Pattaya: British pensioner killed on motorcycle making U-turn

[chilly07]

This stretch of road is a racetrack with bikes and cars speeding to be first at the next lights- the u turns are extremely dangerous and often closed to stop people crossing 8 lanes to MACRO. Even when shut bikes still cross the central reservation. Age is only an issue as it appears the younger they are the less experienced they are and the faster they drive!

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Borzandy said:

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Somchai told police that he was going to work

Somchai was late, so he was speeding.

well, at the very least, he's got an excuse now...

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

The dangerous practice of cutting across from the left to make a U turn is all too common on the roads in Thailand. Motorcyclists seem to have an aversion to filtering across to the right in a timely manner well before the junction. It seems that the Unfortunate John G had got into the same habit.

 

It can be scary and a bit intimidating to keep up with the speed of the traffic and filter across, but that's the safest thing to do and it's how I always do it.

 

And for the record @VYCM I'm 73 years old, still ride regularly and my skills have not diminished one bit. So less of the ageism if you don't mind.

 No disrespect Moonlover and more power to you. Different people age at different rates so indeed each should make a decision on their own.

I like  riding a scooter myself, even though we have a Car we always used to ride everywhere in Khon Kaen, a lot easier to park, and much more fun than a car  But the indisputable fact remains that with age we do degrade, reaction times demish, cognitive powers are compromised,  bones do become more brittle and  heal slower. A broken bone is a simple thing at 40 but could be a life sentence at 73. So IMO not ageism, just prudent observation. So I only ride from our house to the convenience store in the village and back, and I am 62.  Keep riding as long as you can, but be a little more careful than you used to and stay safe..

Anyway Pretty Sad for John G,  I hope it was instant for him and that he did not suffer, and my condolences to his family and friends who I am sure will miss him very much.

Edited November 28, 2019 by sirineou

[Ventenio]

It's ridiculous to say there isn't any ageism.  Do you see professional athletes over the age of 50????  maybe 1 in a zillion.  football players in their 40's more agile than a young kid?  maybe 1 in a zillion.  more people in their 40's forget if the light was on, wondering where they put their keys, and they forget a lot more than when they were younger.  This is scientifically proven.   Sure, I've seen the old guys going 11 kph on their scooter in the middle of the road without a helmet, likely thinking they are speed racer; oblivious to the 1 million cars honking at them.   If you have money for a car, buy one.  even a bicycle is safer than a scooter, since you have more options and cars generally don't treat them as vehicles (exceptions, sure).  just go play some sports with young kids and you'll soon realize your body is slower, weaker, and your brain just not as sharp.    Ageism is a huge thing.  

[Puccini]

6 hours ago, johng said:

Ill add that it was not this John G     R.I.P   my namesake ????

 

I'm surprised there hasn't been more accidents at that  Makro U-turn   which encourages cutting across  4 lanes of fast traffic to get into the Makro entrance.

How is cutting across four lanes encouraged? Does the leftmost lane have a U-turn symbol painted on it?

[notasmartassknowitallfarag]

The way the road system in Thailand is created is one of the issues. 

 

Dangeous U turns turning on to speeding traffic, where you have to judge if you can make it in time, is not the way forward.  

[mngmn]

40 minutes ago, sirineou said:

 ...cognitive powers are compromised...

Not until 80s - 90s depending on how good the cognitive powers are to start with.  A low IQ, testosterone fuelled, 20 year old is much more likely to be involved in an accident than a high IQ, careful 70 year old.  Look at the actual accident statistics if you don't believe me. 

[mngmn]

34 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

It's ridiculous to say there isn't any ageism.  Do you see professional athletes over the age of 50????  maybe 1 in a zillion.  football players in their 40's more agile than a young kid?  maybe 1 in a zillion.  more people in their 40's forget if the light was on, wondering where they put their keys, and they forget a lot more than when they were younger.  This is scientifically proven.   Sure, I've seen the old guys going 11 kph on their scooter in the middle of the road without a helmet, likely thinking they are speed racer; oblivious to the 1 million cars honking at them.   If you have money for a car, buy one.  even a bicycle is safer than a scooter, since you have more options and cars generally don't treat them as vehicles (exceptions, sure).  just go play some sports with young kids and you'll soon realize your body is slower, weaker, and your brain just not as sharp.    Ageism is a huge thing.  

Are you saying that a 70 year old with an IQ of 130 is not as "sharp" as a 20 year old with an IQ of 90? Where is you're "scientific proof"?

[dabhand]

Use that U-turn many times when coming from East Pattaya heading to Tesco Lotus. Even in a pick-up you have to be careful with the fast traffic to judge getting safely to the U-turn. On a motorbike it would be extremely dangerous.

 

The other point being that anyone heading to Makro from that u-turn would be crossing the white line and therefore making an illegal turn. They should go south to the traffic lights and make a turn there. 

 

Now being reported in the Daily Mail.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7734489/British-pensioner-74-killed-knocked-motorbike-truck-Thailand.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

Edited November 28, 2019 by dabhand

[CNXexpat]

Many farang expats after a few months in Thailand: "I know how it works. I don´t need a helmet and can drive very fast".

[Jim walker]

RIP John G another fatality head injuries on a motorbike just shows that you need a proper accredited crash helmet not a building site hard hat especially on Thai roads  

[ChipButty]

I hate them U turn's all over Thailand

[Henricus]

The car is at fault he/she can not use that lane look at the lines on the road

[Cake Monster]

6 hours ago, johng said:

Ill add that it was not this John G     R.I.P   my namesake ????

 

I'm surprised there hasn't been more accidents at that  Makro U-turn   which encourages cutting across  4 lanes of fast traffic to get into the Makro entrance.

R.I.P John G

That U-turn has already been re-sited once due to the large amount of accidents there.

The thing should be permanently closed as there are a set of Traffic Lights only 400 M down the road at Wat Boon Intersection

Another Crazy waste of Life

 

[Pilotman]

Poor guy, but no helmet, just shorts and flip flops?  Another who didn't think normal bike riding protective clothing is needed in LOS.  Very sadly, he won't be the last farang who ends this way on a motorbike. 

[Pilotman]

5 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I hate them U turn's all over Thailand

They are fine, a very cheap ( in building costs) and effective way of changing direction, provided you take due care and attention.  Unfortunately many do not. 

[torturedsole]

14 minutes ago, dabhand said:

Now being reported in the Daily Mail.

If anyone's running an adblocker on Internet Explorer or Edge then DM will almost certainly lock you out of the site with their adblocker warning.  The workaround is to open Firefox in a private window which is then ad-free even without an adblocker running.  

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, mok199 said:

I often see it used in TVF ,...thanks for the clarification..have a good day...

 

6 hours ago, mok199 said:

 Somchai is a real name or just a term used for a worker of sorts or both???  

In Scotland, your a Jock, In The Republic of Ireland, your a Paddy, In Thailand your a Somchai.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, VYCM said:

The sensible thing to do would to travel another couple of hundred metres and U turn at the traffic lights. 

Yeah but yeah but yeah but ......

reached 74 to go out doing a U-turn.... 

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Lemonltr said:

It seems from the photograph that the accident occurred on the southbound road, meaning that he was turning out of the northbound (MAKRO) Road. The next lights are not until the Theprasit crossroad. 

But Somchai the car diver who was in the right-most 'fast' lane headed south says the motorbike came from his left so maybe the dead guy was aiming FOR the u-turn and didn't see the car coming.

 

These u-turns need to have extra signage, wqrning lights and the outermost lanes on both sides cross-painted with yellow lines and considerable rumble strips like the ones serving the u-turn lanes on the Mitrapharb north out of Khon Kaen. Right now, traffic still sees it as a fast lane and ignore the existing white arcs painted on the outermost lanes.

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I'm 73 years old, still ride regularly and my skills have not diminished one bit.

Compared with when? Last year?

 

Everyone's skills diminish and they deteriorate faster in older people who have absolutely no valid points of reference any more.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

Was out yesterday, the Mrs was driving, next thing an old Falang with the GF on the back of his bike just pulled out from a soi on the left, didn't slow down didn't even look, about the same age as the guy in the OP, I was gonna give him some verbal but the Mrs had locked the windows, Thais do it all the time, such stupidity.

 

RIP John G. 

I agree. Locking the windows and denying you a chance to vent. So stupid.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Puccini said:

How is cutting across four lanes encouraged? Does the leftmost lane have a U-turn symbol painted on it?

The u-turns in question are the only way of crossing this central median for a distance of about 2.2 km between major junctions with traffic lights. They are clearly signposted as two legal. single-lane u-turns about 20 m apart. Unfortunately, about 500 meters north and 300 meters south of the u-turns are two roads that are major access routes to the east and the 'darkside'. Traffic coming out of Soi 87 needs to cut across 4 lanes within 500 m to get the u-turn to head north; probably what this victim was doing. U-turning traffic wanting to go east has to race across 4 lanes to catch Toonglomtalman Road within 300 m. The lazy ones that are trying to get in and out of Makro quicker just makes it worse.

[Grusa]

4 hours ago, Lemonltr said:

It seems from the photograph that the accident occurred on the southbound road, meaning that he was turning out of the northbound (MAKRO) Road. The next lights are not until the Theprasit crossroad. 

Well spotted that man! That is a much more dangerous U-turn.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, mngmn said:

Not until 80s - 90s depending on how good the cognitive powers are to start with.  A low IQ, testosterone fuelled, 20 year old is much more likely to be involved in an accident than a high IQ, careful 70 year old. Look at the actual accident statistics if you don't believe me. 

Why don't you post these fanciful statistics first instead of glibly saying they exist?

 

Simple demographics would suggest that the group of 20 to 60 year old drivers here is larger than the group of 60 to 80 year old drivers. It isn't rocket surgery that there's going to be more fatalities in the former compared with the latter but it has absolutely nothing to do with youthful testosterone and inexperience or some deep pool of driving experience and passing a 'proper' driving test in another country more than 50 years ago.

 

As for IQ, what's yours?

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, torturedsole said:

If anyone's running an adblocker on Internet Explorer or Edge then DM will almost certainly lock you out of the site with their adblocker warning.  The workaround is to open Firefox in a private window which is then ad-free even without an adblocker running.  

The DM's been unblocked for aeons already. Purge the internet cache and update any bookmarks.

[White Christmas13]

1 hour ago, CNXexpat said:

Many farang expats after a few months in Thailand: "I know how it works. I don´t need a helmet and can drive very fast".

Yes I noticed that, went out for lunch with friends in nong prue and sitting in a small

restaurant on a very busy corner. I started counting farangs on bikes. At about 20

I stopped, out of that lot, only about 2 were wearing a helmet, all in shorts wearing

flip flops and doing speeds like if they were racing at the moto GP.

[Moonlover]

26 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I'm 73 years old, still ride regularly and my skills have not diminished one bit.

 

27 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Compared with when? Last year?

 

Everyone's skills diminish and they deteriorate faster in older people who have absolutely no valid points of reference any more.

I think I'm the one best placed to make that judgement call. I'll know when it's time to hang up my helmet and ain't anytime soon, I'm having too much fun!

 

Ones skills, in any aspect of life deteriorate if you allow them to. I don't!

[White Christmas13]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

Poor guy, but no helmet, just shorts and flip flops?  Another who didn't think normal bike riding protective clothing is needed in LOS.  Very sadly, he won't be the last farang who ends this way on a motorbike. 

Sad but very true

[Moonlover]

34 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

3 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

Was out yesterday, the Mrs was driving, next thing an old Falang with the GF on the back of his bike just pulled out from a soi on the left, didn't slow down didn't even look, about the same age as the guy in the OP, I was gonna give him some verbal but the Mrs had locked the windows, Thais do it all the time, such stupidity.

 

RIP John G. 

 

34 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

I agree. Locking the windows and denying you a chance to vent. So stupid.

Good call wife. Glad to read that some Thai drivers have a bit of common sense. Having a rant at other drivers/riders is plain stupidity. And when a Thai does it we immediately call them immature and stupid. Don't we!