Motorcycle accident in the same lane - what is the law and what happens in real life?

[OneMoreFarang]

This is not about an accident which happened. It's about a couple of situations which could have ended in accidents.

 

I would like to know what the official and unwritten laws are in Thailand about riding on motorcycles on the same lane.

I had several small to medium sized bikes (150 - 400cc) over the years and never an accident with more than 10km/h. But a few dangerous situation.

 

Recently I rode on Ratchadaphisek Road in the area where the road is good and wide. My speed was similar to the traffic flow maybe 80km/h about 8am direction Phahonyothin Road. I was in the middle of the right lane with cars on the other lanes. At some stage a guy on an other bike (some big scooter) passed me with at least 100km/h. I was a little shocked because there was little space between my bike and his and his bike and the road barrier. He just kind of squeezed through the gap.

Nothing happened but I thought what would have happened if I would have moved my bike a little to the right just before he squeezed through. Probably he would have hit me and we would have crashed. I would have blamed him for reckless driving. And he would have probably blamed me for moving into his way. I don't really know what the law is in situations like that. Do you know?

But the law is only part of this because if we would have crashed it would have hurt and some insurance would have paid. It would be a lot better to avoid situations like that.

If I want to overtake someone on the same lane in front of me I normally make sure that there is enough space and I will try that the guy in front of me can see me in the mirror before I pass him - if he has mirrors and looks in the mirrors.

 

Situations like that don't happen often, normally my speed is similar to others or more likely a little faster than others. But sometimes there are those situation were someone plays the racer who wiggles through all the places where he just fits through - and it will work unless someone moves a little to the side...

 

How do you handle situations like that?

[bojo]

In my experience it is always the most connected or most influential who wins in any accident situation. Whatever law there might be is adapted at the time in favour of the aforementioned.

Unfortunately I personally cannot help you with an exact legal reply.

[Hummin]

If you crash with a local, your foult always

[scubascuba3]

your word against his. He did it on purpose to scare you, maybe thought you should have been in the left lane and let the faster vehicles go in the right lane. At that speed an accident could be deadly especially if run over by another vehicle

[Kwasaki]

Thought someone of your knowledge of Thailand would know what the law if any is. ????

[observer90210]

What happens in this case ? As usual, the awful farang is to blame of course !!

[steve73]

25 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

your word against his. He did it on purpose to scare you, maybe thought you should have been in the left lane and let the faster vehicles go in the right lane. At that speed an accident could be deadly especially if run over by another vehicle

Correct - it matters little when both parties are dead.

 

Always ride (and drive) in a manner to best preserve your own life, irrespective of who has the legal right or wrong.

 

There are plenty of gravestones that say "but I had the right of way"... don't add to them.

[richard_smith237]

OneMoreFarang - what you describe is one of my biggest gripes if motorcycling here in Thailand. 

 

The other motorcyclist passing dangerously so close you can feel the wind off them.... another is motorcyclists hovering in your blind spot or just over your rear wheel cutting off your ‘avoidance’ routes... 

 

its not not so much the cars in bkk, it’s the other bikes which generate most of the Danger... 

[Psimbo]

Ahhh- the usual outdated 'the farang is always at fault' Bull Pucky. Maybe 20 years ago but definitely not now,

 

I would suggest a helmet cam and a decent insurance agent to turn up if something happens. 

 

For car owners the insurance companies now offer discounts for having a dashcam fitted.

[richard_smith237]

I may be wrong here, but I ‘think’ that if another vehicle wishes to pass you they need to do so in another lane as you have right if way in the lane you are in.... 

 

Thus, I suspect, if you were hit whole within your land by another motorcycle trying to pass you, in your lane, the other motorcycle would be the offender.

Edited December 30, 2018 by richard_smith237

[totally thaied up]

What is most likely going to kill you is going to come at you high speed from behind. I got hit about 4 years ago from behind but I was just lucky others saw the other clip me at high speed. I did not get hurt but she did. I did not have to pay out anything as it clearly was stated from others that saw the incident, I had nothing to do with her negligence. I was just lucky in the fact I had other honest Thais that saw it, stop and help me out.

[NanLaew]

23 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

OneMoreFarang - what you describe is one of my biggest gripes if motorcycling here in Thailand. 

 

The other motorcyclist passing dangerously so close you can feel the wind off them.... another is motorcyclists hovering in your blind spot or just over your rear wheel cutting off your ‘avoidance’ routes... 

 

its not not so much the cars in bkk, it’s the other bikes which generate most of the Danger... 

Probably why over 80% of road traffic accident fatalities are on 2-wheels. I wonder how many of those are due to bike-on-bike wipeouts?

[OneMoreFarang]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

About the farang is always wrong: Recently I had a small accident were a Thai guy with a scooter made a U turn at the same place where I did that U turn. His bike scratched my bike. I had just a little paint on my front axle, he had a big scratch on his new red scooter. We stopped at the next police box. The officer asked me and he asked him and he more or less convinced the guy that he was wrong. So it seems sometime the police do a good and fair job.

 

Back to the problem: What do you do to avoid situations like above? I look relative often in the mirrors and don't make any big unnecessary moves. But in above case a little move could have been deadly. It seems there is basically nothing to prevent an accident like that - and that is scary.

[findlay13]

" I look relative often in the mirrors and don't make any big unnecessary moves. But in above case a little move could have been deadly. It seems there is basically nothing to prevent an accident like that - and that is scary."

The bastards are often scaring me doing that.I check my mirrors often too, but you need to watch were you are going also.Next thing some little bastard buzz bomb that's been sitting in your blind spotscreams up on the inside missing by what seems like inches.Very disconcerting.Not to mention dangerous.

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by findlay13

[findlay13]

18 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks for all the replies

 

 I look relative often in the mirrors and don't make any big unnecessary moves. But in above case a little move could have been deadly. It seems there is basically nothing to prevent an accident like that - and that is scary.

The bastards are often scaring me doing that.I check my mirrors often too, but you need to watch were you are going also.Next thing some little bastard buzz bomb that's been sitting in your blind spotscreams up on the inside missing by inches.Very disconcerting.Not to mention dangerous.

Edited December 30, 2018 by findlay13

[fruitman]

The driver came from behind and touched you so he's always wrong i guess...

 

Nevertheless slower vehicles have to keep lept.....

[rumak]

1 hour ago, totally thaied up said:

What is most likely going to kill you is going to come at you high speed from behind. I got hit about 4 years ago from behind but I was just lucky others saw the other clip me at high speed. I did not get hurt but she did. I did not have to pay out anything as it clearly was stated from others that saw the incident, I had nothing to do with her negligence. I was just lucky in the fact I had other honest Thais that saw it, stop and help me out.

 25 years ago a small cow bolted into my Pickup........Out in the country..... The THAI people that observed reported what happenned.  The owner of the cow had to pay to fix my truck.   

This " farang is always at fault BS" shows extreme lack of experience.   Of course when the farang starts running around and yelling..... they sometimes do get what they expect.

[moe666]

This happens going around the moat here in CM, I just get in my location and stay there until I have to change lanes or change position from outside the moat to inside the moat. As someone said this is one of the bad things about scooter riders here. I really hate the tourist who have no experience riding you just do not know what they are going to do.

 

[bojo]

4 minutes ago, moe666 said:

This happens going around the moat here in CM, I just get in my location and stay there until I have to change lanes or change position from outside the moat to inside the moat. As someone said this is one of the bad things about scooter riders here. I really hate the tourist who have no experience riding you just do not know what they are going to do.

 

I find the old locals totally unpredictable on their bikes in the city. You can tell them ahead with their dyed hair, hunched shoulders/backs and unfastened helmets going so slow but you know that at any second they are gonna change road position. I try to stay as well clear of them as the Asian tourists with the girl on the back attempting directions via smartphone over the male driver's shoulder who is aimlessly following the flow: scary, but true.....

[impulse]

The OP's experience, along with others recounted here, show exactly why riding a scooter is so hazardous.  No matter how good you are, your life is in the hands of someone else.  And riding on a scooter is 20-40 times as hazardous per km as riding in a 4 wheeled vehicle.  That stat comes from studies in the USA and Oz.

 

That's not to say "don't do it".  I rode scooter taxis just about every day of the 7 years I lived in BKK.  The time I saved not being confined to traffic more than offset the statistical time I sacrificed by the riskier mode of transport.  (Yes, I did the math- I'm an engineer).  But I did it with the full knowledge that it was risky. 

 

And if I was going any further than the neighborhood, I either pulled out the pickup truck or took mass transit.  That was my answer to the OP's question about "how do you handle that situation?"  I avoided it completely.

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by impulse

[Kwasaki]

17 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How do you handle situations like that?

Look using your neck and look in your mirrors more often, every 3 secs is the taught time, always make the biggest road space for yourself sides. front & back. 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Kwasaki

[HAKAPALITA]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Look using your neck and look in your mirrors more often, every 3 secs is the taught time, always make the biggest road space for yourself sides. front & back. 

That made me Smile. Im not Brit but have Brit Chums and my Wife has observed the how young Eglish say, "That should be reported to the Council" as if nothings ever there fault for being dopes. Old ones never say such a thing.

[Myran]

100% his fault since he's coming from behind and you're not even changing lanes.

 

And please stop parrotting the stupid notion that "the farang is always in the wrong", It's simply not true.

[NoshowJones]

On 12/30/2018 at 7:32 PM, richard_smith237 said:

I may be wrong here, but I ‘think’ that if another vehicle wishes to pass you they need to do so in another lane as you have right if way in the lane you are in.... 

 

Thus, I suspect, if you were hit whole within your land by another motorcycle trying to pass you, in your lane, the other motorcycle would be the offender.

There are no rules when riding a motorbike in Thailand, just good genuine common sense, it is the very lack of that in Thailand that is due to the dreadful road fatalities of the vast majority of Thai motorbike riders.

[OneMoreFarang]

7 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

There are no rules when riding a motorbike in Thailand, just good genuine common sense, it is the very lack of that in Thailand that is due to the dreadful road fatalities of the vast majority of Thai motorbike riders.

I am sure we all think act with common sense. The only problem is that our definitions of "common sense" are not compatible.

[NoshowJones]

53 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure we all think act with common sense. The only problem is that our definitions of "common sense" are not compatible.

When you say "our", I think you mean the vast majority of Farang motorbike riders. I would say the majority of them have genuine common sense, though not so much the ones who come here on holiday.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I am sure we all think act with common sense. The only problem is that our definitions of "common sense" are not compatible.

When you say "our", I think you mean the vast majority of Farang motorbike riders. I would say the majority of them have genuine common sense, though not so much the ones who come here on holiday.

In principle I agree with you.

But to be fair common sense is differently interpreted in different countries/locations.

I.e. in Phnom Phen, and maybe all over Cambodia, it seems most motorcycles never stop. Even on large junctions they drive somehow very slowly around each other. It seems to work over there.

But I never saw the same system here or in any other country.

Then there are red lights and zebra crossings. In many countries everybody stops. You wouldn't even think about not stopping. That's common sense.

But in Thailand is there is a red light but no police or no other vehicle why should anybody stop? That's common Thai sense.

Yes, and then there are the tourists, I agree...

[NoshowJones]

48 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

In principle I agree with you.

But to be fair common sense is differently interpreted in different countries/locations.

I.e. in Phnom Phen, and maybe all over Cambodia, it seems most motorcycles never stop. Even on large junctions they drive somehow very slowly around each other. It seems to work over there.

But I never saw the same system here or in any other country.

Then there are red lights and zebra crossings. In many countries everybody stops. You wouldn't even think about not stopping. That's common sense.

But in Thailand is there is a red light but no police or no other vehicle why should anybody stop? That's common Thai sense.

Yes, and then there are the tourists, I agree...

Excellent post, but is there such a thing as common Thai sense.????

[BestB]

I think it would be down on what parts collided. If he hit you from the back or side closer to the back he is at fault, if other way around then you at fault . 

[peleid]

A little bit off the subject, two weeks ago I was riding my bicycle in the lane for motorcycles and bicycles, a motorcycle took me out from behind, the girls waited for the ambulance to come and were chatting to the medics when it arrived. I spent 3 days in hospital battered and bruised, never set eyes on the girls again, at least I am still here to tell the tale