The Travel Association is strongly advising holidaymakers and other travellers to think twice before hiring mopeds whilst overseas, and to only ride quad bikes as part of an organised excursion.
Every year many people have dangerous accidents while on holiday after driving quad bikes on the road and hiring mopeds – causing serious injuries and some accidents have been fatal.
ABTA Members reported 36 quad bike accidents and seven moped accidents in 2017. So far in 2018, seven people have been involved in quad bike accidents on the road. These figures represent just those cases reported by ABTA Members – and ABTA believes the total number of accidents to be much higher.
New figures from ABTA reveal as many as 4.5 million Britons have hired a moped or quad bike whilst overseas – the equivalent of one in ten British holidaymakers. Younger adults are most likely to put themselves at risk – one in seven British 18-24 year olds who have taken an overseas holiday said they had hired either a quad bike or a moped2.
In recent years, quad bikes have become increasingly popular, particularly in places like Greece, Cape Verde & Turkey. Hiring mopeds has also become common among British travellers in countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. Whether in Europe or further afield, these vehicles give little protection in an accident, and riders are particularly vulnerable on the open roads.
ABTA is advising anyone travelling abroad that there are always safer alternatives to hiring mopeds and quad bikes, including hiring a car, taking a taxi or using public transport, and to only ride quad bikes as part of an organised excursion. It is also reminding holidaymakers of the limitations and exclusions of standard travel insurance policies – many of which will not cover accidents from quad bikes and mopeds, leaving seriously injured holidaymakers facing unaffordable medical bills.
Nikki White, ABTA Director of Destinations and Sustainability said: “Every year people suffer serious injuries after hiring mopeds or quad bikes while on holiday. Many have little experience of using these vehicles and are also unfamiliar with the local roads and driving standards.
“It’s so easy when you’re relaxing on holiday to do things you wouldn’t dream of doing back home; but you are putting yourself at risk of serious injury if you hire these vehicles, and on top of that, many travel insurance policies won’t cover such activities. We’re advising holidaymakers who have little experience on mopeds to think twice before hiring these vehicles, and only ride quad bikes if they are part of a properly supervised off-road excursion.”
Recent examples of quad bike and moped accidents in the media over the past 12 months (August 2017 – August 2018):
Quad bike accidents
- July 2018 – A 19 year old man from Swindon died following a critical quad biking accident on the Greek island of Crete
- July 2018 – A 17 year old girl from Lancashire suffered severe injuries following a fall from a quad bike on Greek island of Zante
- July 2018 – Two British women were fighting for their lives after quad bike crash on Greek island of Zante
- December 2017 – Two British tourists rescued from the desert in the United Arab Emirates after their quad bikes caught on fire
Moped accidents
- March 2018 – A 26 year old man from Essex died in Thailand following a moped crash with lorry
- March 2018 – A 55 year old father of six from Hertfordshire was place in an induced coma following a serious moped crash in Thailand
- January 2018 – A 23 year old man from Hertfordshire lost half his leg in moped crash in Thailand
- December 2017 – A 23 year old Northern Irish man had leg amputated following a serious moped crash in Thailand
- October 2017 – A 25 year old woman from Bath survived a near fatal moped accident in Vietnam, suffering multiple injuries
- August 2017 – A 20 year old man from Reading died as a result of his injuries when his moped crashed in Bali
