Surgeons say the government must make roll bars on quad bikes mandatory.

Warwick Teague, director of the trauma service at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, says people are being maimed and disabled in quad bike incidents every week.

“At the coalface we're seeing injuries that no one should be facing within their lifetime,” he told AAP.

“Head injuries, injuries to the chest and abdomen - which are devastating - spinal injuries, crushes to the pelvis and debilitating injuries to the lower limb bones.”

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons' quad bike spokesperson said the death toll is alarming.

“Future generations will look back on this moment just as we now look back on seatbelts on car seats,” Dr Teague said.

“They are not inherently stable pieces of equipment and the sooner we recognise that and mitigate for it, the sooner we will be protecting lives.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has recommended mandatory roll protection, as has the National Farmers' Federation, the Country Women's Association and many other rural organisations.

Manufacturers including Honda and Yamaha have threatened to withdraw from the Australian market if mandatory roll protection is imposed.

“The manufacturers have said these things will kill you,” NFF workforce committee and Farmsafe chair Charles Armstrong has told AAP.

“We know from 12,500 tests out there, people with these protective devices on there hasn't been one fatality recorded over many years.”

The farmers' lobby also wants a five-star safety rating system to be introduced to encourage competition among manufacturers.