Commercial GPS tracking company, Austracker, has launched of the Rollover Rescue Tracker, an automated alert-based system designed to drastically reduce the time taken to rescue farmers if their quad-bike rolls.

Quad bike rollovers are currently the leading cause of farm deaths in Australia.

According to a study by The Transport and Road Safety Research Centre at UNSW there were 22 quad bike fatalities and 70 injuries in Australia last year alone.

The Victorian State Government recently announced its $6 million roll-bar subsidy scheme, to be administered by the Victorian Farmers Federation, in response to the high death rate.

Austracker general manager Richard Mason encourages farmers to make use of the rebate, but to think of the Rollover Rescue Tracker as an additional part of their overall farm safety plan.

“Wherever possible we want to prevent accidents from happening – but unfortunately accidents can and do still happen, even to the best of riders,” he said.

“The roll-bars are essential, but as an added layer of safety, the Rollover Rescue Tracker means that even if an accident happens, a rescue team can get to riders faster.”

The tracker works by automatically sending out an alert to the rider’s chosen network – typically family, neighbours or co-workers.

Once the bike tilts more than 45 degrees the message will be sent by text or email alerting the network that the rider has rolled, and their co-ordinates. By clicking the coordinates the exact location will show on a map.

A siren will also sound to help rescuers find the rider in difficult conditions. If the rider doesn’t need assistance they can press a button on the bike to let the network know they are OK.

“Some of these farmers are working in very remote or solitary conditions. If there is an accident and they are injured it can be hours before others even realise something is wrong,” Mr Mason said.

“And then there’s the time it takes to locate the rider to rescue them. As paramedics say, the golden hour, that first hour after an accident, can mean the difference between life and death.”

About Austracker: Austracker is an Australian based company supplying GPS and tracking solutions to the field service, insurance and logistics industries. The company’s development team has worked closely with agricultural partners to develop tools utilize GPS tracking for safer, more efficient farming.