Experts call for kids to be banned from riding quad bikes Three-year-old William Davidson, pictured with his parents and the paramedics who treated him, survived being crushed by a quad bike three weeks ago. Sam Cason was 11 when he was killed in a quad bike crash in 2010. DOCTORS are calling on the State Government to ban children from riding quad bikes after a horrifying doubling of severe injuries among youngsters thrown from them in the past decade. The Royal Children's Hospital, Ambulance Victoria, The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, KidSafe and the Australian Medical Association are lobbying the Napthine Government for a minimum riding age of 16, a public awareness campaign and mandatory helmets to cut the toll. Eleven children under 15 have died on quad bikes nationwide since 2008 - including Sam Cason, 11, and two other Victorians. Sam's mother, Emily, has spoken out with the parents of other quad bike accident victims, to alert families to the dangers and call for new safeguards. "Because they have four wheels, these bikes look a lot safer than they are," Ms Cason said. But, if you pay attention and look at the size of one, how much weight they have and how fast they can actually go, it is insane how dangerous they really are without much of a law or protection around them. In the past decade the RCH has seen serious trauma cases from children's quad bike accidents grow by about 25 per cent each year - with the average age of those injured being just nine. In the latest incident three weeks ago, William Davidson, 3, was crushed by a runaway quad bike that wasn't even turned on, with paramedics placing him in an induced coma at his parents' Bairnsdale property to save his life. "We were being careful, but this just shows what can happen even if you are being careful," William's father Scott Davidson said. In the past 10 years, 92 child victims of serious quad bike accidents have been rushed to the RCH. "We don't think any child under 16 should be operating a quad bike but, importantly, no child under 16 should be a passenger either," RCH trauma service manager Helen Jowett said. When we compare quad bikes to motorbike injuries, you're twice as likely to need intensive care if you are on a quad bike. The injuries to these children are severe: intracranial head and brain; skull and face fractures; chest, abdomen and spinal injuries. There is no legislation governing what age motorised vehicles can be operated on private property or requiring safety equipment to be used, prompting the push for the Government to impose an age restriction. RACS trauma committee spokesman Assoc Prof Francis Miller said: "There are 10 deaths per year from quad bike use, and one sixth of those are children -- you should be 16 years or older to use a quad bike." Ambulance Victoria Gippsland regional manager Mick Stephenson said his organisation supported the push for legislative changes to reduce quad bike accidents. "We have seen too many children seriously injured and unfortunately some deaths through accidents involving quad bikes," Mr Stephenson said. KidSafe Victoria president Robert Caulfield said children should not be allowed to be in control of a quad bike until the age of 16, as the vehicles were as dangerous as a car. A report prepared by the Victorian Coroner reveals four young Victorians have died using quad bikes since 2009, with three aged between 10 and 14. Since the start of 2001 there have been 150 Australians killed on quad bikes, prompting widespread calls for rollover protection. Sam Cason was the last Victorian child to die using a quad bike, months after moving to Numurkah in 2011 and going to a friend's farm for a sleepover. While helping move cattle on a quad bike for the first time, Sam was found dead in a paddock beside the "big beast of a bike." "They think he rolled it and came off, hit his head, and died straight away," mum Emily said. She wants to see restrictions based on a child's size and mandatory parental supervision and safety equipment. Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten recently called for a ban on under-16s using full-sized quad bikes at workplaces including farms. No reforms have been introduced. The Napthine Government last night said it was concerned about quad bike deaths and serious injuries but would not commit to any action other than raising public awareness.