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| Scene Of Quad Accident In Ibiza. |
I have always maintained that a person would need to have a death wish, to hire a bike in Ibiza. During the busy tourist season, the Ibiza roads are overcrowded with inexperienced drivers, many using left hand drive vehicles for the first time. There is constant 24 hour traffic on the dangerous Ibiza roads, as speeding Taxi's and Coaches rush to collect fares from the Airport, Bars and Clubs. On top of that, there is the driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, by the most high risk group of drivers on the road, young males. The roads in Ibiza are very unpredictable, especially for a novice or driver encountering them for the first time. Blind bends, sharp corners, dirt roads,concealed entrances and hazardous conditions, make the small Island roads treacherous in places.
This season has been a bad one for deaths on Ibiza roads. Only this week a 47 year old British woman died in tragic circumstances. She was a pillion passenger on a Quad bike driven by her 21 year old son Danny. He was a normal young man with his life in front of him and enjoying a happy, carefree holiday in Ibiza with his family. He took a corner too fast and crashed into a wall. His Mother received a serious head injury when she fell from the bike. She lost her fight for life early yesterday morning in an Ibiza intensive care unit. Danny had been charged with dangerous driving and not having a full licence as he hired the bike with a provisional licence, an illegal act in Ibiza. He now faces a manslaughter charge for the death of his mother. Its a horrible, gut wrenching and terribly sad affair that Danny will have to face alone, as he deals with the consequences of an accident that will live with him for the rest of his life.
The death of Lisa Darlington brings to eleven, the number of people killed on Ibiza roads this year. More than half of the deaths were motorcyclists. Nine were Spanish, one French national and one British woman, the majority were young male drivers.There are also a number of other people seriously injured and who were very lucky to walk away from accidents. Quad Bikes were involved in six accidents this year. While they may look safer than a two wheel motor bike, they are in fact a lot more dangerous on the open roads. They are designed for off road terrain, farms and flat surfaces. They have a habit of overturning due to an easily displaced centre of gravity and they have claimed the deaths of many riders across the World. Driving Quads on the open roads of Ibiza is a highly dangerous activity which should be avoided at all costs. Bikes and scooters follow closely behind and my advice to tourists intending on hiring transport in Ibiza, is to be aware of the roads at all times, do not drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol and hire a car instead. It is a lot safer to ride Bikes and Scooters outside of the busy tourist season from May to October.