Motorcycle street racing: What happens when things go wrong - four dead

[Happyman58]

6 p.m in Ubon Ratchathani  That's the time the idiots come racing down the main street. I watch in amazement and fear. It like a bloody wild west show with these idiots racing their bikes.  Just looking at this it is bloody horrific. Now for a dumb question. Where are the cops when this is going on? Surely but surely they must know this goes on and they do nothing. The situation is very sad

[starfish]

48 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

6 p.m in Ubon Ratchathani  That's the time the idiots come racing down the main street. I watch in amazement and fear. It like a bloody wild west show with these idiots racing their bikes.  Just looking at this it is bloody horrific. Now for a dumb question. Where are the cops when this is going on? Surely but surely they must know this goes on and they do nothing. The situation is very sad.

I´m very sad to hear that. No question.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2018 by starfish

[transam]

55 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

6 p.m in Ubon Ratchathani  That's the time the idiots come racing down the main street. I watch in amazement and fear. It like a bloody wild west show with these idiots racing their bikes.  Just looking at this it is bloody horrific. Now for a dumb question. Where are the cops when this is going on? Surely but surely they must know this goes on and they do nothing. The situation is very sad

Can't remember the last time I saw a cop in Ubon....

[starfish]

9 minutes ago, transam said:

Can't remember the last time I saw a cop in Ubon....

Their, and my attitude: let them kill themselves. Free speach.

 

[transam]

2 minutes ago, starfish said:

Their, and my attitude: let them kill themselves. Free speach.

 

If the LOS cops don't want to do their job, and the kids know that, then kids will carry on doing their fun thing...Over half a century ago I ended up in front of a juvenile court judge a few times  for doing my fun thing....I/we knew the risks and paid for it....Even detention...

[Sonhia]

The police should do thier job for a start!

 

Road safety, awareness and management is a joke!

 

It is no wonder Thailand has the reputation as having the most dangerous roads in the world.

 

I must not forget that I reside in paradise. All is perfect...

 

 

[Psimbo]

Natural Selection at work- so long as it doesn't affect me or those around me long may it continue.

 

People need to take responsibility for their actions, including the parents who don't care until they approach the vehicle drivers with their hands out.

[drgoon]

On 5/7/2018 at 1:32 PM, z42 said:

Sorry but there is zero sympathy from me. Night on night idiots like these endanger other people just getting on with their journey.

No helmets also, pure idiocy but quite fitting as this is probably exactly the way these sorts envision as a cool way to exit the earth

 

yep.. i'm with you on that. sometimes theres no room for compasion. 

[Cereal]

I feel for the guy in the pick up truck. His mind must be shot over the idiocy of those kids and how their stupidity has affected and will continue to affect his life.

[les Dennis]

If my son had a souped up Click with performance exhaust, big bore kit, racing tyres and dropped handlebars and was going out at midnight on it and returning in the early hours I would probably suspect hes up to no good. But hey, Im no Poirot.

When I was 15 and wanted to ride a moped at 16, my parents said fine, but before your 16th birthday you must complete a road safety motor bike course, which I did. And glad I did. Come midnight of my birthday I was out on my bike with licence, crash helmet and knowledge about the highway code. I would like to see similar courses here but i'd say that was unlikely. I'd also like to see sensible parenting like that too on young kids, again I'd be lucky.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Cereal said:

I feel for the guy in the pick up truck. His mind must be shot over the idiocy of those kids and how their stupidity has affected and will continue to affect his life.

Or he took a turn without looking properly....?

[mogandave]

Or he took a turn without looking properly....?

Apparently the pickup was turning into the pump from the left-most lane.

While I agree it is good practice to watch for idiots on motorcycles shagging-ash passing on the left, assuming the pickup is at fault might be a stretch.

[les Dennis]

11 minutes ago, transam said:

Or he took a turn without looking properly....?

In normal circumstances, if in fact he did take a turn without looking properly you might wipe out 1, perhaps 2 bikes, but 4 !

[Happyman58]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Can't remember the last time I saw a cop in Ubon....

I can tell u. They come to a set of traffic lights every afternoon and play with them for 1 hour by turning them to manual Why I don't know Instead of booking the idiots on the road they play with the set of lights. Just shake my head.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

I can tell u. They come to a set of traffic lights every afternoon and play with them for 1 hour by turning them to manual Why I don't know Instead of booking the idiots on the road they play with the set of lights. Just shake my head.

Perhaps their own kids do the stuff folk don't like, including riding m/cycles underage to school...

[Odysseus123]

19 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

I can tell u. They come to a set of traffic lights every afternoon and play with them for 1 hour by turning them to manual Why I don't know Instead of booking the idiots on the road they play with the set of lights. Just shake my head.

You and I must have lived in fairly close proximity.

 

My house was in Warin Chamrap.

[happy chappie]

My stepsons laying next door with messed up knee and ankle.his mates been in a coma for months.the sons ok though his mummy looks after him with everything,55 inch tv and Internet,just gone off to get him food.when he does need to get about im sat here waiting to drive him wherever need be.i think he's going to be here and not get better until the insurance sort him out a new scooter.when he will miraculously recover.

[Fruit Trader]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Or he took a turn without looking properly....?

I can see your point but these last second sweeping boy racer passes can be difficult to spot in the side mirrors. If  the lead committed to the left as the truck started to turn then its game over all round. I guess it always pays to check what's playing out in the distance before making a turn. 

 

Like you said earlier, its all been done before. I believe the crazy ton up boys racked up quite a toll.

 

Interesting thread though. Super bash and all the warriors present.

[starfish]

On 5/8/2018 at 2:04 PM, happy chappie said:

My stepsons laying next door with messed up knee and ankle.his mates been in a coma for months.the sons ok though his mummy looks after him with everything,55 inch tv and Internet,just gone off to get him food.when he does need to get about im sat here waiting to drive him wherever need be.i think he's going to be here and not get better until the insurance sort him out a new scooter.when he will miraculously recover.

Oh my, you got a <deleted> up situation there. Be strong.

 

 

 

[sambum]

On 5/7/2018 at 8:17 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

Horrific is truly the correct word.

 

I often hear (but don't see) racers on my island late at night on the weekend, and occasionally see the end results of racing as I go for a morning cycle; it is a terribly sad situation.

 

Kids will be kids, but one certainly has to wonder where the hell the parents are; well-brought up kids don't do idiotic things like this.

 

R.I.P.

 

The trouble is half the the time the parents don't know what their kids are up to - the other half they could be perfectly well behaved young teenagers!

[wgdanson]

On 5/7/2018 at 8:41 AM, hyku1147 said:

Youngsters deprived of life.

By themselves.

 

[retoohs]

On ‎7‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 6:15 PM, connda said:

Ever see a pile-up at a Formula 1 or Indy Car race?  Some people find true 'living' is pushing the envelope between life and death.  And sometimes Death wins.  No longer my cup of tea, but I won't knock the lifestyle.  Been there, done that.  However - it would go a long way if the government tried embracing the fact that people wish to race, so?  Sanction it, regulate, build strips, and manage the racing.  Pullayup Raceways.  Seattle International Raceways.  All had open racing when I was a teenager.  It was safer than drag racing on public streets. 

F1 racing is reasonably safe these days with all the safety gear. Moto GP is more comparable to this incident though they at least have everyone riding in the same direction, full leathers and airbags and armor in their leathers plus the learnt skills of how to slide. I ride a bike both here and in NZ and it has taken many years to learn how to ride defensively. Do I ride fast with my mates? Yes but defensively. Do we race on the roads? No not now we have matured. Biggest risk for us in New Zealand is we have tight twisty mountain roads like the north of Thailand and many tourists in rental cars with very poor driving skills who often come around blind bends on the wrong side of the road. Sometimes years of experience still isn't enough and great riders are left with no options. Young and inexperienced as these guys are or were they have little chance of reacting in a,way to avoid or minimize an accident with the unexpected. We have a government organization called ACC which is partly financed through vehicle registration. The fee on bikes is very high. My car is $110 or so a year to register, my bike $600. The difference is the ACC fee. ACC pay all accident medical costs ( not just vehicle, all accidents). They run free courses for bike riders to teach them the skills they need to help them stay alive. They have courses for learners, intermediate killed, advanced skilled and older returning riders. Something every government should look at. Even so when kids are racing at high speeds on public roads they are playing Russian roulette and many are always going to end up trashed. My sister-in-law was a dive instructor on Koh Phengan. She was riding home one day and stopped to make a right turn to let an oncoming vehicle pass. Indicator was on and she was stationary in the middle of the road. When clear she proceeded to turn right. A drunk 14yo at high speed from behind passed her on the outside as she turned. He was very drunk and from witness accounts barely in control. She was in a coma for several weeks before life support was removed. He spent a period in hospital but recovered. These are the kids that are out racing. Young, drunk and unskilled. They need keeping off the road and dealt severely with when they behave criminally on the roads. He wasn't even prosecuted, mafia son and accident was recorded as 50/50% fault. Change will never come with the courts and police not dealing harshly with these kids and without teaching them the skills they need. This young girl had a huge future in her life as one of the higher qualified divers,anywhere and there are so many similar sad stories. The young guy on the bike, who knows, he probably races around in a super car now still unskilled and protected by his family status.

just wanted to add the young girl wasn't wearing a helmet, only a fool would ride without a quality helmet. Her dive company bought all staff quality helmets after this accident. They wore them for,a few months then stupidity set in and they went back to no helmets or the stupid plastic ones mist here wear.

Edited May 8, 2018 by retoohs
added info

[oldlakey]

4 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

I can see your point but these last second sweeping boy racer passes can be difficult to spot in the side mirrors. If  the lead committed to the left as the truck started to turn then its game over all round. I guess it always pays to check what's playing out in the distance before making a turn. 

 

Like you said earlier, its all been done before. I believe the crazy ton up boys racked up quite a toll.

 

Interesting thread though. Super bash and all the warriors present.

Look on the bright me old

When you gamble with your life you are up against the grim reaper so you need a good hand

As luck would have it he did not have a full house otherwise he would have taken all seven

[smtsetup]

On 07/05/2018 at 4:22 AM, 4MyEgo said:

I look forward to the day that this news will be replaced with:

 

1) Each time a motorcycle rider was issued with large infringement notice, loss of licence, confiscation and destruction of the speeding motorcyclists motorcycle.

 

2) Repeat offenders jailed for a minimum of 12 months, with 1) above applied again

 

3) Sentences tripled to 2) if caught again and 1) applied again

 

Last but not least, the above should also apply to motorists, i.e. once you are over a certain speed limit, your toast !!!

 

Yeh yeh, I know keep dreaming.........

"They were all aged between 15 and 17." so some of them definitely had no license given that one can get a license at 16.

 

I frequently hear and see local young guys street racing on Jomtien beach road. Mostly way below 16, no helmets, no respect whatsoever for crosswalks and traffic lights. The police officers sitting at their table are busy playing on their smartphones and could not care less. So, let us keep on dreaming..

[MrMo]

On 5/7/2018 at 8:17 AM, Samui Bodoh said:

Horrific is truly the correct word.

 

I often hear (but don't see) racers on my island late at night on the weekend, and occasionally see the end results of racing as I go for a morning cycle; it is a terribly sad situation.

 

Kids will be kids, but one certainly has to wonder where the hell the parents are; well-brought up kids don't do idiotic things like this.

 

R.I.P.

 

Know this road well and some of those killed.   Use to drop one at school each morning and will, along with my 15 year old son, be attending his funeral this afternoon.   Attended another yesterday.   Know the families too.   

 

Where were parents ask.   Yes, as most parents they spoil their kids given the opportunity and you have to loosen the reins at some point.   The boys were well behaved, respectful and simply teenagers but as "transam" implies none of use ever told our parents everything we did no matter how well brought-up we were. 

 

I ask where have the police been ?   Where have the schools been ?   Where have the authorities been ?   There seems to be no serious attempt to educate the kids or their families of the possible consequences.   This tragedy seems to be well covered within the non-Thai community and media but not sure that the locals follow-up on after the initial shock, horror photo spreads.

 

Putting up 90k speed limit signs with pictures of cameras on them are not effective unless you actually install cameras and prosecute ALL captured.   I've driven around Buriram and Korat provinces quite a bit in the past month.   Such signs are all over the provinces including on the road where this tragedy occurred.    But have yet to see a camera though and I have looked for them !   The signs seem to be a variant of the cardboard policeman.

[Happyman58]

21 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

You and I must have lived in fairly close proximity.

 

My house was in Warin Chamrap.

Are u near the Irish Pub or railway station but yes i am a very close to u

 

[mogandave]

Know this road well and some of those killed.   Use to drop one at school each morning and will, along with my 15 year old son, be attending his funeral this afternoon.   Attended another yesterday.   Know the families too.   
 
Where were parents ask.   Yes, as most parents they spoil their kids given the opportunity and you have to loosen the reins at some point.   The boys were well behaved, respectful and simply teenagers but as "transam" implies none of use ever told our parents everything we did no matter how well brought-up we were. 
 
I ask where have the police been ?   Where have the schools been ?   Where have the authorities been ?   There seems to be no serious attempt to educate the kids or their families of the possible consequences.   This tragedy seems to be well covered within the non-Thai community and media but not sure that the locals follow-up on after the initial shock, horror photo spreads.
 
Putting up 90k speed limit signs with pictures of cameras on them are not effective unless you actually install cameras and prosecute ALL captured.   I've driven around Buriram and Korat provinces quite a bit in the past month.   Such signs are all over the provinces including on the road where this tragedy occurred.    But have yet to see a camera though and I have looked for them !   The signs seem to be a variant of the cardboard policeman.

In all honesty, is there anyone that does not know the possible consequences?

Like the saying goes: “There are old riders, and bold riders, but there are no old-bold riders.”

Broken collar-bone, skull-fracture, broken ribs, broken left-leg, severed right-foot.

Had I not wrecked 50m from a “sobriety checkpoint” I’d have bled-out on the street.

Kind of takes the fun out of it...

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, Happyman58 said:

Are u near the Irish Pub or railway station but yes i am a very close to u

 

Down on the Mun river.It took about 5 minutes to get to the railway station.

 

Local markets,

Edited May 9, 2018 by Odysseus123

[Happyman58]

51 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Down on the Mun river.It took about 5 minutes to get to the railway station.

 

Local markets,

 

 

thai lady and get on ok with her 

[Happyman58]

Just now, Happyman58 said:

 

 

thai lady and get on ok with her 

have been here 3 years How long u been here?