Solving the problem is proving to be very difficult, with some safety mechanisms like the U and T-shaped rollover protection systems proven to do more harm than good by Dynamic Research Inc in the US.

According to research made by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in 2008, 14,587 quad bikes were sold to the agricultural sector within 2008.

Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety national farm injury data centre research manager Emily Herde unveiled some shocking statistics about quad bike deaths in her presentation to conference attendees.

WA has had 19 quad bike deaths since 2000, with five deaths occurring in 2007 and four deaths in 2008.

NSW quad bike death toll was the highest in the country, with 40 farmers killed since 2000 and six deaths from January to June this year alone.

Ms Herde used cases where ACHAS had access to the full information about the deaths from 2000 to 2008 as an example of what sort of accidents are killing farmers who use quad bikes.

Taking information from the 107 quad bike deaths registered, Ms Herde said men are more likely to die from quad bike related accidents.

Ms Herde said there is a propensity for quad bikes to roll over and cause serious injury to riders.

"There are 50 cases within the register that relate to the rollover of a quad bike; of these, two were front rollovers, eight were side rollovers, nine were rear rollovers and the remaining 31 were unspecified," she said.

Farmers are urged not to treat quad bikes as all terrain vehicles, with the industry having to change the name of the bikes from ATV to quad bikes because of proof that they cannot handle all terrains.