kwilco

Unless you ride a recumbent?

That is simply not true...it is usually Head and hands

Most accidents happen within 5 km from home. The length of your journey has nothing to do with it and even speed is only a part of it. You can come off a stationary bike and die. You just can't imagine the possibilities and of course that's when crashes happen.

As I said there is no reliable information... there is no reason to suppose they know any more than you do.

Well how about your "responsibilities" to your fellow man....don't see much of that in your posts.

The main chronic injuries in Thailand are to feet...... flip-flops just don't hack it as M/C footwear.

I don't see the point in going over what this guy has done wrong....apart from stating the obvious and making some contributors very smug. Can anyone give a reason for their criticisms other than gratuitous virtue signalling?

I'm more perplexed that you are perplexed.

The cost is relative, but those claims you refer to don't involve injuries, minor, serious or fatal.....these are the ones that would register as statistics anywhere including Thailand. Remember, Thailand has the sane number of crashes as the UK.

So what are you saying should happen now?

It is the lack of speed that reduces the impact of collisions. Helmets only protect glancing blows but that can be enough to save a life. If you disregard sped, it is the drop from sitting on a bike to road height that can cause the most damage. Imagine standing up and just falling flat on you face with any protection.

Which would be the same anywhere

The normal procedure in the event of any RTI is thatsomeone involved the very first thing they do install the insurance company. This is done even before police and ambulance. Of other parties are not insured they are likely to have the insurance company on there backs to pay anything they owe. This has registered the accident. If all parties Gree that no claims will be made then this may not register.....but this is the same in any country. Why would those involved not claim...whether vehicle damage or healthcare you still have to pay.

Take a look at the hospitals on Samui...all foreigners....thousands of them....many claiming on travel insurance....which comes back to the OP.

But that is the same everywhere...if there is no death, injury or claim then the stats aren't picked up. I do have a list of organisations that compile R/S stats in Thailand but as I'm in a car, I can't access it. For meaningful stats to be compiled you need a wide range of sources. Stats are not just numbers they are collected, collated and analysed. There is a paper in the WHO library that explains how they compile comparative statistics for their Global reports. It's worth reading to get a picture of how Thailand falls way below international standards on this. However anecdotal evidence from one doctor is very shake ground to make any significant conclusions.

Then all his patients will appear as statistics one way or another.

Bangkok has one of the lowest road death rates in Thailand.

"Vulnerable Road users account for 80% of deaths on Thai roads. Motorcyclists account for 73% of deaths on Thai roads. Vulnerable road users (VRU) are road users not in a car, bus or truck, generally considered to include pedestrians, motorcycle riders, cyclists, children 7-years and under, the elderly and users of mobility devices. In the event of a crash, VRUs have little to no protection from crash forces.

Reporting of accidents with death, or injury etc are stats compiled by hospitals and insurance companies, the rate of reporting is very similar in most countries. The police are not the main source of motoring stats in Thailand. However if someone ends up dead or in hospital or has a claim or damages, against them, the accident will be reported.

Yes anyone involved. The initial error could be caused by another driver, yet the alcohol in the " innocent" driver who may have been driving quite correctly, might have caused a delayed reaction. Apportioning blame is not really part of road safety...it is to do with insurance claims mostly and then legal actions.

Motorcyclists are part of a group of road users referred to as "vulnerable". In Thailand they account for 80% of ALL deaths... motorcyclists account for about 73% of all deaths. Only a fraction of this is head injuries preventable by helmets. Although it is still a significant amount. What don't you understand?

This comparison is very complex and not very relevant. In Thailand 50% of vehicles on the roads are 2 wheelers. Big bikes are a relative rarity. ( for a long time they were illegal to own or even manufacture) In America, riders are four times more likely to get injured. Although motorcycles only make up 3% of the registered vehicles in the U.S., they contribute 14% of all traffic fatalities....but the ratio of 2 wheelers to cars is totally different from Thailand and so is the nature of their usage, mileage etc. Thailand actually has more motorcycles than Vietnam, the difference is that in Thailand, this is accompanied by a much larger 4 wheel vehicle ownership than in V/N, a very unhealthy combination.

Random breath testing is illegal in many countries but they still manage the lowest DUI rates.... in the UK the police can stop you at any time and ask you to take a breath test ('breathalyse' you) ONLY if: they think you've been drinking. you've committed a traffic offence. you've been involved in a road traffic accident. So they must have a reason.

30 % of accidents in the US involve alcohol. ( be careful how you read that!). In Thailand it is about the same. Countries with best records are getting down below 20%. But oddly enough stats like "alcohol" " speeding" etc don't change a lot in percentages. I haven't looked at the US figures for couple of years but in Europe there have been some alarming rises. A lot of this is difficult to assess at present due to the effects of Covid over nearly 3 years. One of the major factors that is being investigated is the rise in phone, digital and media usage in 4 wheeled vehicles in particular. Most countries, hand held is illegal, but it has been shown that even hands free can distract drivers and consuderablt interfer with reaction times. Then there is all the other digital displays available in modern vehicles.This is probably the area that is of most concern to road safety workers. To understand this, you need to realise that speed, drink and reckless driving are not in themselves the main causes of crashes.... it is in fact human error that is the main factor .... this refers to daily minor slips that all drivers make every day... and they result in up to 93% of crashes.

I'm in a car on a phone on a chat site .... I assume people can work out the vagaries of predictive text for themselves.