andreandre

The simplest answer to any question about the difference in Thai behaviour to ours is because they are stupid, and as you can see, a few simpletons have already made an appearance, making exactly that comment. Nothing new there.

How many years is it since road safety campaigns started in the west? My guess is 50 or more. Why did the respective governments introduce these campaigns? Because everyone was stupid, right? They were introduced because, like people the world over, most westerners had a 'it won't happen to me' attitude. Thais have the same attitude and just like Westerners back then, they have their superstitions/religious beliefs to protect them. Does anyone remember St. christopher, or lucky rabbit's feet?

Whereas we have had the benefit of 50 years of road safety campaigns I would say that the very few road safety campaigns here started only a few years ago. Consequently, Thais have the same attitude to road safety now, as we did before the campaigns. And despite the constant reminders of road safety back home, plenty of people living here, when given the chance, choose to ignore those words of advice and drive without helmets or seat-belts and possibly broken lights.

How many people back home would not wear a seatbelt or helmet if they knew for sure that they could get away with it, or if they hadn't had 50 years of constant reminders of the dangers? Plenty, possibly most, I would say. Most Westerners views on road safety have been shaped by the 50 years of reminders and it would be fair to assume that in the absence of those reminders we would probably be acting no differently to present-day Thais. If we were all so clever and so worried about dying, especially without the benefit of believing in rebirth, we should have always been so safety-minded and wouldn't have needed a government to spell out the dangers in the first place!

So, I hate to dissapoint so many people but it may well be that Thais are not as stupid as you think. They are at a different stage of development and are on average less educated or informed as we are on these matters but that is not the same as being stupid.

I will give some advice to those that live here and spend most of their days getting angry and frustrated because the locals don't do things the way that you do, and I know there are plenty of them on this forum. It's not that difficult really, and I still do it occasionally, even after all these years. Are you ready? Are you sitting comfortably?

Here is my advice, my theory, what I made up, what I figured out, by myself, just me, and no-one else. ........

If you don't understand why someone is behaving differently to how you would behave, then instead of jumping to the conclusion that they must be stupid, consider first that it may just be that they are different. If you discount the 'stupid' theory completely and look for an alternative explanation, the likelihood of you understanding people is greatly enhanced. The likelihood of you realising that they are not much different to anyone else in the world is also increased.

After a while of using this technique you'll soon discover that life is a lot less stressful, that you understand people a bit better and before you know it, you'll find that you no longer start sentences with the words "these people ..... " or say that Thais are Pathetic, stupid, idiotic, crazy, mind-blowing, empty-headed, miscreants,. All of which popped up in this topic. You may even find yourself not needing to go onto forums to ask daft questions!

One more thing..... Comparing them to chickens and deer doesn't help.

Got to agree with you on this one 100%

Teaching novices to always cover the brake lever sure is wrong. An emergency stop is a really dangerous thing to do in traffic. And it usually does not start with moving the fingers on the brake lever. It starts with recognising a dangerous situation and making the decision that an emergency stop is needed. While deciding to do so there usually is enough time to move your fingers on the lever and most people would do so automatically.

Wrapping the fingers around the throttle gives the rider/novice more control. Later as an experienced rider you can decide on your own what to do. And some people start doing things with a racing attitude in mind. Why not, riding bikes is for having fun. Live and let live. Just my opinion.

You crashed on your scooter recently due to a little rain in Bangkok, presumably due to not reading the conditions correctly. In that sense, I agree that you should follow the OP's advice about emergency braking as that advice if obviously aimed at novices attempting to obtain their first licence.

I seem to remember you also crashed and injured yourself recently ; definitely due to not reading the conditions correctly

As a novice yourself, i can only hope that you also practice as you speak above.

otw:

You must know Carol Jidzada,

British cycle-roadcraft instructor of repute, yes?

You both preach the same catechism.

I cannot see any preaching at all, they have just taken the time to pass on what is being taught in UK and Europe from somebody who has actually worked in the motorcycle training industry in what is an incredibly difficult, expensive and time consuming country in which to get a motorbike licence, they have then backed up reasoning by giving the justification as to why it has been taught this way for many years

It is advice, you can take it or leave it but personally I think this is useful and I will take onboard what I think may help then again I don't profess to know it all and I am always willing to listen to well thought out information especially on something that could save my life....

Be your own judge

Why not put in your own words from your own short time riding experiences your own techniques [if any] instead of constantly posting other peoples experiences on youtube vids..

^^^^^

Brake fluid is hydroscopic (fluid that absorbs water)

Actually its not hydroscopic..its hygroscopic..

Bloke down our way did 12 miles in a day, a couple of weeks back - absolute madness in my book..........

12 miles?

We ride 12 miles per day around Pattaya easily.

The track is not built to real F1 standards, so you will never get a major international race event there. Plus only mad-dogs and Englishmen would drive 5-6 hours to sit in the bleachers at a sporting event in 35-40 degree heat.

"Construction of the CIC commenced in 2013 with an FIA Grade 2 rating that would be certified for Formula 3 racing. But the circuit's owners, led by former politician Newin Chidchob, later upgraded the construction to 1T rating, meaning that it could accommodate Formula 1 testing, and recently went further to adjust the track to pass the FIA Grade 1 rating, allowing Formula 1 racing to be held. Meanwhile, it also conforms to the FIM Grade A rating for Moto GP racing. "....

Is discussing the size of the instrument of his death really appropriate under the circumstances?

Karen, the issue is terminology. The dimensions discussed are the diameter of the projectile or the interior diameter of the bore of the barrel. Caliber is an inch-based measure, while millimeter is metric. A pistol in 11mm is not a usual nomenclature, it would be more likely to be a .44 caliber or a .45 caliber--.44/.45 of an inch or 10.9mm/11.43mm.

Try wherever this guy went:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/675940-where-can-you-buy-a-good-cheap-2nd-hand-electric-tooth-brush/

Isn't that a coincidence... same OP ....but different ..wink, wink..

Rea was really on his game today...Sykes will be a little worried already IMO...Kudos To Troy Bayliss..going to fully retire now.....he did well considering all those years out of the game..

Ho hum, it appears that Richard is boring ed again...

Watching on 690 [true visions] not a bad first race.....The riders really seem to like the new track...kudos to Chang..

What lap times were they posting ?

Rea...1.34's average...

Watching on 690 [true visions] not a bad first race.....The riders really seem to like the new track...kudos to Chang..

11mm????? What a strange Caliber for a pistol, usually associated with a rifle. That Caliber went out with the Ark.

TiT...often on news reports they refer to a .45 cal as 11mm, for whatever reason.[not much difference anyway]..when you hire a gun at the range its called a .45 cal...

The official opening for the Central tunnel is to be on 6 April.

From recent pictures, I see they have painted lines on the road allowing for three lanes.

I can see a future of scores of mangled right fenders and squashed bike riders.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Phukets-first-underpass-set-open-April-6/52622#ad-image-0

It was was always going to be 3 lanes. I was hoping they would see common sense & make it 2.

Post #16..http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/688989-the-underpass-fiasco/?p=7166584

Ive noticed that an increasing number of young people are killing thesmelves in Thailand.

The western world has never been so affluent. Wages and salaries are very high ( except usa) and opportunities abound.

No young generation in world history has had it so good as this current one. .... born after 1985

Most Australian people born in the early eighties wouldnt know what a recession is.

Why are westerners killing themselves?

Being "affluent" is not the be all and end all in life...so many people these days appear to have 'everything", but in reality of life they often have very little..see my sig.

RIP young guy.

Weather wise only.....I used a mates bike [H D Dresser} one day only,i had no rain to test it, but he said it was quite good for rain protection....Worst thing for me was, as i had a full beard, was that because a negative pressure area formed behind the screen my beard was being sucked forward and covering my face and vision a lot and i had to put a couple of rubberbands and make like a ponytail with it...bloody distracting for sure. ..I also felt that a lot of extra heat from engine was sucking up into the zone behind the screen when riding...seemed that way anyway...to me it also seemed to catch a lot of wind eg when passing trucks etc went by it seemed to react more in the turbulence...just my experience.. and i guess if you don't have a beard its not a big issue...my mate swore by the screen...said it was the best thing ever for him and did as a screen should do..

If loud pipes can make clowns in their cars with their music on [and bikes at times] and texting with their brain in neutral take notice of my arrival and get their attention to be aware of me..then,i'm all for loud pipes..always have been.. a lot more effective than loud clothes.....FACT!

Suppose you will know when your chain needs adjusting? 555

Not a honda i know,but on the subject of chain check out the chain deflection on this beast....immagine how much pipe would be left on the honda

https://youtu.be/hDlGHVeH8Io

I am just wondering if it really was the rut between the hard shoulder and first lane the made me lose control of the bike.

I don't remember seeing any obstruction in front of me which would cause me to cross over that rut, so I would have no reason

to cross it. I got such a fright I can't remember. I wonder if it was something else, or maybe a fault on the bike.

I know I could not have been going over 40 Kph or I would have been seriously hurt or even killed, although 60 Kph is my fastest speed.

Not having a go at you but IMO you are a risk both to yourself and possibly others at present.....i don't know what real time riding experience you have, but reading and following your comments suggests to me that either you are not very confident to begin with,and/or you have you have frightened yourself bigtime in this incident to the point that you have lost any confidence you may have had...You come across as being very timid........You should not continue to ride any bike on these roads..you are a danger to yourself and others....Go ride somewhere where you yourself feel safe and get your confidence levels up..then maybe try again later on the roads you are not confident on...Just my opinion....

Best sunblock I know of is a good armored jacket and gloves.

David

I sweat like a in church, in the winter in Colorado. Armor is absolutely not gonna happen. Same with glove.

I come from a place where helmets aren't required. I do wear a helmet everytime I get on a bike here, but nothing else that leads to an increase in core temperature.

I come from a place where helmets aren't required.

Man you are so lucky to have lived somewhere where the choice is yours...

OP........

Running the A/C with its associated filters definitely reduces the particle circulating in the air. and moreso if fitted with a good brand of extra filter eg 3 m....if one had an airtight room [not likely in LOS i know] but it would be interesting to see how low the count got to after an extended period. Maybe to near zero i would think.

... right along with the Oxygen levels.

While it's true that we only use a small amount of O2 available in the air, in a closed environment it does run out. ( It's one reason why people don't live in hermetically sealed environments without C02 scrubbers, as in submarines and SCUBA rebreathers. ) And if O2 can get in with the air, so can particulate matter.

I'm sure that we all know about oxygen deprivation in a sealed environment....thank you for sharing your knowledge...but i was simply making a point ......

Sorry. I guess you didn't make it very well.

Guess you just chose to not take the point is more like it...

To reiterate :

Running the A/C with its associated filters definitely reduces the particle circulating in the air. and moreso if fitted with a good brand of extra filter eg 3 m....if one had an airtight room [not likely in LOS i know] but it would be interesting to see how low the count got to after an extended period. Maybe to near zero i would think.

EDIT..couldn't get much clearer than that...even though its extra smoggy now...

Running the A/C with its associated filters definitely reduces the particle circulating in the air. and moreso if fitted with a good brand of extra filter eg 3 m....if one had an airtight room [not likely in LOS i know] but it would be interesting to see how low the count got to after an extended period. Maybe to near zero i would think.

... right along with the Oxygen levels.

While it's true that we only use a small amount of O2 available in the air, in a closed environment it does run out. ( It's one reason why people don't live in hermetically sealed environments without C02 scrubbers, as in submarines and SCUBA rebreathers. ) And if O2 can get in with the air, so can particulate matter.

I'm sure that we all know about oxygen deprivation in a sealed environment....thank you for sharing your knowledge...but i was simply making a point about how good a properly filtered A/C might clean most of the particles airbound in a room. at least down to a healthy level....Thats what we are talking about here...

The chart is interesting, and I can certainly understand how a good air filter will help clear up a lot of the problems indoors. But I don't understand how there can be a 50% drop indoors without one. Air still enters the house (thank God...) And the particulate matter is measured in microns, not inches or centimeters (than God...) "Micron" is a pretty small measurement. The adult human hair 'averages' about 40 microns thick. So we're talking about particulate matter far smaller than a human hair. What is it about going indoors that would drop the percentage 50%? Air is still entering. It's still circulating. I can see a small drop as the particulates cling to surfaces, perhaps a 5%-8% drop. But no where near 50%.

Afaik, there is no significant drop in indoors as far as pm2.5 is concerned. I measured this myself last year, and I also recently read some research papers confirming the same. Possibly there is some error in the measurement procedure for the plot, as I do not understand the results either. E.g., perhaps the living room is close to the bedroom, and after a while, cleaner bedroom air seeps out into the livingroom. I know that outside my closed bedroom, where I run the air purifier at max currently, the air will be somewhat better than in the rest of the house, presumably due to the same reason.

For the larger pm10 particles, I measured a notable drop by going inside however (around 30% reduction was what I measured last year).

However, the simple fact of turning on the AC, even without any extra filters, significantly reduces the pm2.5 count by up to 50%. 3M improves the reduction, but in my measurements, by a somewhat surprisingly small margin.

The main thing to do now is to switch on the AC if you have one in my opinion.

Why does just a regular old AC help? I am not sure, but I guess any filter will catch a fair amount of the pm2.5 particles also, e.g. ref. the counts posted by vivid for the surgical mask that is not intended to catch pm2.5, but which still reduces the particle count by half (or more if I remember correctly). If so, circulating the air again and again even through a regular AC filter should remove some particles each time air passes through. As long as the even slightly cleaner air coming out of the AC flows out a rate considerably larger than the more dirty air from outside flows in at, it makes sense that air inside will be at least slightly better. I was much surprised by how much better it was however.

More recently I also measured inside our newish car, which has much better isolation (I suspect) than the house we live in. With the AC off, there was no significant difference in the pm2.5 count versus outside, while pm10 was considerably lower. After running the AC at the regular speed (lowest or second to lowest, don't remember) for 15 minutes, while driving even, pm2.5 count inside was about 1/3 of the pm2.5 count outside, so as suspected considerably better than in our leaky house. Should obviously be repeated a handful of times to be sure, but I only did this particular measurement one.

Note that most car AC's have a setting for whether to just circulate the air already inside the car, or whether to let in air from outside and cool/filter that. Obviously, the former is what one wants at this time.

Running the A/C with its associated filters definitely reduces the particle circulating in the air. and moreso if fitted with a good brand of extra filter eg 3 m....if one had an airtight room [not likely in LOS i know] but it would be interesting to see how low the count got to after an extended period. Maybe to near zero i would think.