kwilco

24 hours? Where did you get that? Still no answer though.

seems that no-one can answer the OP.

It is a reply to the quoted post.

so you are saying we shouldn't do this holiday?

China's investments in Laos are not that wonderful. THe eco-damage is phenomenal and the economic n=benefits largely favour China over anything for Laos. THey have destroyed the ecology of Mekong with their dams THe railway actually does little for the Laos economy - it isn't even very near to most of the towns - it isn't used by the people - they can't afford it. The reason for the railway is so that China can ship goods out of Westen China into markets in the West without having to go round via ports on their east coast. THey are particularly interested in deep water ports in Burma and the Andaman coast. To do this they tie up Laos and other countries into debts for these facilities that they can't possibly repay thus giving China even more sway over the country in the years to come. China basically is trying to get all of South East Asia in their debt by dangling these "prestigious" civil engineering projects in front of politicians who are all too eager to boost their own reputation and popularity regardless of the massive downside further down the road - by which time They probably won't be in office, Britain and France used railways as a tool of colonisation in the 19th Century, China is doing the same now. Interestingly Thailand refused railways from both France and Britain then - but maybe the current crop of politicians haven't learned from history.

Why are the renters murderous?

Well that's why I want to so to a place where e can see the bikes and talk to the owner/manger - I want to find something suitable for a wide range of ages and abilities but prob ably more than a "granny tour"

they appear to be mostly motorcycle tours - I meant pedal bicycle.

Anyone know where a cycle tour office is in Chiang Mai?. Need to organise a walk in tour for a small mixed sge group.

What on earth are you on about...this is a discussion about road safety and a Swedish woman involved in a crash. You seem to be content to display your advanced age, lack of critical thinking ability and lack of knowledge of UK broadcasting

Sometimes a wonder what goes on in someone's head here...they clearly don't understand the very serious and valid observation the sketch is making about the critical thinking process. By missing the point you seem to be engaging in the very same flat earth thinking of Brexiteers.

second best - at that is not good enough for saving lives. there are 5Es of road safety - E for emergency is one of them - unfortunately Thai lags behind in this field and those working in it are the last propeo to get a true picture from they are constantly involved and totally prone to cong=firmmation bias. People get the wrong idea when they think asking somoene involved in something this is going to give a level headed unbiased opinion. This istuation is beautifully explained in this Mitchell and Webb Train crash sketch -

that's whole point - you can't!

Many insurance companies wi=on't cover you for longer periods - evenif toyu have year-long insurance.

I'm afraid he does - to get a full picture of what is happening on the roads in Thailand we need a comprehensive set of statistics - hearsay and personal anecdote is not enough. In fact it is misleading and clouds a proper understanding. THailand is notoriously bad at compiling crash statistics and it is one of the 5 main reasons that road safety is so bad in the kingdom. If you want to know what comprehensive stats look like, then I suggestion you take a look at te united kingdom gover=nment statistics web site - they are full open to the public....

I too have been riding for over 50 years – I used to sell motorbikes and worked for a racing team for a short while. For 20 years I’ve ridden bikes in Thailand when my car was off the road and I had a KTM Duke on Samui. I think personal and anecdotal possibly apocryphal stories of friends of friends are not helpful. Let’s face it most of the people renting M/Cs in Thailand are rank amateurs and probably now riding illegally If you are going to rent a motorcycle in Thailand you should be a competent road user – most “experienced” motorcyclists are just people who have been riding o=for a while and picked up bad habits. If you can’t read the road – especially the surface – as second nature then you have no business being on a bike anywhere in the world – but Thailand is most likely to show up your short comings. About 75% of ALL road deaths in Thailand are people on 2-wheeled vehicles. (In a 4-wheeled vehicle, you are statistically safer than you are on the roads of the USA). This girl was a passenger – but she made a choice to go on the bike. “huge numbers of foreigners leave Thailand in a wooden box” – not really the numbers are almost impossible to find out – but there is a significant number who get killed – There are 3 categories of injury in road incidents = fatal, serious and minor the big numbers are those who in the latter two categories of injury. Anyone visiting a hospital on Samui will find A&E full of westerners getting treatment or dressings changed, in the wards there are always a few who require hospitalisation. Getting the precise figures is something the Thai authorities are not keen to do. “Wear the best helmet you can afford” – head injuries account for about 37% of deaths and helmets prevent this to a point – nothing to do with size of bike or speed – even if you fall off whilst stationary, you can crack your skull. helmets are effective in reducing head injuries to motorcyclists who crash by 72%. The helmets supplied by rental companies are mostly inadequate – so what do you do? Buy one??? Most people don’t realise that if you just drop you helmet on the floor, it should be replaced as the structural integrity will have been damaged. So I guess just try and get the best helmet they’ve got and hope for the best. However most injuries are arms legs feet and ribs – it is feet that get the worst. Why – because people don’t wear protective clothing. You’re in paradise so it’s tempting to wear “singlet, speedos and thongs” (translate from Aussie if you want) but they are likely to be the ones to put you in hospital. Samui sunburn/tattoo or road rash – these injuries will put a spoiler on your holiday and the worst of all is the damage caused by unprotected feet – some will never walk properly or run again “And drive like a grandmother.” – no DON’T – drive like an athlete – concentrate and hone your reactions – drive too slowly and be prepared to be rear-ended. Many people are not aware that the number of collisions on Thailand’s roads is not much different from countries like UK, Netherlands etc – howver one you HAVE a collision or lose control then your chances of injury and death are MUCH (12 times) higher. Why – because of road and vehicle design and sadly because Thailand is still in the dark ages when in comes to emergency service – first responders and A&E departments vary so much in quality and response times, it’s like a lottery – so often after a crash in Thailand that Golden Hour ship has sailed without you. To rent a bike in Thailand you need a FULL bike licence – there is no such thing as a “moped” in Thailand – there are new laws governing larger bikes – over 400 cc. you also need an IDP to cover you home licence – it is only valid as long as you licence – up to 3 years. The category is on the IDP is “A” other categories are not valid in Thailand Insurance – all TAXED M/Cs in Thailand have emergency cover included After that you re one you own – damage to the vehicle and third parties you find yourself liable for. As an expat are vulnerable too; you will be able to get full insurance for your bike and you maybe even on other machines – you’ll have to shop around. Your travel insurance – as a visitor to Thailand you should have some travel insurance – it appears that the woman in the OP had lets hers lapse. When you insure check a few things Length of cover – even with a “year’s” insurance you may be limited to trips of 30 days each. What are you covered for? I know of some companies that exclude the use of motorcycles I also know of a company that limits their customers to 125 cc engine size (many newer rental bikes are now 150 cc – so watch out for that) They ALL require the correct driving licence – e.g full M/C Expats – did you realise that after 3 months most Thai companies insist you have a Thai driving licence? How much cover do you really have? I would make sure there is a re-patriate facility – this is hugely costly. As mentioned above the treatment you get and how quickly can hugely affect your chances of recovery and how full that recovery will be – any prefer to have to option of being treated at home - The thing is Thai hospitals are only so good and you may realise that if seriously injured you need to be treated at home and have your home country’s full recovery service – that could be for years – Thai hospitals range from incompetent to downright expensive (especially if they think you have insurance) Without insurance their attitude will change dramatically – you may even be left to waste away. I once ended up in a ward on Samui because I had worked there, they gave me 25% discount , they wanted me to stay for up to 7 nights. I stayed for 2 – the bill including ambulance medication etc was just over 60000 baht PS - You can also make sure you r home insurance includes “excess” cover to avoid those bills on the vehicle – this applies mostly to 4-wheeled rentals. Thousands of people visit Thailand and rent a motorcycle – have a huge amount of pleasure driving around and it males their holiday – but they seem blithely unaware of what’s at stake for the unfortunate few – not just a spoiled holiday but the very real possibility of life changing injuries or worse, a death in the family It is unclear how remiss the Swedish woman was and although one wishes her all the best and a speedy recovery, this is yet another story in a litany of stories that highlights the serious perils of renting a motorcycle in Thailand.

No it isn't - it is one of the highest for road deaths THere are no reliable figures for Samui, and definitely no figures for "foriegners" or "tourisrts" which are two overlapping groups.

No it isn't - it is one of the highest for road deaths per 100 k of pop. THere are no reliable figures for Samui, and definitely no figures for "foreigners" or "tourists" which are two overlapping groups.

this is incorrect the police checked out the story and found it wasn't a scam.

My posts are clear - you head isn't

I can enter Thailand on a visa-less stamp for 10 days - leave the country and then come back and stay up to 60 days.

"public nuisance"? - So that's what they are calling the invasion of Ukraine now?

I think it's a lot more nuanced than you suspect - what trade will Thailand do with Russia and at what expense to their international standing - if they continue on this path, they might incur sanctions from th West and lose a lot of western tourists who still make up a sizeable portion of the tourist economy. One may also find that Russiam=n tourist are no =t as reliable as they'd hoped. But it isn't just tourism, it's trade - Thailand relies heavily on international exports of electronics, machinery, and auto industry markets in the west

I think the new government's relationship with the west will suffer as a result of the visit by this disgusting man. It isn't helped by encouraging Russians to stay longer here either. On top of this they are going to render themselves extremely unpopular with other expats - do they have no empathy?? One wonders what they hope to gain from this shift in alignment.

I've said some time ago that on Samui, the authorities need to look at the activities of the gyms and their owners. Mostly ex servicemen, they come from a lifestyle of fitness and firearms and continue this on Samui through gyms and dubiously obtained visas and work permits.