In my case

‘We warned her not to go on a moped’

Louise Rodgers, 57, from London, had been worried about her daughter going travelling, then she got the call every mother dreads…

‘Our daughter Tarn was 18 and had been travelling for three months when her Skype call came through. “Mum, I’ve got something to tell you…” she said. My mind shot to the one thing I’d begged her not to do. “You’ve got a tattoo!” I gasped. “Well, yes,” she replied. “But I’ve also had a moped accident.” Suddenly the tattoo wasn’t so important.

Tarn is the eldest of my two children. Although her dad and I had split up when they were young, we’d brought them up together and he’d been just as worried about Tarn going travelling with a friend as I was. In particular, he’d been very clear about Tarn using a moped or motorbike on her travels through India and Thailand. The simple message was – “Don’t.” He knew about the dodgy roads and poor driving in that part of the world. He also knew that Tarn, who hadn’t even learnt to drive in Britain, could be a danger to herself and others if she took to two wheels.

Yet now, staying on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand, Tarn explained that she’d fallen off her moped on her first ride going down the hill from the hostel. “I lost control and cut both my legs,” she said, explaining that she’d ended up in a Thai clinic with doctors picking gravel out of her legs. What she didn’t admit to then, but I discovered later, was that she’d been wearing just a vest top, shorts, flip-flops, and no helmet. I knew she’d been lucky and that it could have been much worse. Over the next few days, I kept in contact, but sadly Tarn’s wounds became infected and she ended up on antibiotics. It was all such a terrible worry and I didn’t really relax until Tarn finally returned home.

Now, seven years on, Tarn has gone through university and is a writer, but her legs are still scarred. She learnt a lesson that will last her a lifetime.’

A quarter of young travellers admit to getting on a moped or quad bike without checking if their insurance covers them*.