The National Road Safety Authority reported that in addition to the 45 dead, there have been 176 serious injuries and 1,479 minor injuries between 2009 and 2013 as a reult of quad bike accidents.
Of the dead, 41 were driving the vehicle at the time of the accident and the others were passengers.
Added to these depressing figures can be the 2014 statistics as last week alone, three children between five and 14 years of age died in widely reported quad bike accidents.
One of the accidents was near Penela when a British driver lost control and two children, one Portuguese and one Irish, were killed. A third lies injured in hospital.
Then on Wednesday this week near Cachopo, Tavira, a 14-year old from near Loulé was thrown from the bike he was driving as it hit a tree. His younger brother who was a passenger was injured and taken to Faro hospital.
Under current legislation drivers need a license covering Category B (light) or B1 (tricycles and motorcycles) to allow them to drive a quad bike regardless of its engine capacity. Drivers must be 16 years or over.
According to quad bike retailers the machines are designed for off-road, unpaved surfaces only and drivers always must wear a helmet, goggles and appropriate clothing. The bikes certainly are not suitable for carrying passengers.
In many of the fatal accidents recorded by the National Road Safety Authority, basic safety measures had been ignored with tragic results.
