Warning for British holidaymakers over increase moped and quad bike dangers

Travel trade association ABTA have issued a warning to Brits on holiday about the dangers of hiring mopeds and quad bikes as 4.5 million British adults have put themselves at risk. Therefore, it is strongly advised by ABTA that holidaymakers should think twice before hiring a moped or quad bike even if it’s part of an excursion.

Members at ABTA have reported that there’s been 7 moped incidents and 36 quad bike incidents in the last year. In 2018 there has been 7 quad biking incidents on the roads. However, these numbers are thought to be much higher as they only involve ABTA members.

Quad bike popularity has seen increasing numbers over the past few years, particularly in Greece, Cape Verde and Turkey. Hiring mopeds has also become more common for British traveler in places such as Thailand and Vietnam.

Here at Direct Travel, we recommend following this list if you do plan on using mopeds or quad bikes:

• A full photo license and the paper counterpart
• Insurance that covers hazardous activity *
• Have good mechanical know to review the vehicle before using it

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."