richard_smith237

You're setting off my Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia....

Yep... thats true.. 'of insurance companies'... thought, given the option to pay into the Thai Public health care system might be a solution... Just throwing out suggestions as part of a discussion. - Every arrival pays into the 'National Health Care' - that provides them emergency cover - Nothing changes for those who want their own private Health care. Something like this has already been floated with a nominal fee of 300 baht - of course, the logistics seem tricky, but it prevents these issues. Ultimately though, its not Thailands fault if tourists can't pay for their health care, but doing so with such a scheme would put a very positive spin on tourism from the 'we look after tourists' angle.

I think the 'something in the water' conspiracy is a good one... .... I've been reading the Flat Earth, and the 30 Questions thread - and its clear to me a few people people have unwittingly consumed substances which have made them rather paranoid and stupid... In fact, I'm convinced of the 'something in the water theory' after watching the recent documentary... 'Fly me to the Moon' which exposes how a black-cat on the fake moon-landing set highlights that the moon-landings images were in fact genuine, has me convinced of the 'something in the water theory' !!!

Callous nasty remark... Agree - if Authorities 'could' get check-in staff to cross check Health Insurance information when checking in during Covid-19 times, surely they could do it now... but with more travellers that would increase the check-in times significantly. Other Options: Insurance must be provided for all Visa's (and extensions). Visa Exempt Arrivals who cannot show insurance, have to purchase insurance on arrival. - Long termers are provided an option to 'buy into' Thailands public health care (or get private insurance). - This eradicates the issue of the medical cost burden of foreigners in Thailand.

If they can't be unlocked in the UK, the 'lock' can potentially be bypassed by the factories in China that receive these stolen goods... if they can't be unlocked, they are broken down for parts.... These were likely just idiots copying the crime in New York and Paris... they were quickly and seemingly easily apprehended, probably because they were all rather stupid... The concern of course is other idiots copy-catting due to all the media attention.

And.... they're also commonly called scooters (as the google search above highlights) - the term scooter differentiates a step-through smaller motorcycle from a larger more powerful conventional motorcycle... but you knew that already... ... or if you didn't, thats an impressive rock you've been hiding under !!!

Its not actually part of the discussion though is it ???.... its just throwing insult and anyone else who discussed their interpretation and observations... You have not actually offered anything of value to the discussion - perhaps because you have nothing of value.

Seriously ??... I don't think those things are even road legal, so no insurance is going to cover them. Additionally, we'd end up with idiots taking their family in them (I've seen it in Trat - Western Family of 2 Adults, 4 Children). These things are just a bigger target for the other nutcases in pickups, trucks and cars... The solution to this issue already exists in existing regulations - Rental Shops can only rent to those with Bike Licenses. But.... the Police just do not bother with any enforcement which enables both the rental shops to illegal rent out their bikes and the unlicensed riders to illegally rent them. These 'tourist' deaths are because... 1) The Police do not do their jobs. 2) Because rental companies ignore the law due to lack of enforcement. 3) Because tourist renting ignore the law due to lack of enforcement and because the rental companies allow them to, and because they don't believe they will be the next statistic.

Indeed... I'm astonished at the extreme level of ignorance. I understand the detest for 'Big Pharma' and the profits they make, I find the whole industry corrupt. But, this is not a binary issue, there is an extreme degree of good performed by Big Pharma and the research they carry it, its a shame there are also negatives based around profits, but the net positive for the health of society on a whole is huge. The anti-vax debate is simply bonkers - those very same people who would very likely not be here without vaccines are arguing against them. I have yet to hear an argument from an Anti-Vaxxer who has never had a vaccine in their life - most likely because without vaccines, their life expectancy would be significantly reduced due to the higher risk of severe, often fatal, vaccine-preventable diseases, especially in childhood...

There was thread not so long ago where a BOLT driver had asked for more money than the App quoted for a long distance trip. BOLT, GRAB, InDrive all work (reasonably) well for local bookings - but for longer distance bookings I wouldn't want to rely on them - understandably, the driver is going to struggle to secure a return fair (compared to travelling to local destinations), thus the pricing algorithm doesn't really take care of this. Thus: Whenever wanting a 'reliable' longer distance journey without any last minute surprises, instread of trying to save a few hundred Baht, go with a secure and reliable option, or at least be prepared for the possibility of some movement on the price once your Grab / Bolt / InDrive taxi turns up.

Of courses its speculation.... Why are you even on a forum designed for discussion if you expect detailed facts as per a ICAO investigation ? There are many interesting points from various inputs, some with greater levels of experience than others, others with better observational input etc... writing everything off as rubbish is rather arrogant.

If he was British the 'Brit-Bashers' would be nursing their thorbbing-lady-boners with glee after figuring it out early on... The obvious and predicable dimwitted trolls are not here - thats enough indication !!!...

I can also see that happening... (If they can be combined of course, as with the DTP/DTaP/Tdap vaccines). I can actually understand 'some' of the reticence towards taking the Covid-19 vaccines, partially due to the speed with which they were produced which has fuelled social media conspiracy and thus fuelled concern. One of the aspects of the Covid-19 vaccines (at least the 3 different types I had), was the 'dead arm' - I've never encountered that with any other vaccines - but, it is my understand that these vaccines are designed to are designed to elicit a stronger immune response, which initially manifests itself locally, its a sign the vaccine is working - but its great fuel for the anti-Covid-vaxxers. But, that aside, there is another more worrying facet to this discussion which is not just about Anti-Covid Vaccines, but actually is about Anti-all vaccines... It is this level of delusional denial thats worrying.

Water - everyone I know who has died has drunk the stuff....

Others aren't 'expected to pay'.... others can pay voluntarily if they wish... I agree with the comments regarding lack of insurance and no helmet - but if he wasn't licensed, his insurance would have covered him anyway, in fact I think most Travel Insurance policies have a no motorcycle policy. --------- Even with full awareness, trying to dot the I's and cross the T's, I nearly got caught out last year when encountering an injury while overseas - My travel Insurance (with extra winter sports cover) paid for medical costs while overseas - I needed an operation which I opted to have in Thailand rather than while overseas. The same insurance would have covered all operation expenses while overseas (very expensive), but would not cover them one back Thailand (point of residence). Luckily, my main Heath Insurance policy covered expensive operation in Thailand - but I was not sure if it would cover 'winter sports injuries' as the policy wording was extremely vague (which is why I took out the travel insurance in the first place) My point there was that I thought I'd covered for every eventuality, but still very nearly got caught short believing travel insurance would cover me for injuries and followup treatment. --------- We have young family travelling througout Asia at the moment - I've warned them about motorcycle travel, yet I bet at some point they've been on a bike - its just young kids, its what they do - they don't see the danger. I didn't when I was young. --------- Regarding body repatriation - I get that 'some' families are spiritual / religious and want a full burial. However, at that cost I would consider local cremation and then transporting the ashes back - surely thats better all round (unless for some reason the family remain instant on a fully burial). --------- This is a tragic story all round - but young people will still do what young people do. Its difficult to get them to change. At least this is covered in all the UK media - so I hope it reaches all the social media the younger generations read and they are more aware of such risks.

I know so many people that died after consuming a cup of tea... Lethal stuff that tea !!! This is the same level of coincidence judgment in causal reasoning that you applied.

A full face helmet has a huge hole in the front - I use a bicycle lock to lock it to the handlebars if I don't want to carry it.

.... because they are simply not thought of here... the lack of mention of seat-belts perhaps highlights the underlying attitudes towards safety.... its the same when someone dies in a motorcycle accident, the most important facet contributing towards the fatality is likely the absence of a helmet, but its never mentioned. The propensity for hitting stationary objects here is quite astonishing... drifting off to sleep seems like a viable explanation - I wonder if not wearing a seat-belt was the cause of her death. I also wonder how far off the road the pickup was parked, or was it left half sticking out into the road ?

I'm pigging backing on this. Insurance is getting pricer and pricer... quotes are ranging significantly. Pacific Cross is competitively priced (as below) - I'm wondering how good Pacific Cross are to deal with when making a claim.

Absolute nutter ayhole of a foreigner. After showing so much aggression when drunk, with apparently very little to 'trigger him' this guy is clearly unhinged. I'm not usually of the 'lock-him up and & deport him' brigade, but in this case such action seems wholly fitting.

Semantics - but if you wish to go down that rabbit hole... Elephants can never truly be domesticated, they can only ever be tamed. They are closer to wild animals than to fully domesticated species. Domestication vs. Taming: Domestication refers to a process where humans selectively breed animals over generations to develop traits that make them more suited for human use or coexistence. This has not happened with elephants. Taming, on the other hand, is the process of training individual wild animals to interact safely with humans. Domesticated elephants are usually wild elephants (often Asian elephants) that have been captured or bred in captivity and trained for human purposes, like logging, tourism, or religious ceremonies.

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The driver did not ask for B5,000 as the OP clearly states, that was suggestions from online idiots. Thanks for the correction - I wonder where the 'user' got their information from that the driver demanded 5000 baht, though it appears this might just social media commentary and a made up figure.

Nothing to do with the cops, this is out in the jungle so doubt there are any around, it's the parents who are responsible Its both poor policing and poor parenting. The Police do not crack down on such issues, effectively enabling riding under age such that it becomes a cultural norm. Parents allow this because they lack the critical thought not to, and think its ok because the police do nothing.

Seriously ???... You know you can adjust the mirrors right ??? Someone at 180cm is likely to be sitting about 8-10cm higher than someone who is 160cm. Any difference from being 'further away' from the mirror is negligible. Have you ever ridden any other motorcycle before coming to Thailand ? No motorcycle mirrors give an excellent view of the rear due to width and obstruction (arms), poorer field of view, vibration etc...