Forest booby-trap puts spotlight on Hungarian "quadding"

The increasing popularity of four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles (ATV) in Hungary has led to a dangerous backlash against the sport by those seeking to keep so-called "quad" bikes out of the country's forest areas. In the most recent and severe incident involving "quadders" and their opponents, a rope was found stretched at "neck level" between two trees in a section of the Bakony hills frequented by ATV enthusiasts.

According to portal fn.hu, a man identified only as Bálint ran into the rope - apparently a parachute cord six millimeters in diameter - on Saturday. While the man only injured his arm in the incident, a doctor who examined him said that if it had hit his neck it would have broken his larynx and esophagus or ruptured his carotid artery.

Not far from the stretched string, the man found another improvised weapon apparently aimed at ATV riders, in the form of a one-meter-long sharpened stick dug into the ground and tilted at 45 degrees.

The incident has led to an effort by Hungarian quadders to improve the image of the sport, which often involves tracks used by trucks and other vehicles. A moderator of an online forum for the quadder community called Nagyfefa is publicizing the fact that quads are commonly used for non-recreational purposes, such as search and rescue missions in inhospitable terrain, as well as during natural disasters, including the floods of the Danube. Meanwhile, the vehicles' large tires distribute weight in such a way that the soil underneath them is not damaged.

One enthusiast quoted by fn.hu said that a solution could involve having quadders registered, and limiting the use of the vehicles to designated off-road routes. Meanwhile, Saturday's incident led to a decision by a group of motorcyclists to form their own organization to protect the interests of two-wheeled off-road enthusiasts.

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