Last week, coroner Brigitte Windley released a report regarding Neville Ian Anderson, who died in September 2014 in a quad bike accident, near Milton.
In a statement, Ms Windley said the number of quad bike deaths and injuries were "unacceptably high" and suggested a "cross-agency working group" be convened to consider new approaches.
Farm safety campaigner Julie Dee, of Waihao Downs, said while she applauded the call to improve death and serious injury rates, she was concerned side-by-side buggies would be touted as safer alternatives to quad bikes, when there were few statistics available regarding the safety of the vehicles.
Mrs Dee’s husband, Paul Dee, died on April 28 in a side-by-side buggy accident near their home.
"Especially when there is talk of subsidising buying alternative vehicles, I would hope we are sure that these vehicles are safer and have passed safety standards in handling."
This should be paired with culture and awareness education, which would include the information they were safe only if a seatbelt was worn, she said.
Mrs Dee hoped if a national five-star safety rating system for quad bikes was implemented, which was one of the coroner’s recommendations, it would include side-by-side buggies.
In July, the New South Wales government called for such a system to be created in the country and said it would provide support to the federal Government to develop and implement the scheme.
WorkSafe agriculture sector lead Al McCone said if such a system was introduced in New Zealand, he imagined side-by-side buggies would be included.
The safety rating would be based on the vehicle’s performance in a series of tests that would include stability, braking and other criteria.
"We’re working with New South Wales as to how that might be implemented."
There were few records on the safety of side-by-side buggies, as they were a "relatively recent" addition to the agricultural workforce, he said.
Whether the buggies were safer than quad bikes depended on the context, he said.
"They are a vehicle with a protective roll cage. So if it rolls and you’re not fastened in, the risk to the person is high. If you’re using one of these vehicles you need to have your seatbelt done up. They’re not a direct one-on-one replacement for a quad."
It was up to farmers to decide which vehicles were appropriate for certain tasks, he said.
