ABTA has warned of the dangers of hiring a moped or quad bike on holiday. The travel association says 4.5 million British adults have put themselves at risk and are asking people to think twice before they hire a moped and to only go on a quad bike if on an organised excursion.
Every year many holidaymakers have dangerous accidents 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 this year, seven people have been involved in quad bike accidents on the road. These figures represent just those cases reported by ABTA members – and the association 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 while overseas – the equivalent of one in 10 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 moped.
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, of ABTA, says: “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.”
