Last night I sat as a passenger during the drive from the centre of Chiang Mai to Mae Rim, some 22 kms away. During that time I counted 28 motorbikes with no rear lights - car drivers need to have pretty good eyesight and be fully alert because on unlit roads the bikes seem to appear out of nowhere.

 

How hard can it be for the police to check the rear light of these bikes when they pull them over and check everything else, at any of the myriad of checkpoints that exists, even fine the driver an extra 300 baht as an incentive to get them to fix the light. And how hard can it be for the manufacturers to instal a cut-out/override/warning light or some form of simple technology to alert the driver when the bike is started, something like an annoying buzzer that can't be easily bypassed?

 

Maybe one day somebody will join up the dots and understand that making such checks will reduce the road traffic death toll, or there again, maybe somebody won't!

Another reason that a dash cam is almost mandatory while driving here

 

You hit one of these idiots without rear lights and you are automatically going to be at fault, since they will claim that the lights were on but your hitting them extinguished them

 

I try and limit my night time driving because of this problem 

How many motorbikes were coming towards you with headlights blazing and on the wrong side of the road? More reasons why we rarely go out in a car in the dark, but we are also miserable old farts.

 

If I was ever victim... I'd surely be seeing red about it

5 minutes ago, Thailand said:

How many motorbikes were coming towards you with headlights blazing and on the wrong side of the road? More reasons why we rarely go out in a car in the dark, but we are also miserable old farts.

At least a driver can see the motorbike with headlights and has a chance to act, a motorbike in the dead of night that suddenly appears when you're travelling 90+ stand hardly no chance.  

Since the OP does not mention confirming that the front lights were on, perhaps all the lights worked but just needed to be turned on, a common omission in the early evening.

 

Anyway must have been a great ride to Mae Rim counting like that.  What else did you count Simon and what do you count in daylinght?

 

counting sheep is a great nighttime pasttime?

 

besides - this one is blocking the light

 

 

Why do the police not check the lights of every motosai that gets pulled over at check points? Surely that is not too difficult for them to do! And where I live there are numerous old folk wearing dark clothes & riding bicycles at night and of course they have no lights, why you ask, because as a non motorised vehicle it is not mandatory! 

10 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Since the OP does not mention confirming that the front lights were on, perhaps all the lights worked but just needed to be turned on, a common omission in the early evening.

 

Anyway must have been a great ride to Mae Rim counting like that.  What else did you count Simon and what do you count in daylinght?

Have you ever ridden a motorbike here ? I guess not because lights are on all the time. I drive both a car and bike in BKK thankfully I don't see as many as the OP but enough. But they are really dangerous. Just laziness because the price of a tail light is almost nothing. 

3 minutes ago, robblok said:

lights are on all the time

No they are not.

 

Are you suggesting that all motorcycles are built so that the lights turn on automatically when the engine is running?  For a fact the older ones are not that way.

 

Oh yes, I have ridden motorcycles here, about 40,000 kilometers.

1 minute ago, Dante99 said:

No they are not.

 

Are you suggesting that all motorcycles are built so that the lights turn on automatically when the engine is running?  For a fact the older ones are not that way.

 

Oh yes, I have ridden motorcycles here, about 40,000 kilometers.

Maybe the real old ones but anything younger then 10 years here in Thailand has its lights switched on automatically. 

 

 

29 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

Since the OP does not mention confirming that the front lights were on, perhaps all the lights worked but just needed to be turned on, a common omission in the early evening.

 

Anyway must have been a great ride to Mae Rim counting like that.  What else did you count Simon and what do you count in daylinght?

I count trolls in this thread and so far, counting you, we're up to one!

7 minutes ago, robblok said:

Maybe the real old ones but anything younger then 10 years here in Thailand has its lights switched on automatically. 

 

 

I don't know if the lights come on automatically or not. What I do know is that every time I see a bike with no tail light showing the headlight is nearly always on, I very rarely see a bike with no lights on whatsoever during the hours of darkness, unless of course it's Dante and I just figure that's par for the course!

 

they don't need lights, as they (think) can escape from everything  

I have a Thai friend of many years who has his own Motorbike repair shop and every time a Bike comes in for repair he fits a new rear lamp bulb, as they are almost always blown once the Bikes are more than year old or so mainly due to vibration.   Up until two years ago when he presented the bill for his work many customers told him to take out the bulb as they didn't want to pay an extra 10 Baht for it.   I suggested he continued to fit new bulbs in the name of common sense and safety and hide the cost in his bill within the cost of other new parts, which he now does and nobody complains as they think they are getting it free.

 

This is the mindset you are up against in Thailand; they think that saving 10 Baht is far more important than people's lives...including their own and only enforcement will change that mindset.   However; there is no will from the Authorities to change things and they only ever do what they do best....TALK !!

Bottom line regarding the increasing number of Thais on motorbikes without a rear red bulb light.  They are Thai and by nature they are without common sense or concern for their own safety and the safety of others.  It ain't gonna change folks so be vigilant around these types.

2 hours ago, Dante99 said:

No they are not.

 

Are you suggesting that all motorcycles are built so that the lights turn on automatically when the engine is running?  For a fact the older ones are not that way.

 

Oh yes, I have ridden motorcycles here, about 40,000 kilometers.

Mine are on all the time.

2 hours ago, tifino said:

 

counting sheep is a great nighttime pasttime?

 

besides - this one is blocking the light

 

 

It's to stop blinding other road users coming in the opposite direction, it's called sheep dip.

As stated i believe all automatic bike seem to have there lights come on automatically as soon as you turn on the key

Mine does a 2016 Honda

 

That was a good idea to have replaced regularly

I will purchase a globes few soon

Plus to incorporate in the Bill too

Yes to just save 10 baht when they spend more on alcahol

IMHO

 

3 hours ago, brommers said:

old folk wearing dark clothes & riding bicycles at night and of course they have no lights

Try a young guy riding his bike in the middle of the road ( rural ) at night wearing dark clothes and no lights. Too stupid to move to the side of the road when I approached at 90 kph. Only still alive because I had a fast reaction.

3 hours ago, robblok said:

Maybe the real old ones but anything younger then 10 years here in Thailand has its lights switched on automatically. 

 

 

More than 10 years actually. Lights come on when you switch the bike on.

It is a safety measure bike manufacturers adopted to make the bikes more visible. And it works.

On the highway I go a step further and use the main beam during daylight. It is something that safety instructors recommend .

Manufacturers are adding more safety measures to smaller bikes also, such as not being able to start the bike if the side stand is down.

If only they could make people drive more sensibly.....

I count trolls in this thread and so far, counting you, we're up to one!

Why do you say a troll? because you disagreed with what he said?

I used to have a bike in the UK that needed the lights manually turned on. My honda 2017 here lights are on all the time.

Guys are also forgetting that people can have broken rear lights. I've seen that a few times.

I also see many bicycles without lights, the good news is as no lights is not unusual Thais will be looking out for it. Maybe falang won't be

Firstly my bike lights are always on, so no buzzer needed.

Getting vehicle lights working is well down the list, and actually as the objective is collecting money, the police aren't going to go through a list. They seem to focus on one thing at a time.

Years ago I was told Thais don't like those red lights on in the rear, be it motorcycle or car. Reason given was the red light attracts ghosts. Lack of red lights might make more ghosts, I would think

50 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why do you say a troll? because you disagreed with what he said?

I used to have a bike in the UK that needed the lights manually turned on. My honda 2017 here lights are on all the time.

Guys are also forgetting that people can have broken rear lights. I've seen that a few times.

I also see many bicycles without lights, the good news is as no lights is not unusual Thais will be looking out for it. Maybe falang won't be

No, just because he's a troll, of long standing.

What about the inspection stations that check the bikes every year at tax time? There's no way they're doing their job either. My public enemy number 1 is the loud muffler gang. That should be instant impound in my opinion. 

Don't get me started!

7 hours ago, Dante99 said:

Since the OP does not mention confirming that the front lights were on, perhaps all the lights worked but just needed to be turned on, a common omission in the early evening.

 

Anyway must have been a great ride to Mae Rim counting like that.  What else did you count Simon and what do you count in daylinght?

Eddie Stobart lorries!

And for a few extra baht you could replace the brake light to an LED equivalent.  They last a heck of a lot longer and aren't as prone to vibration damage.

 

No let's not start on about the full shopping basket obscuring the headlight....

6 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

I have a Thai friend of many years who has his own Motorbike repair shop and every time a Bike comes in for repair he fits a new rear lamp bulb, as they are almost always blown once the Bikes are more than year old or so mainly due to vibration.   Up until two years ago when he presented the bill for his work many customers told him to take out the bulb as they didn't want to pay an extra 10 Baht for it.   I suggested he continued to fit new bulbs in the name of common sense and safety and hide the cost in his bill within the cost of other new parts, which he now does and nobody complains as they think they are getting it free.

 

This is the mindset you are up against in Thailand; they think that saving 10 Baht is far more important than people's lives...including their own and only enforcement will change that mindset.   However; there is no will from the Authorities to change things and they only ever do what they do best....TALK !!

If a motorbike rear light goes out while it is being ridden in the dark, how is the rider going to know? The same applies to cars.

I do believe that the vast majority of riders that the op mentions know fine well they have no rear light.