got back from piskopiano also last week and heard of another couple a young irish lad and his girlfriend,he was killed and his girlfriend lost an arm running into the back of a lorry.

Most people don't realise that hiring a Moped or similar will invalidate their holiday medical insurance.

I was in Piskopiano in August and was talking about the proliferation of Quad bikes, i used to be a rep in Greece so have seen first hand the dangers of mopeds, but the Quads are so much more dangerous.

Every few minutes the peace is broken by the roaring noise from the bikes as they go speeding along the road, usually driven by shaven headed, bare skinned 'lads'. I am sure they look good fun and can understand the appeal but the roads are narrow and they don't know how to drive them and i am no mechanic but i can see that these machines have not been maintained well. All in all a recipie for disaster.

The locals were telling me about an accident that happenned while we were there, a quad ran in the back of a bus in Hersonisos and was killed. i asked if this happenned often and was told 'yes'. i asked why the authorites didn't do something about it, the riders don't even wear helmets. They beleived the authorities simply don't want any negative publicity the concerns tourism. Very, very short sighted, but that is typical of Greek attitudes, they turn a blind eye to 'problems' particuarly if they or their friends are making money from it until it becomes an uncontrollable monster. Such as the excessive drinking and behaviour of tourists (particuarly British) in places like Malia and Hersonisos, they don't like the publicity it has attracted in the world press but it is proving almost impossible to control. Greece has more rapes than anywhere else in Europe, as reported in the Observer http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,882377,00.html[/url]

I love Greece but I do wish the tourist authorities would get a grip.

one more thing i want to add. those particular bikes are as far as i know illigal to be on main roads out of city and village limits. yes most people drive them around without being carefull and regarding the police checks those might not take place in Malia Hersonisos but they do a lot in Ag Nik and Ierapetra as its a really good method for local authorities to get some more income

First and foremost you would have to be qualified to hire and use the vehicle which many tourists are not and seldom is it that proof of competence (a licence) is requested at the time of hiring! Secondly and most importantly unless you have separate insurance your bog standard holiday insurance would be void in the event of an accident! As a result you could be liable for huge hospital bills and the other party which could be millions!

As a result of the condition of the roads, the ability of local drivers/road users, the wide variety of different nationals on the roads and the unqualified tourists on mopeds, trikes scooters and motor cycles one would have to be a raving lunatic to even consider hiring a 2 wheel motorised mode of transport!

It just aint worth it!

I'm pretty sure there'll be plenty of these bloody loonies flying everywhere when I go to Crete next June.I've been travelling to crete now for the last 20 years on a regular basis sometimes twice a year and I doubt if there's been one year I've been there that somebody hasn't been killed greek and english and I doubt if the authorities will ever do anything about it.I usually stop just outside Malia and it's a nightmare with bikes and drunks why nobody want's to get to grips with it is beyond me.
Rick.

I was in Crete when that accident happened. I saw the scene of it as I was returning to the airport. It sent shivers down my back.

Julie

I worked as a rep in Crete, and my worst day there was telling 5 eighteen year old lads their mate who had ridden into a truck within 3 hours of arriving in resort hadn't made it.

I saw so many accidents, you'd never ever catch me on one of those poorly maintained deathtraps

Simple solution: DON'T

But they will, and many of em!

yep they sure will and many of them will be seriously hurt or even dead from it just like this year and every other

how old do you have to be to consume alcohol in Crete, how old to drive a Quad/Moped?

how old to buy cigarettes, and has anyon heard of the Cleopatra Studios & Apartments?? cheers people !!!

officially 17-18 to drink. most bar and clubs give you drinks without asking anything.
Driving is like elsewhere 18 (unless you are Greek and at 16 you got driving licence for a 50cc bike). Please please please do not drive a Quad. we had to many accident last year with people killed like flies or having really bad accidents. They are not stable in turns, easy to get off the road, illegal if driving out of city or village limits and personally i consider them death traps. go for a bike. much safer and easier to drive
cigarets easy as taking a candy from a baby
dont know the accommodation you mentioned but i have heard its name lots of times

Hi Nath,

I suggest you look at the Quad/Moped link/thread on page 2 of the Board, it has 19 responses arguing against the use of 2 wheeled vehicles!

If you are having to ask about qualifications to ride quads/mopeds then you should not even consider hiring one:

1. First and foremost you must be qualified.
2. If you are not qualified you cannot hire one by law, although some providers may ignore this fact.
3. Your bog standard holiday insurance will not cover you for hospital bills or bills of other 3rd parties involved.
4. Your insurance taken out at the time of hire covers the vehicle (quad, scooter, moped, motor cycle etc) and not you or another party, although some providers may convince you it does.

It is sheer lunacy and negligence on your part to hire any such vehicle if you cannot meet the above criterea as the chances are that you are not experienced enough to ride a quad, moped, scooter or motor cycle on a flat open field let alone on unfamiliar roads where you become nothing more than a serious hazard to pedestrians and other road users with a very good chance of causing death!

In the event of an accident leaving you with an injury, however minor or, you being considered culpable for the injury to another or, culpable for the damage to another vehicle you could end up in debt to the tune of 100,000.00 Euro or more and your holiday insurer and supposed "hire insurer" suddenly stamps the word VOID on any claim!

I have a suspicion because of your questions:1 - "How old do you have to be to consume alcohol"? 2 - "How old to drive a Quad/Moped"? 3 - "How old to buy cigarettes"? That you will totally ignore any advice given!

Presumably your parents are accompanying you on this holiday (assumption based on your 3 questions), I would be surprised, no, astounded if they were content for you to hire a lethal weapon like a quad, scooter, moped or motor cycle!

If you are a parent and asking on behalf of a child then please do take a reality pill!

Go on, do us and yourself a favour ......................... use the local bus service or get a Taxi!

have added to original topic

wizard

Just wanted to say well said Craven, I have seen the damage these things cause and it ain't pretty, but of course everyone thinks it won't happen to them....

Try telling that to the 5 lads I was talking about further up the thread, who, once the hire guy realised their mate was dead started threatening them to cover the cost of his wrecked moped because, despite what he had told them, it wasn't actually insured.

My role involved keeping this guy busy while we smuggled (literally under blankets) these 5 guys out of resort. I was never paid enough to be that scared.......

Having read this thread I can only say.

DON'T do it. It is just too dangerous.

This comes from seeing what happens and talking to reps in resort. The helmets they issue you with, well, you would be better of going to Toys 'R' Us and buying a Bob the Builder hat for 99p.

If you value your life dont do it. If you must do it you must wear a crash helmit. Police stop you if you dont... Quad bikes are equally as dangerous, a friend lost control and it went over a cliff, needless to say he came off the worse, bad breaks etc. many months in physio... could have been much worse. Is it worth it? Just be extremely careful.

Well said Craven

If you are having to ask about qualifications to ride quads/mopeds then you should not even consider hiring one

I've been on motorbikes for over 20 years and what I've seen in Crete over the past 10 years is nothing short of horrifying
A lot of bikes are in poor condition and the mopeds are worse. The insurance isn't worth the paper it's written on. The road surfaces seem to repel tyre rubber. I have also seen what happens to other holiday makers, one who lost toes because he was wearing flip-flops. Thank God, I have not seen deaths.
Now this is where I'm going to contradict myself
I have hired bikes in Crete but nothing smaller than a 650.
I was thrown out of a hire shop after rejecting 3 bikes one of which had no front brake.
In another shop I was told "helmet is only for womans"
On the main road to Heraklion I was over taken by a police man on his bike but he was the one with no helmet
There is nothing more pleasant than a ride over the mountains, through Lasithi, to the south of the island if you know what you are doing.

Enjoy Crete, we do.
Patrick