A coroner heading an inquiry into quad bike safety says there is "a Mexican standoff" between advocates and opponents of rollover protection.
Occupational Safety and Health figures show there have been 29 quad bike deaths on farms since 2006, and 260 people seriously injured since 2009.
At a conference on farm safety in Wellington on Wednesday, the Motor Industry Association said roll bars could prevent riders escaping their vehicle in a crash.
But Lincoln University professor Charley Lamb says in most crashes, people can't separate from their bikes and research in Australia suggests that 70% of such deaths could be prevented by roll bars.
Coroner Brandt Shortland doesn't hold much hope in reconciling their views, and says the issue has been argued about since quad bikes were introduced in the 1970s.
"Manufacturers have their own views and they're very selective about what they release, and you've got those who are taking the manufacturers on. So here we are - this Mexican standoff."
Mr Shortland says one solution may be for farmers to stop using quad bikes and move to other vehicles instead.
High accident rate on farms, forum told
The head of a taskforce on workplace health and safety says the majority of farmers have been involved in quad bike accidents and it's only luck there have not been more fatalities.
Rob Jager chaired the independent taskforce that produced a critical report on workplace health and safety earlier this year.
It found agriculture is one of a group of industries responsible for more than half of workplace injuries.
Mr Jager said given that four out of five farmers have been involved in quad bike accidents, many of them more than once, it is only luck that there weren't more deaths last year than the six that happened.
Associate Minister for Primary Industries Jo Goodhew spoke to the conference about mental health, pointing out the suicide rate for rural areas is 15.9 per 100,000 people compared to 10.8 for urban areas.
Ms Goodhew said the recent drought has put a great deal of stress and pressure on farmers and on businesses that rely on them.
