Pattaya: Dangers lurk everywhere as foreigner and girlfriend come off motorcycle

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/22/2020 at 6:20 PM, sammieuk1 said:

Farangs fault should have seen it end of story case closed????

Problem is that silly farangs that have zero m'bike experience or have never ridden on Thai roads come to LOS and think they can ride a m'bike there. They have no idea of the problems they will encounter.

Even in Lamphun on good concrete roads with no holes, one had to watch out on corners as the sand and dust was never cleaned off them. Going to Chiang Mai on the old road, there was a pot hole just where a m'cyclist would ride that was not fixed for ages.

Of course, the rental company only wants to make money so will rent to anyone, and if the bike is damaged will make money on the "repairs".

 

It's worst on the islands where young people flock, as they have zip bike experience anyway. The hill on the way to Had Rin claimed lots of them.

Once on the way back from Than Sadet on the mud road I saw a family of farangs, each with their own bike, standing around mum who had skidded off the road into the undergrowth.

Conversley, I also saw a Thai family of mum, dad, and two kids all on one 125 cc m'bike trundling along the dirt road quite safely. Thais learn to ride almost soon as they can walk, and have been carried on them before they can walk.

Edited January 23, 2020 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Flip flops are the least of the worries. Helmet first, then upper body armour then leg, hip and knee armour, might as well get a car

I always wore a helmet, and that saved my life, but never wore more than t shirt, shorts and flip flops. Drive carefully anticipating danger and no more chance of injury than crossing the road on foot. I did drive a scooter though, which provides more protection than a bike.

However can't protect against everything and another m'bike was driven into me when I was virtually stationary, as he wasn't looking where he was going.

[scubascuba3]

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I always wore a helmet, and that saved my life, but never wore more than t shirt, shorts and flip flops. Drive carefully anticipating danger and no more chance of injury than crossing the road on foot. I did drive a scooter though, which provides more protection than a bike.

However can't protect against everything and another m'bike was driven into me when I was virtually stationary, as he wasn't looking where he was going.

Local knowledge is important, knowing the dodgy surfaces and dodgy junctions is important. Driving carefully is more important that anything you wear.

 

A bozo thai in one of those lowered old cars with black windows almost drove into my group of cyclists at the weekend. Probably drunk or drugs or messaging. Accidents can happen even if you do nothing wrong

[sammieuk1]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Problem is that silly farangs that have zero m'bike experience or have never ridden on Thai roads come to LOS and think they can ride a m'bike there. They have no idea of the problems they will encounter.

Even in Lamphun on good concrete roads with no holes, one had to watch out on corners as the sand and dust was never cleaned off them. Going to Chiang Mai on the old road, there was a pot hole just where a m'cyclist would ride that was not fixed for ages.

Of course, the rental company only wants to make money so will rent to anyone, and if the bike is damaged will make money on the "repairs".

 

It's worst on the islands where young people flock, as they have zip bike experience anyway. The hill on the way to Had Rin claimed lots of them.

Once on the way back from Than Sadet on the mud road I saw a family of farangs, each with their own bike, standing around mum who had skidded off the road into the undergrowth.

Conversley, I also saw a Thai family of mum, dad, and two kids all on one 125 cc m'bike trundling along the dirt road quite safely. Thais learn to ride almost soon as they can walk, and have been carried on them before they can walk.

The reason for my comment is based on some years ago had a couple of friends come to stay the lady who is Turkish and highly strung had had a row with her English husband and stomped off up the road and promptly fell down a hole in the pavement.

On arrival at hospital her leg was strapped up and she was presented with the bill and told to be more careful and look where she is going bye bye????

[Eindhoven]

As usual we always have someone who tries to blame the victim.

 

I was out riding last night and I came upon a few of those metal plates whilst out.

 

For those bleating that he should have done this or that.... It is not as easy at that. I had difficulty avoiding them at time, as you either have to pull up and endanger yourself and the person behind you who will have no idea as to why you have suddenly pulled up or change lanes, which is not always possible at a given moment.

 

Never ceases to amaze me that there is always one who tries to blame the victim.

[DrTuner]

16 minutes ago, Eindhoven said:

As usual we always have someone who tries to blame the victim.

 

I was out riding last night and I came upon a few of those metal plates whilst out.

 

For those bleating that he should have done this or that.... It is not as easy at that. I had difficulty avoiding them at time, as you either have to pull up and endanger yourself and the person behind you who will have no idea as to why you have suddenly pulled up or change lanes, which is not always possible at a given moment.

 

Never ceases to amaze me that there is always one who tries to blame the victim.

Defensive driving. In Thailand they are out to kill you. Slippery plates, somchais with bazookas, military choppers falling out of the sky and 90% of the trucks with brain failure. Be prepared for anything and drive a humvee.

 

Not surprisingly I don't enjoy driving in these killing fields.

Edited January 24, 2020 by DrTuner

[JustAnotherHun]

3 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

I was out riding last night and I came upon a few of those metal plates whilst out.

 

For those bleating that he should have done this or that.... It is not as easy at that. I had difficulty avoiding them at time,[...]

 Why to avoid such shields? Just go straight on instead of breaking on it or, even worse, trying to change the line abruptly because panicking.

If you have not enough experience to ride on roads like that, don't blame others for your driving faults.

Edited January 24, 2020 by JustAnotherHun

[Eindhoven]

6 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

 Why to avoid such shields? Just go straight on instead of breaking on it or, even worse, trying to change the line abruptly because panicking.

If you have not enough experience to ride on roads like that, don't blame others for your driving faults.

 

Why are you asking me? Ask the victim blamers;

 

 

You are all experts, but cannot quite agree on what he should have done...

[JustAnotherHun]

8 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

 

Why are you asking me? Ask the victim blamers;

 

I ask you, because you were telling having had problems to avoid those shields.

 

It's so easy:

If you see such shields (or holes in the surface, gully covers etc) early enough, look in your mirrors or even over your shoulder. Then, If the traffic allows it, change your direction smoothly and bypass the obstacle.

If you see it late, stay relaxed, keep your speed and go on straight. No hard braking, no sharp moves and everything will be ok. As one should know, on two wheels speed is stability.

 

The roads here are dangerous as everyone should know. And there are many things to blame: mindless or reckless drivers, morons speeding out of the sois without looking if someone's coming, pedestrians jumping on the street from behind a tour bus right in front of you and far more.

Those are the problems, not metal shield or the (compared to Europe and US) lack of warning signs.

 

My advice to unexperienced or elderly riders with problems to keep balance on their 125cc-monsters and especially tourists:

 

Take a motorbike taxi! Their driving may scare you a bit, some of them are quite fast using the road like a slalom piste - but they CAN drive even with a 150-kg-farang on the back seat.

Edited January 25, 2020 by JustAnotherHun

[morrobay]

8 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

 

Why are you asking me? Ask the victim blamers;

 

 

You are all experts, but cannot quite agree on what he should have done...

As JustAnotherHun said he should have done nothing except just maintain speed and direction. 

[Eindhoven]

7 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

I ask you, because you were telling having had problems to avoid those shields.

 

It's so easy:

If you see such shields (or holes in the surface, gully covers etc) early enough, look in your mirrors or even over your shoulder. Then, If the traffic allows it, change your direction smoothly and bypass the obstacle.

If you see it late, stay relaxed, keep your speed and go on straight. No hard braking, no sharp moves and everything will be ok. As one should know, on two wheels speed is stability.

 

The roads here are dangerous as everyone should know. And there are many things to blame: mindless or reckless drivers, morons speeding out of the sois without looking if someone's coming, pedestrians jumping on the street from behind a tour bus right in front of you and far more.

Those are the problems, not metal shield or the (compared to Europe and US) lack of warning signs.

 

My advice to unexperienced or elderly riders with problems to keep balance on their 125cc-monsters and especially tourists:

 

Take a motorbike taxi! Their driving may scare you a bit, some of them are quite fast using the road like a slalom piste - but they CAN drive even with a 150-kg-farang on the back seat.

 

 

 

No need to ask me. It was simply in reply to those who stated, "avoid them".

 

Way too many "experts" willing to criticise victims on this forum... always thinking they know better.

[gk10002000]

Based on some of the streets there I have seen, he was lucky the large hole was actually covered by a steel plate!

[sucit]

And he wasn't drunk or on something? 

 

If you eat <deleted> on a motorbike in Thailand, no matter what happened, you had it coming to you. 

[balo]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:08 AM, craighj said:

And why oh why do we not see Farang with helmets.  They can’t ride a motorcycle at home without a helmet so why do most think they can ride here without one?

Most of them like to drink and ride a bike home at night,  and probably have a death wish. 

[jacko45k]

8 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

Based on some of the streets there I have seen, he was lucky the large hole was actually covered by a steel plate!

I know when I took the corner off Sukhumvit into Klang and there is a large metal plate my first inclination was to avoid it, but as I was in a bunch of bikes that was not possible. I had visions of it tipping up and falling in a deep hole! If it was wet, or worse oiled I would have been very concerned.