Video: New Zealander collides with Thai motorcyclist going the wrong way on bridge in Rayong

[overherebc]

7 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Stopping in this situation was impossible, but a slight change of direction on the part of one or both drivers, indicated or not, could have prevented the collision.

If you can tell for certain which direction each one was going to go. Both go right car hits the wall and the bike goes into a lane with other cars coming the other way.

Or, bike goes left and hits the wall, car goes left and we don't know what was in the lane to the left of him.

[oldlakey]

56 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

Stopping in this situation was impossible, but a slight change of direction on the part of one or both drivers, indicated or not, could have prevented the collision.

Sad but totally self inflicted

[overherebc]

Until driving the wrong way/wrong direction on any road gets a 5000 baht fine and the bike/car is impounded until the fine is paid or is crushed if the fine isn't paid within X weeks then nothing will change.

I just re-read that and will make it shorter.

Nothing is going to change.

[Damrongsak]

Stupid bike rider could have pulled over.  Why did he put one foot down? Looks as though the guy in the car could have easily nudged to the left since he had already passed the slower vehicle in the center lane. 

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, Lupatria said:

...and here is our neighborhood suicide squad. One truck fits all:

These guys all eat breakfast at a restaurant called 'Karma'

There's no menu.

You get what you deserve.

[Daveyh]

One of the most dangerous habits of Thai drivers/riders here & it scares me so much that I avoid  driving at night at all costs. This idiotic behaviour is all too common & the police continue to ignore this type of incident daily .......... it will never change in my opinion as Thai's do what they want & will never fully obey the police. They even manoveure around them when ordered to stop on occasions <deleted>! At night is the worst .......... no lights & driving against  traffic is particulary scary. Again the police ignore this serious offence .......... no wonder Thailand has the worst road statistics worldwide. There just seems to be no real concern about the carnage & loss of life here .......... it's as if it's accepted as a fact of life here in Thailand. The mindset of Thai's will never be fully understood .... fact.

 

[ratcatcher]

10 hours ago, DavisH said:

I'm surprised the victim even made it to 40 years old. Like they say, there are old bikers and bold (or stupid) bikers, but not many old and bold (or stupid ones). Can believe they bike wasn't even hugging the shoulder of the road to at least reduce the chance of an accident. Darwin can chalk up another one. 

"Darwin can chalk up another one. "

Unfortunately "Darwinism",  "dishonest buzzword as it is, only applies to people who remove themselves from the gene pool. Unfortunately, the deceased, Worawut, has probably left a couple of kids, so his genes live on, so  to speak  Sad loss for his family though and I hope the unnamed New Zealander gets over this trauma.

[Russell17au]

Some posters cannot even read the original post correctly. DavisH, the victim, bike rider was 28 years old not 40 as you claim, the 40 year old was the NZ car driver

[spidermike007]

I have seen this many times with people using a bike lane on the wrong side. But never on the wrong side of a highway without a bike lane. What on earth was this numskull thinking? Was there any brain activity happening prior to the accident? How did he think he could avoid an oncoming vehicle? What are his parents thinking? What can one even say? 

[spidermike007]

10 hours ago, jossthaifarang said:

I'm not saying the bike was in the right, but the Kiwi seemed to be traveling pretty fast and could see the motorcycle for quite some time. He should have seen him coming, slowed down and moved over. Again the bike was in the wrong, but I think enough time was available for evasive action to have been taken..

 

I doubt that. He was coming up to the top of a hill. There was a car to his left. There was no bike lane. This was entirely on the bike rider. He was idiotic beyond the furthest reaches of my imagination. The biker did not even attempt to.move to the side of the road. He was in the middle of the lane of oncoming traffic! It was as if he completely turned off his brain and was on a hazardous form of autopilot, or sleep driving! What can one even say?

[NoshowJones]

13 hours ago, colinneil said:

Another life lost due to stupidity, the motorcyclist was 100% at fault.

What was he doing riding in the fast lane against oncoming traffic?

The dead mans family are not pursuing the case, it would be pointless anyway.

" it would be pointless anyway".  Would it Colin? As the guy who hit the motorcyclist was a westerner, the attitude could be if he was not here, the "accident" would not have happened.

[Ks45672]

11 hours ago, kotsak said:

One of the reasons why I can't feel relaxed even when driving on an emtpy road here. You simply don't know what the hell will run into you all of a sudden. ?

Years ago riding back home, tired in the dark, almost couldn't believe what ran out in front of me

 

A full size  elephant and a Thai guy chasing after it, didn't crash  but it was scary reminder that literally anything can happen on these roads

[chickenslegs]

10 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

I have seen this many times with people using a bike lane on the wrong side. But never on the wrong side of a highway without a bike lane. What on earth was this numskull thinking? Was there any brain activity happening prior to the accident? How did he think he could avoid an oncoming vehicle? What are his parents thinking? What can one even say? 

My first thought, upon seeing the video, was that the motorcyclist had mistaken the dual carriageway for a single road (happens quite often), why else would he be using the outside lane rather than the nearside shoulder, which is the common practice. Then I read that he was a local, so he must have known it was a dual carriageway.

 

Now I'm wondering whether the police have considered that it may have been suicide.

[NoshowJones]

10 hours ago, jossthaifarang said:

I'm not saying the bike was in the right, but the Kiwi seemed to be traveling pretty fast and could see the motorcycle for quite some time. He should have seen him coming, slowed down and moved over. Again the bike was in the wrong, but I think enough time was available for evasive action to have been taken..

The Kiwi may have saved other lives by killing this idiot before the idiot did it again and killed some innocent person.

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, Spidey said:

I see zero evidence for either. May have had some of his attention diverted to the faster moving vehicle on his inside, and rightly so. Check the time, in real time, from when you clearly see the bike to moment of impact, a couple of seconds, no time to react.

 

Speed limit 90kpm, overtaken by a faster vehicle, in the outside lane, sounds and looks about right to me.

If his full attention was on the road and he wasn't speeding I wonder if this thread would even exist.?

[Thian]

4 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I agree with much of what you say, but not the last bit.

 

India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Egypt,. To name just a few I've known and I'm sure there are many more.

I've been in India and didn't see them driving against traffic like Thai do....

 

But i believe you there'll be more countries where they have that nasty habit...Except Vietnam i'll never visit any of the ones you named.

[moe666]

11 hours ago, lensta said:

Why should he move over. The idiot on the bike got what he deserved. No sympathy from me.

Because the guy on the bike could have gone thru your wind shield and killed you. 

I had a similar deal with a semi in my lane around a curve yes I should not have moved over to save my life.

[Kieran00001]

12 hours ago, lensta said:

Why should he move over. The idiot on the bike got what he deserved. No sympathy from me.

 

If he had time and it was safe obviously he should move over, only a psychopath would disagree.

[HHTel]

13 hours ago, Lowryderen said:

But he was being undertaken by that black car right before the crash. If I had a car undertaking me on the left, no matter if it was in first or second lane I would wait for it to pass before changing my lane.. Just in case, and my focus would be partly in the mirrors. Anyway it also take a moment to realize that the motorbike is actually driving towards you, and not in the same direction as you.

Why was the black car able to 'undertake'.  Because the NZ guy was sat in the 'overtaking lane'.  If he had been driving in the left lanes then the other car wouldn't have been able to undertake.

[shy coconut]

12 hours ago, DavisH said:

I'm surprised the victim even made it to 40 years old. Like they say, there are old bikers and bold (or stupid) bikers, but not many old and bold (or stupid ones). Can believe they bike wasn't even hugging the shoulder of the road to at least reduce the chance of an accident. Darwin can chalk up another one. 

From what I read, the guy on the bike was 28 , it was the kiwi car driver who was 40.

 

 

 

[Dexlowe]

12 hours ago, sanemax said:

The reality is that most of the time they do not .

Its just a TVF myth that keeps on getting repeated by forum posters 

Absolutely not a myth. I've heard it and variations come from the lips of Thais several times, both inside and outside my office. Once I was told by a colleague that I shouldn't be in Thailand and any accidents would be my fault -- and this lady did her high school in New York and then college and had spent several more years working there. 

[cyberfarang]

This must of been a horrible and traumatic experience for the New Zealand driver even though it`s clearly not his fault and in no ways could he have avoided the motorcyclist. 

 

Sad and tragic for all concerned.

[cyberfarang]

52 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

If he had time and it was safe obviously he should move over, only a psychopath would disagree.

Then I must be a psychopath.

 

The driver overtook a vehicle on the outside lane, then he approached a hill and probably intended to stay on that lane until over the hill and could see clearly if there were any slower moving vehicles on the other lanes.  Humans have a weakness, that is having a brain. This means when faced with a spur of the moment decision we have a delayed action having to think about it, unlike a fly that can react instantly in emergency situations. 

[bogozy]

15 hours ago, wgdanson said:

However, the Kiwi was driving in the 'fast' lane with a clear 'middle' lane, he had just overtaken the light coloured pick-up. Why didn't he move over. He had 4 or 5 seconds to take evasive action

That is a very difficult situation. The NZ boy did not expected  oncoming traffic in the fast lane. That is unusual, surprising and shocking moment in Thailand also. As usual to come head on in the sideline. To take evasive action, at first need to look the mirrors, because to steer left, can make an other accident, motorcycle pass away unhurted and You stay alone and can not explain, why did You do that stupid action. Nobody would be witnessing on Your side. The motorcycle driver was in charge to steer very near to the center barrier. He did not does it.

[balo]

Why are you still arguing about the video ?  It's there , you can all see it. 

 

Motorbike  at top speed and the car at a speed over 90 km/h , almost no reaction time.    

 

But if it was me I would never end up in the right lane, my Nissan March take it slowly in the middle or left lane.  Could it have been avoided ? Not in the right lane. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldlakey]

7 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

Stupid bike rider could have pulled over.  Why did he put one foot down? Looks as though the guy in the car could have easily nudged to the left since he had already passed the slower vehicle in the center lane. 

Hopefully the car driver does that next time

[tandor]

17 hours ago, MrJohnson said:

Me too. Driving here is very stressful, requires nerves of steel and total concentration. I find a  3 hour drive Bangkok to Hua Hin is mentally exhausting.  I've started taking the train. Slow but relaxing.

..best avoid anything with a red ring around it...RIP silly bike rider.

[oldlakey]

2 hours ago, balo said:

Why are you still arguing about the video ?  It's there , you can all see it. 

 

Motorbike  at top speed and the car at a speed over 90 km/h , almost no reaction time.    

 

But if it was me I would never end up in the right lane, my Nissan March take it slowly in the middle or left lane.  Could it have been avoided ? Not in the right lane. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If it was not suicide, then it was rank stupidity on the motorcyclists part

Either way its just another one gone

[catman20]

6 hours ago, possum1931 said:

" it would be pointless anyway".  Would it Colin? As the guy who hit the motorcyclist was a westerner, the attitude could be if he was not here, the "accident" would not have happened.

that dose not cut it these days if as a farang you have any sense

[Spidey]

5 hours ago, HHTel said:

Why was the black car able to 'undertake'.  Because the NZ guy was sat in the 'overtaking lane'.  If he had been driving in the left lanes then the other car wouldn't have been able to undertake.

He had just overtaken a grey pickup which was sat in the middle lane, then a black pickup overtook him on the inside.

 

Notice how the black pickup overtook in lane 1 then moved over to lane 2 after he had overtaken the Kiwi.

 

How many times have you overtaken a Thai in a pickup only for him to put his foot down and try to block you from returning to his lane? Happens to me all the time. It's quite possible that the grey pickup was still sat on his rear wing.

 

This is why the black pickup overtook in lane 1 rather than lane 2 and the Kiwi didn't return to lane 2 after passing the grey pickup. Could also be why neither the Kiwi nor the bike made any attempt to pull over to lane 2 to avoid the accident.

 

With only seeing half of the scene (a rearview camera would have been nice) we can only speculate and jump to conclusions about all of the causes of the accident, (there's always more than one causational factor in any accident).

 

It could well be that the grey pickup, was a major causational factor by being a typical Thai and not wanting to lose face by letting the Kiwi successfully complete his overtaking manoeuvre, thus making lane 2 unavailable to all three of the other vehicles.

 

Pure speculation, we'll never know, but that's the nature of TVF, we can all play armchair experts!

 

RIP to the biker and sympathy to his family, but my greatest sympathy goes out to the Kiwi, emotionally scarred and financially devastated, through no fault of his own.