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

[OneMoreFarang]

15 minutes ago, peleid said:

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

You didn't receive any personal intensive care from the girls? That is definitely sub-standard.

[wombat]

On 12/30/2018 at 6:44 PM, Hummin said:

If you crash with a local, your foult always

of course it is...if you hadn't been in Thailand it would not have happened.

 

[Hummin]

3 minutes ago, wombat said:

of course it is...if you hadn't been in Thailand it would not have happened.

 

A different story if both have insurance, then the insurance companies com and deal with it. But if you crash with a small bike and not have first class insurence, I doubt if not strong evidence as chrystal clear video proof, I will be the one to use my insurance or pay up. To many stories confirmed due to simular accidents. 

[peleid]

20 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

You didn't receive any personal intensive care from the girls? That is definitely sub-standard.

No. The nurses were very nice though 

[DavidB1960]

On 12/30/2018 at 8:09 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

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.

You could catch up with the guy who wizzed by you and ask him where he got his amulets?

[SS1]

I guess legally speaking, it would depend whether the bike coming from behind hits you from behind or from the side. Overtaking with motorbikes in a single lane is normal and unavoidable with the amount of traffic here. I always try to ride in a straight line and make sure to check my mirrors before moving to another side within the lane. Although normally I try to ride slightly faster than other traffic to avoid this type of situations altogether.. of course there might be still some lunatics coming 120km/h past you in city traffic but it's rare on my daily commute. 

If he is zooming past you just a few inches away that's not acceptable though - always should keep plenty of space between when overtaking. 

[dotpoom]

On 12/30/2018 at 6:27 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

official and unwritten laws are in Thailand about riding on

Why one anybody give a hoot about "unwritten" laws?

[OneMoreFarang]

7 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

Why one anybody give a hoot about "unwritten" laws?

Because if you know how many people behave that helps you to predict them.

 

A sample for such an unwritten law are zebra crossings with red lights in Thailand: "If nobody walks just in front of you ignore the red light, don't stop."

I don't agree with this but I know this is how most Thai drivers and riders behave. Now if the light changes to red I look first in my rear mirror before I brake. Because I don't want to be in an accident because I braked - for the Thai guys for no reason...

 

[InsertNameHere]

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

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.

Car cams will help even in situations where it's a cut case of the other drivers fault as the cam  will be viewed I have on the scooter and car with front and rear cams

[rickudon]

Just because their are road markings showing lanes has little to do with real life. One busy U turn in Udon has one lane each way for turning, and 2-3 actual columns of vehicles doing so! This morning was a bit slower, a car and a pickup truck had clashed sideways (same direction). Two vehicles sitting there, and one girl standing in the middle of this U turn mayhem on her phone! (insurance company?). No attempt to clear the road for what was a minor scrape......   TIT.

[sawadee1947]

On 12/30/2018 at 1:30 PM, 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... 

If you're a coward...... use a car! 

[HHTel]

On 12/30/2018 at 6:44 PM, Hummin said:

If you crash with a local, your fault always

Absolute BS.

[Lacessit]

I always travel as far left as I can physically get, at a speed I am comfortable with, and constantly check front and rear. I won't drive a scooter at night - too dangerous. It's called threat assessment by motorbike instructors.

I do understand where the OP is coming from - being overtaken by some young idiot with the hubris of immortality at 100 km/hr is scary. Fortunately, with their fixation on having the biggest penis around in terms of exhaust sound, I can usually hear them coming as well.

[moreem]

On 12/30/2018 at 6:35 PM, bojo said:

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.

 

in my experience you do not have a lot of experience but keep speaking...

 

 

[RocketDog]

On 12/30/2018 at 11:34 PM, impulse said:

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.

 

Being an engineer myself I think the term impulse force, momentum * delta T, is applicable here. 

 

BTW, there is no such thing as avoiding accidents completely if you are anywhere near a road or even a dirt trail here. The Thai people are extremely resourceful and always find a way, often the wrong way! 

 

I believe they see themselves as knights of old jousting with their trusty mechanical steeds securely (or not) beneath them. They are truly fearless and/or ignorant of consequences in nearly every conceivable case. 

Every day is a series of near-misses if you come near a road. 

[MyFriend You]

On 12/30/2018 at 8:27 PM, findlay13 said:

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.

Which is why I don't ride motorcycles in Thailand anymore, I started feeling like a target being attacked by motorbikes on all sides..........I am donating mine to charity.  I have no problem riding Motorcycle taxi's in Bangkok, usually half a dozen a day, but it scares the shi'ite out of me getting up on two wheels here - quite frankly I can't be bothered..............a man's got to know his limitation. 

 

 

[DJ54]

I don’t if there are any laws that would give a clear definition.

 

Usually whichever lane I’m in I’m left of center hoping that the vehicle in front of me uses mirrors and knows I’m back there.

 

i try to out of the center of the lane so to stay out of oil and that. 

 

Here in Thailand it seems you’ve got to be focused and ready to react there’s so many people that unfortunately don’t know how 

to drive safely o

[Jaxxper]

Day in the life of......

Anyway glad you escaped unscathed in this case.

[ocddave]

On 1/7/2019 at 6:25 PM, InsertNameHere said:

Car cams will help even in situations where it's a cut case of the other drivers fault as the cam  will be viewed I have on the scooter and car with front and rear cams

Did you install these yourself, or have someone else do the dual dash cams on the scooter? Looking for someone who can wire my 2018 SV650X with the INNOVV K2 camera system I bought, but I am trying to avoid any wire harness cutting, or body plastic cutting/drilling. I see what may be some open connectors that I might be able to buy male/female sides for and wire to that instead for power, but not sure about the wire needed for on/off via the key.

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, ocddave said:

Did you install these yourself, or have someone else do the dual dash cams on the scooter? Looking for someone who can wire my 2018 SV650X with the INNOVV K2 camera system I bought, but I am trying to avoid any wire harness cutting, or body plastic cutting/drilling. I see what may be some open connectors that I might be able to buy male/female sides for and wire to that instead for power, but not sure about the wire needed for on/off via the key.

 

I just fitted / wired the INNOV K2 to my bike... I too had concerns about the electrics but was far more straight forward than I imagined.... 

 

Electrics... 3 wires... Red straight on to the live terminal of the battery, Black to the negative, and the yellow into a fuse connector... (the yellow into the fuse connector handles the on/off part so there is no battery drain).

 

The hardest part was positioning and cabling both the forward and rear facing cameras - it involved removing panels (on my BMW G310GS) for a neat cable run... 

 

You can easily fit it yourself - it took me a couple of hours. 

[ocddave]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I just fitted / wired the INNOV K2 to my bike... I too had concerns about the electrics but was far more straight forward than I imagined.... 

 

Electrics... 3 wires... Red straight on to the live terminal of the battery, Black to the negative, and the yellow into a fuse connector... (the yellow into the fuse connector handles the on/off part so there is no battery drain).

 

The hardest part was positioning and cabling both the forward and rear facing cameras - it involved removing panels (on my BMW G310GS) for a neat cable run... 

 

You can easily fit it yourself - it took me a couple of hours. 

Thanks Richard, I may give it a try, but its possible that the rear fender will need to be drilled to mount the rear camera. Hoping to mount the front camera on a bolt beneath the headlight, not sure though.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, ocddave said:

Thanks Richard, I may give it a try, but its possible that the rear fender will need to be drilled to mount the rear camera. Hoping to mount the front camera on a bolt beneath the headlight, not sure though.

 

I mounted the front facing camera to a bolt which fixes the headlight - I see on the Suzy that there are a couple of convenient mounting points just under the headlight. 

As you are finding the rear facing camera was a little trickier, but with a little trial and error I managed to secure to underneath the tail rack, but I see that on your bike there is nowhere to conveniently bolt it in to... you may have to bite the bullet and as you suggest, drill a small hole in the rear fender, my only concern there would be vibration but it would be the best place for it and tucked underneath the lens has some protection from dirt. 

 

There is also a 'rear quarter reflector' mounting which could be utilised, but again I'd be concerned about vibration, at least you could test this without making any alternations. 

 

 

 

[ocddave]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I mounted the front facing camera to a bolt which fixes the headlight - I see on the Suzy that there are a couple of convenient mounting points just under the headlight. 

As you are finding the rear facing camera was a little trickier, but with a little trial and error I managed to secure to underneath the tail rack, but I see that on your bike there is nowhere to conveniently bolt it in to... you may have to bite the bullet and as you suggest, drill a small hole in the rear fender, my only concern there would be vibration but it would be the best place for it and tucked underneath the lens has some protection from dirt. 

 

There is also a 'rear quarter reflector' mounting which could be utilised, but again I'd be concerned about vibration, at least you could test this without making any alternations. 

 

 

 

Based on the shape of the L-Bracket, I was going to try and mount it using one of the bolts holding the rear blinkers in place, that would allow me to make the L-Bracket come over the top on one side. The front headlight has a bolt at the bottom that might work, not sure if the bolt will pass thru the bracket yet though, same with the bolt on that rear blinker. The Thai version of this bike doesn't come with that rear quarter reflector or bracket, so I can't use that, but thats a little too far back I think, the other option is one of the two bolts holding the license plate light on. I couldn't find anyone online who has done and installation on a 2017+ SV650, so I guess I might be a guinea pig in this for now. Did you put the main unit under the seat, or leave it exposed on the tank area? I was going to try and leave it under the seat and only expose the GPS unit on the tank.