Foreigners not wearing helmets

[bluesofa]

11 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

And those with lung cancer or rotten livers ?? Stated funded health care ??

Hasn't there been some discussion about that (in the UK anyway) in recent years?

 

Whether it's right for the health service to treat smokers who continue to smoke after hospital treatment for lung cancer, and alcoholics for similar reasons too.

I'm not aware of a policy change, but it is being discussed more.

[bodga]

Helmets and helmets, Thai  helmet 200-400  baht Tesco, my helmet 19000 baht, add into that  wearing it with the strap undone for  many  is a total waste of time, they'd  save a lot  more  lives by not wearing masks  but wearing a helmet.

[rvaviator]

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Yeah, all this disregard for safety.

 

Its messing with my mind.

With a motto like 'Safety First' ... Maybe time to reconsider location ???? ....

 

Take care and stay healthy ..

[MJKT2014]

1 hour ago, jimmjam said:

I wear a helmet for long journeys, if im just going to the local shop down the road i dont bother.

And the logic behind this is? Rhetorical question btw (it it helps).

[Tanoshi]

15 minutes ago, bodga said:

Thai  helmet 200-400  baht Tesco, my helmet 19000 baht,

19,000 baht for a helmet - how many heads have you got!

[spiekerjozef]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

P.S.: Crossing the street as pedestrian is also dangerous.

At the moment going outside is already dangerous ????

[Surelynot]

1 hour ago, cornishcarlos said:

I guess it comes down to personal choice and willingness to take the consequences, financial or physical... 

Some, as above, enjoy a helmet free slow cruise to the shops. Others gear up whatever the journey... 

The problem for society however are the costs incurred through sever injury, never mind destroying the lives of loved ones (and the wife)

[spiekerjozef]

20 minutes ago, bodga said:

Helmets and helmets, Thai  helmet 200-400  baht Tesco, my helmet 19000 baht.

Is that gonna help when you hit a cement truck?

[bluesofa]

9 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

19,000 baht for a helmet - how many heads have you got!

Perhaps the question should be, 'how big is your head'?

(sorry for the flippant answer bodga, regarding a serious subject that i agree with you about. I just couldn't help myself!)

 

[NCC1701A]

I always wear a helmet. 100% of the time for more than six years now. 

same with anyone who is riding with me. 

scooter and motorcycle. 

 

[bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

I always wear a helmet. 100% of the time for more than six years now. 

same with anyone who is riding with me. 

scooter and motorcycle.

Well done that man.

Your hair must be pretty long now if you haven't been able to cut it for six years.

(sorry!)

[NCC1701A]

Just now, bluesofa said:

Well done that man.

Your hair must be pretty long now if you haven't been able to cut it for six years.

(sorry!)

i forgive you. 

[Kullstar]

Simply drop an egg from 6 inches onto concrete and then replicate (No helmet) with your skull at 25mph onto a kerb.

Hey presto, same result. 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, jimmjam said:

I wear a helmet for long journeys, if im just going to the local shop down the road i dont bother.

 

Me too.

[BritManToo]

28 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Hasn't there been some discussion about that (in the UK anyway) in recent years?

 

Whether it's right for the health service to treat smokers who continue to smoke after hospital treatment for lung cancer, and alcoholics for similar reasons too.

I'm not aware of a policy change, but it is being discussed more.

I'd be wanting to stop health care for fat people.

And charge them per pound for flights.

Why do fat people get let off the hook for everything?

[BritManToo]

Just now, Kullstar said:

Simply drop an egg from 6 inches onto concrete and then replicate (No helmet) with your skull at 25mph onto a kerb.

Hey presto, same result. 

How many eggs have you dropped onto concrete in your life?

Same for hitting the kerb at 25Km/hr ..... something I've managed to avoid so far.

[Surelynot]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

I'd be wanting to stop health care for fat people.

And charge them per pound for flights.

Why do fat people get let off the hook for everything?

Not an answer....just thought it was funny.

[BigStar]

2 hours ago, jimmjam said:

I wear a helmet for long journeys, if im just going to the local shop down the road i dont bother.

Reminds me of the Thai wife in our building doing just that. But then once she didn't get 100 meters before hitting a dog and crashing. She was lucky she didn't hit her head on the pavement, only bruised and scraped badly. Lesson learned.

 

Couple months ago I was going up the same little soi and suddenly a Thai tried to turn in front me to enter a building entrance. We barely avoided an accident.

 

It may seem safe enough until it isn't. So I always bother. Easy way to minimize one of many risks of ending up in the hands of Thai docs & hospitals. Been pretty successful so far, and I much prefer to keep it that way.

 

I also support the law requiring the wearing of them, esp. in Thailand where we have so many idiot tourists with poor driving skills and no accident insurance to pay the bill.

[jvs]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Not wearing a helmet should be a personal choice, not a law.

Very old worn out line to use.

My response would be;You chose not to wear a helmet?society chooses not to pick-up your medical bill.;

[bluesofa]

45 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

How many eggs have you dropped onto concrete in your life?

Same for hitting the kerb at 25Km/hr ..... something I've managed to avoid so far.

Unfortunately I haven't avoided that. The eggs yes, but not the motorbike:

Being hit from behind by another motorbike pushed me into the next lane and I was run over by a pick-up. Hence my attitude regarding wearing a helmet.

Even so I was reported to the police as dead, not injured, even though I was wearing a helmet. Neither of the other two vehicles stopped.

I regret not keeping the helmet as a reminder. One side of it had scratches from the concrete road, the other side had rubber marks from the tyre of the pick-up.

 

[VocalNeal]

42 minutes ago, jvs said:

My response would be;You chose not to wear a helmet?society chooses not to pick-up your medical bill.;

Basically the argument in any nation that has universal healthcare.

[Justgrazing]

This boy is setting an example to shame the dodgy no hat f'rangs .. 

And they can cook dinner in it later .. 

 

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I think it is a stupid law any place in the world.

A person can smoke themselves to death.

Drink themselves to death.

Etc.

All legal ways to potentially harm/kill ones self by these personal choices.

Not wearing a helmet should be a personal choice, not a law.

As long as you don't then expect the state or your relatives to support you as a paraplegic resulting from that personal choice, fine.

[Kerryd]

Around here there are more Thais riding around without a helmet that foreigners.
Always been like that. Same for face masks. Same for almost every story where someone tries to make it look like only "foreigners" are doing something wrong.

On the scooter I have my cheap "tesco" helmet with cheapie visor. Might be enough to keep my noggin in one (concussed) piece in a low speed accident.
On the big bike, for short jaunts around the city, I'll wear a skid lid. Again, not usually riding that fast or far. Plus it fits in the saddle bag so there's less chance of it "walking away" when I'm not near the bike. Took a spill once. Looked at my skid lid later and there was a small spot worn through where my skull must have slid on the road for a bit.

On long trips, I (now) wear a modular helmet, gloves, jacket and steel-toed riding boots.

I've ridden from Pattaya to Chiang Mai (and back), Pattaya to Sisaket, Pattaya to Khon Kaen and Buriram and Sa Kaeo wearing running shoes, a t-shirt and a skid lid. (10-12 years ago now.)
I got smart (sort of, finally) and started wearing better gear and it hasn't affected my riding at all. 
A little hot now and then but it's not that bad. I've kissed the pavement a couple of times too and am some glad I had the gear on !

People think it should be a choice but it shouldn't. Just like how you are supposed to wear seat belts in a car. Just like how you are supposed to be licensed/insured/registered in order to be on the roads.
Just like how you are supposed to follow the rules when driving on the roads, like obeying the speed limit. 
It's not a "personal choice" - it's a requirement and just like those other requirements, there's a reason for it. And it's not so that the Thai police can make some side money by targeting the occasional foreigner while ignoring 500 times the number of locals.

The argument about "personal freedom" and choice is lame when you consider that you already agree to follow all the other rules but then have a problem with just this one.
Unless of course you want every one to believe that you are a real rebel and don't have a licence, or insurance, or a registered vehicle and that you drive with a total disregard for the rules (and everyone else on the road). 

Which is how you'd really do it if it was all about "personal freedom".
 

[eisfeld]

It's sad to see so many uninformed or ignorant people. Please consider that rarely have actions by yourself no effect on others. Especially the smoking example given by some. But even not wearing a helmet can risk the health of others. I've seen too many times people whose vision is impaired due to wind or something flying into peoples eyes. I admit that when I started riding scooters I also wasn't keen on a helmet. After I got my first bigger bike I went for a full face helmet and realized what a huge difference it makes in terms of safety but also comfort. It's more comfortable for me to ride without having my face blasted with sand, small rocks or insects. I can hear also suddenly vehicles around me without the wind blasting my ears. I simply have much better situational awareness. One reason why Thailand has so absolutely horrendous road fatality numbers is because of a lack of exactly this situational awareness (the other big reason being disregard for traffic rules). Oh and I don't get itchy eyes anymore due to all the black smoke from cars and trucks. Big win in comfort.

 

Once a bee stung me in my eye while riding. That was a really dangerous moment and a visor would have prevented it from happening. I could have very easily crashed and hurt others, especially my pillion. Since I ride with a helmet that has a visor, I am reminded of this every time a bug leaves a nice splash mark on it.

 

And even if you don't care about your own safety, accept the risk and maybe also disregard the financial burden you might put on others because of insurance payouts... do you have noone around you that would be sad and in hardship if something serious happened to you? Maybe your kids or a spouse? Your parents? Please keep in mind it's not just about yourself.

[aussieinphuket]

no disrespect my friend but honestly this has been going on for ages, obviously thais not wearing helmets has a big influence on what foreigners do and especially when tourists turn up and dont have a license and wear now helmet. i think alot more important this going on in the world presently...

 

think of the upside with this corona virus the road deaths from motorcycles accidents must eb at an all time low in thailand.... the beaches are clean because the scumbag touts and vendors are not there dumping umbrellas and beach chairs and everything else on them. probably the first and last time we will see the beaches looking so lovely if they could just keep them this way in future... but once its over all the scum will be back. 

 

enjoy life stay safe and as long as you wear your helmet stuff the others you re doing the right thing.

[hanssna]

The local Thai plastic helmets are useless, so I might as well drive without

 

[mr mr]

3 hours ago, jvs said:

Very old worn out line to use.

My response would be;You chose not to wear a helmet?society chooses not to pick-up your medical bill.;

as is your line.

 

we are well aware and happy to pay for our own medical bill as a result of the no helmet stance. i hope you neither drink or smoke because society should choose to not pick up the bills of those who get sick due to that life choice ? right ? 

 

 

[teacherclaire]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I think it is a stupid law any place in the world.

A person can smoke themselves to death.

Drink themselves to death.

Etc.

All legal ways to potentially harm/kill ones self by these personal choices.

Not wearing a helmet should be a personal choice, not a law.

Not when the injured person needs a very long recovery at hospital and doesn't have any kind of insurance.

 

   

[mr mr]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

The argument about "personal freedom" and choice is lame

so should that lame excuse not be shot down for the laundry list of other things that people chose to do that are irresponsible ? 

 

do you drink at all ? smoke ciggies ? eat garbage food ? 

 

heck even studies show that sitting on your fanny for the whole day has serious health effects.