Every year 850 people are injured while riding quad bikes on farms around New Zealand.

Of these 160 will not return to work, and four or five will die.

But these statistics are having little affect on kiwi farmers, and safety organisations are at their wits end.

Farmers have been ignoring helmet pleas from safety organisations such as The Brain Association Northland, and ACC, who are calling for helmets to be worn at all times during quad bike use on farms.

The Department of Labour has been programming mandatory quad bike checks on farms throughout New Zealand.

There are approximately 90,000 Quad bikes in use on New Zealand farms. The average farmer clocks up around 1000 plus hours a year on the four wheelers.

But the traditional farm workhorse is becoming the silent killer on farming properties around the country.

From 2002 to 2008 quad bikes accounted for 40% of all farm fatalities.

This year alone has seen 4 deaths involving quad bikes, and most recently a 19 year old farmer receiving significant head injuries after his quad bike landed on him

Brain Injury Association Northland Manager Vanessas Gray says people don't realise the long term effects of a brain injury.

"People don’t realize how common it is as a result of the quad bike injury, and you know people talk numbers.

"But the reality is one brain injury is one too many, if it’s you.”

But the farming community doesn’t seem convinced, with many claiming that, although helmets may have their benefits, they are just too much of a hassle.

Tuakau beef and dairy farmer Kerry Curry says she understands farmer's reactions.

“Like me I get up in the morning and go and get the cows. So it’s like 5 minutes on the bike to get the cows and then 5 minutes on the bike to take the feeders down.

"You know it’s like little trips for us and I suppose dairy farmers, I suppose it’s a lot of short distance, flat sort of work stuff. I could see that people would think it was inconvenient and hot.”

Miss Gray says that farmers may very find helmets a hassle. But they are hassle which will ultimately save lives.  

“Surviving with a brain injury is a real hassle, you know the hassle of putting a helmet on  is nothing compared to surviving with a brain injury.”