Distraught German driver kills Thai cyclist on Friendship Highway

[FitnessHealthTravel]

It is a horrible feeling, although I have not killed someone I did hit a Cyclists once and it was horrible.  RIP to the Thai guy.

[NanLaew]

4 hours ago, catman20 said:

i would be incline to agree with you, its the first time in 18 years its happened but i live in Pattaya and if anyone one knows its a money town and the police have to get the figures up. i got caught at the same road block/check point at about the same time of the evening in 2 weeks by the same police man. i now avoid that road and check point now.

Why didn't you just stop driving at night until you get the proper plates?

[Sumarianson]

Typical that Thai cyclists and some motorcyclists go without lights at night. The fact that there was a red plate does not mean the guy was at fault. Millions of Thai's ignore that rule. Why should you be restricted? It is after all your car and their stupid rules. RIP dead man. The lesson here is wear light colours and lights back and front with reflectors to the side as recommended in any western country.

[KenKadz]

No requirement for lights or reflective tape on bicycles or riders after dark?

Edited October 30, 2018 by KenKadz

[NanLaew]

4 minutes ago, KenKadz said:

No requirement for lights or reflective tape on bicycles or riders after dark?

Regarding lights, yes. But then there's that infernal law enforcement bit.

[bluesofa]

This shows the distance you can see different types of clothes at night. I translated it into Thai for my son, to try and give him an understanding of its importance.

The last item - 130 metres - is for reflective clothing. All the other distances correspond to the colour of the lines (55m is white, black - "cannot see").

 

[Thian]

12 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

This shows the distance you can see different types of clothes at night. I translated it into Thai for my son, to try and give him an understanding of its importance.

The last item - 130 metres - is for reflective clothing. All the other distances correspond to the colour of the lines (55m is white, black - "cannot see").

 

Was this test done with tainted windows which are too dark according the law (like they all have in Thailand).

[bluesofa]

6 minutes ago, Thian said:

Was this test done with tainted windows which are too dark according the law (like they all have in Thailand).

I'm afraid I didn't do any first-hand testing. It came originally from a Russian language graphic a friend gave me. I wouldn't imagine the tainted windows are quite so common there.

Edited October 30, 2018 by bluesofa

[Thian]

38 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

'm afraid I didn't do any first-hand testing. It came originally from a Russian language graphic a friend gave me. I wouldn't imagine the tainted windows are quite so common there.

 

The tainted windows in Thai cars make it much worse, in the car at night i don't see cyclists untill they're a few meters in front of me....but this is how the Thai like it and they don't need any lights because they can see well in the dark as they say.

[JulesMad]

Apart from the red plate discussion, I assume the bicycle did NOT have front- and back light. 
This is my biggest worry about driving after dark... So many bikes don't have their (back) lights working, and as a farang you are always more guilty ????

 

[bluesofa]

11 minutes ago, JulesMad said:

Apart from the red plate discussion, I assume the bicycle did NOT have front- and back light. 
This is my biggest worry about driving after dark... So many bikes don't have their (back) lights working, and as a farang you are always more guilty ????

Well that's obvious. If someone hits you as a pedestrian, you'll cause more damage to their car, having a bigger body than a Thai.

[sambum]

Just a thought? Do the bicycles here have reflector plates on their back mudguards? Long time since I owned a pushbike, but I remember my old "Palm Beach Tourist" (Raleigh?) used to have them,

[smudger1951]

If you drive in foggy weather you slow down so yo can brake within your distance of visibility. The same rule applies at night especially if you don't know the road in another country. 

[BigC]

I reckon he might have to pay compensation to the family though in all fareness if it was a highway and the man was crossing the road in an unlight area and the cyclist knees the danger spots then maybe he should have crossed in a safer place 

[hobobo]

13 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Tragic accident at a known area... why oh why hasn't more lighting been erected if it's a known accident hot spot?

Who'd pay the bill?

[Ctkong]

Read too much about traffic accidents at night . Tried driving once from chiangmai to lamphang at night. Hilly terrain and speeding double carriage trucks put paid to that . Never again. 

Driving at night in thai rural roads is a death wish.... unforeseen road travelers such as animals, broken down vehicles, unlit headlamps, traveling at the wrong side of the road ,... all strive to make your trip miserable. And any untoward accident usually tip not in the foreigner’s favour.

 

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, Patriot1066 said:

Yes you are supposed to get a book to fill in to cover every journey not allowed out after dark, or I think travel out of the area? I am not sure how much it is enforced as never been stopped on Red plates and had the books checked.

...but I have.

 

It's just one of many items in the average traffic cops list of ticketable offences and to what degree any of them are pursued depends entirely on the cop.

 

... and the weather, the time, if he's hungry, needs rent money, wants a break, doesn't like farangs (hugely misreported that one), got laid, it's Tuesday, etc..

[MARK74]

1 minute ago, Patriot1066 said:

Shame though to kill someone by accident the guy looked genuinely upset and broken.

It is, and he would feel remorse but i am fairly certain he was not to blame.

The amount of times I have had close calls with people crossing main roads or turning into main roads with no lights on dark stretches I am honestly surprised I haven't done the same.

You can only go so slow before you just aren't getting anywhere and you would think the person would have seen the headlights coming and the sound of the car before the driver saw him in the silent darkness ahead.

[Patriot1066]

4 minutes ago, MARK74 said:

It is, and he would feel remorse but i am fairly certain he was not to blame.

The amount of times I have had close calls with people crossing main roads or turning into main roads with no lights on dark stretches I am honestly surprised I haven't done the same.

You can only go so slow before you just aren't getting anywhere and you would think the person would have seen the headlights coming and the sound of the car before the driver saw him in the silent darkness ahead.

Yes I agree but it seems the same now all over the world where pedestrians seem to not realise the danger of vehicles.

[Gandtee]

1 minute ago, MARK74 said:

It is, and he would feel remorse but i am fairly certain he was not to blame.

The amount of times I have had close calls with people crossing main roads or turning into main roads with no lights on dark stretches I am honestly surprised I haven't done the same.

You can only go so slow before you just aren't getting anywhere and you would think the person would have seen the headlights coming and the sound of the car before the driver saw him in the silent darkness ahead.

I recall nearly mowing down a charcoal seller on his three-wheeler in Bangkok. It was on an unlit side road and of course, he was black as Newgates Knocker, covered with charcoal dust, and no lights on his trike. It can be very difficult to see cyclists with no lights and wearing dark clothing.  

[Patriot1066]

4 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

I recall nearly mowing down a charcoal seller on his three-wheeler in Bangkok. It was on an unlit side road and of course, he was black as Newgates Knocker, covered with charcoal dust, and no lights on his trike. It can be very difficult to see cyclists with no lights and wearing dark clothing.  

Agreed very difficult partic if they have no lights or reflectors.

[rocketman777]

My sympathy with the driver in these circumstances, provided he was not driving at excessive speed.

This 'accident' could have happened to any driver.

Using a bicycle on a dark road without lights is just dumb.

 

Somewhat related I have noticed around Pattaya that there are a lot of motorcycles driving without a working Front head lamp or any lights. On two occasions recently I have almost right turned into the path of a fast moving bike that had no working front lights.

Such drivers are completely irresponsible to their own safely and that of others.

Along with the Police who do little to nothing to enforce highway regulations.

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

11 hours ago, MARK74 said:

It is, and he would feel remorse but i am fairly certain he was not to blame.

The amount of times I have had close calls with people crossing main roads or turning into main roads with no lights on dark stretches I am honestly surprised I haven't done the same.

You can only go so slow before you just aren't getting anywhere and you would think the person would have seen the headlights coming and the sound of the car before the driver saw him in the silent darkness ahead.

You and me both. I started driving here in the 1980's and things were a lot different then. The more provincial highway patrol cops reaching in the window for ticket-less money mostly didn't even have the radar they claimed they had. More recently, say 10-12 years ago when I found long-distance driving a less fraught experience when done overnight, the creative traffic cops north of Korat claimed to have radar that positively identified you and your speed in total darkness! Like yourself, the close-calls eventually made non-stop overnighters more like an accident waiting to happen with unlit and wrong-way 2 and 3-wheelers being the biggest issue.

[essox essox]

do not all trucks/cars have headlights and I think these can be used on FULL BEAM giving more light for the driver to see??

[balo]

When your out with your bicycle at night on a dark road, you need front lights , back lights and also extra side lights on the wheel .  Most Thais do not care and ride in the dark . 

 

Maybe the accident was unavoidable , but with lights the rider could have been alive today . 

This is not my bike , but close to what my bike looks like at night . 

 

Edited November 3, 2018 by balo

[Gobbledegook]

On 10/30/2018 at 8:29 AM, inThailand said:

The red plate rumor is just a TV urban myth. Repeated countless times by those who don't even own a car. 

I would appreciate if you could tell me what the urban myth is about the red plate rumour.

I've lived here for 10 years and in that time have purchased two new vehicles.

[Ron19]

A number of off topic and troll posts have been removed in a forum cleanup.