said it only had to save one life to benefit the community.
"I think it's a terrific idea to teach the kids how to drive these things properly before they get to a stage where they make a mistake," Mr Wellington said.
"The prospect looks good so council was impressed with the way it was going to be set up."
