Parents' Risk Acceptance and Attitudes Toward the Use of Quad Bikes by Children and Young People in Sweden

Parents did not see themselves as role models for children regarding use of quad bikes. Parents seemed to misjudge their children's maturity and capabilities. Risk acceptance was a common issue, due to risk normalization. There is a need for an age limit for drivers of adult-size quad bikes.

When seeking to explain the many accidents involving children on quad bikes, it is critical to understand the norms and risk perceptions of their parents, because parents are responsible for their children's safety. This study explored attitudes and behavior among parents of rural children using quad bikes and their experiences of incidents and injuries. Information obtained from two focus group discussions, one with young adults and one with parents, and an in-depth interview with a quad bike distributor was used to develop an interview guide. The guide was used in telephone interviews with Swedish parents (n = 41) and some children ages 5 to 14 (n = 9) between autumn 2015 and spring 2016. Analysis of the results revealed eight themes: (1) how quad bikes are used, (2) risk awareness, (3) safety information could help other parents, (4) parents' perception of children's abilities, (5) children's learning, (6) children`s perspective, (7) rules and responsibilities, and (8) risk acceptance. Major findings were that parents were aware of the risks and had a strong commitment to children's safety, but also showed risk acceptance. To increase the safety of quad bike use, recommendations to organizations and authorities are presented, such as an age limit for drivers of all adult-size quad bikes and safety labeling of quad bikes, with information clarifying the rules for specific vehicles.