Sat, waiting at the red lights......the motorcycle taxis, Grab and Panda gangs swarm through the queues of cars like their lives depend on getting to the front .......one of them takes off your wing-mirror or gouges the side of the car..........

 

This hasn't happened to me, yet, but it only seems to be a matter of time......what might happen next?

 

Do they smile, say sorry and leave you with a huge bill......... jump off their bike and share insurance and contact details......pretend not to notice and ride on.......is there any point in clocking their number plate?

 

Anyone any experience of this?

26 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

This hasn't happened to me, yet, but it only seems to be a matter of time......what might happen next?

 

Why sit worrying about bad things that haven't even happened.......

 

.

3 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

 

Why sit worrying about bad things that haven't even happened.......

 

.

Proven fact....you are wealthier and live longer than if you take a laissez-faire attitude to life's potential misfortunes.

Too many variables. I hate the Panda guys in my area with a passion ! Buzzing around like Mosquitoes.

 

In reality I guess it all depends on the circumstances at the time, what and how, and of course how the person responds. In my experience things like that, minor bumps are usually dealt with quite ammicably. If they are not you make a Police report and go through the formal process as you would any other accident. (IMHO)

 

55 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

This hasn't happened to me, yet, but it only seems to be a matter of time......what might happen next?

There's a whole range of book by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone that I'd recommend for optional decision making of the unknown !

Amazing how many bike riders never turn there heads, or look into a side view mirror before cutting directly in front of you.  Complete disregard for others as well as their own safety.  They must truly believe the amulets and tattoos protect them.

1 minute ago, ThailandRyan said:

Amazing how many bike riders never turn there heads, or look into a side view mirror before cutting directly in front of you.  Complete disregard for others as well as their own safety.  They must truly believe the amulets and tattoos protect them.

Of course...an amulet....then I can relax whilst sitting at the red lights......cheers.

58 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Sat, waiting at the red lights......the motorcycle taxis, Grab and Panda gangs swarm through the queues of cars like their lives depend on getting to the front .......one of them takes off your wing-mirror or gouges the side of the car..........

 

This hasn't happened to me, yet, but it only seems to be a matter of time......what might happen next?

 

Do they smile, say sorry and leave you with a huge bill......... jump off their bike and share insurance and contact details......pretend not to notice and ride on.......is there any point in clocking their number plate?

 

Anyone any experience of this?

 

I used to worry about that...   in over 20 years of driving in Bangkok it has never happened. 

(now I’ve written that it will probably happen the next time I take the car out). 

 

What will happen?? one of two things. 

1) The rider will not stop - nothing you can do, he’s gone. If you have a dash-cam you can give that to your insurance.

2) The rider will stop & apologise - he has no insurance, you call your insurance and let them deal with it.

 

No biggie either way, its just life - Let your insurance handle it. Thats why 1st Class insurance is important. 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I used to worry about that...   in over 20 years of driving in Bangkok it has never happened. 

(now I’ve written that it will probably happen the next time I take the car out). 

 

What will happen?? one of two things. 

1) The rider will not stop - nothing you can do, he’s gone. If you have a dash-cam you can give that to your insurance.

2) The rider will stop & apologise - he has no insurance, you call your insurance and let them deal with it.

 

No biggie either way, its just life - Let your insurance handle it. Thats why 1st Class insurance is important. 

 

 

 

Dash cam...now there's a thought.....

 

(now I’ve written that it will probably happen the next time I take the car out). ....555

 

 

I just recalled - its happened twice (was such a non-event I forgot).

 

1st time: Sukhumvit Rd Bangkok: I was moving slowly forwards at walking pace, a moped cuts across me and I gently clip it (rider doest not fall off). He pulls to the side of the road and wai’s me. I put my hand up to acknowledge his apology and continue on. When I look at the car there is a black mark on the bumper (nothing serious but it won’t polish out).

 

2nd time: Same situation: Sukhumvit Rd Bangkok: I was moving slowly forwards at walking pace, a moped cuts across me and I gently clip it (rider doest not fall off), rider doesn’t stop but continues on without apologising, I blast my horn. Again another mark on the bumper. 

 

I use insurance to get both marks fixed and a couple of stone chips fixed - no biggie. 

 

 

We can’t be owned by the things we own - a car is a convenience, its going to pick up a few stone chips, supermarket dinks etc - its just part of the coast of having your own transport. 

 

 

I try and leave as much space as possible for motorcycles to easily pass, maybe that helps reduce the incidence. 

 

When on my bike I get annoyed at the car who positions themselves without consideration for motorbikes who want to pass - i.e. all the vehicles are aligned to the left of the lane and one idiot aligns to the right !

 

Also: on my motorcycle I too have clipped a mirror a couple of times - the slightest of taps: I’ve stopped put my hand up to apologies. The car driver just puts their hand up, fortunately not a big deal for them. Minor misjudgements happen.

 

I too am surprised it doesn’t happen a lot more. 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

what might happen next?

i have this setup on top of my helmet. good for the police to review what happened. 

1 hour ago, Surelynot said:

what might happen next?

They blame you while inspecting their bike for scratches.  That’s what happened to me in BKK which is why I only use my car for long distance road trips and take a taxi if I need to go somewhere in the city.  

9 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

i have this setup on top of my helmet.

 

 

Did it require expensive surgery and how do you pull your jeans up ?

30 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Amazing how many bike riders never turn there heads, or look into a side view mirror before cutting directly in front of you.  Complete disregard for others as well as their own safety.  They must truly believe the amulets and tattoos protect them.

In a way I agree with you.

But what many car drivers don't know is that on a motorcycle you see a lot more, including peripheral view, than car drivers - even without turning around.

The downside of that is for motorcycle riders that many think car drivers see as much as they see. And that is how lots of accidents happen. The motorcycle guy thinks the car drivers sees him, but the car driver doesn't...

 

28 minutes ago, Airalee said:

They blame you while inspecting their bike for scratches.  That’s what happened to me in BKK which is why I only use my car for long distance road trips and take a taxi if I need to go somewhere in the city.  

 

Thats one common facet over here... ‘the inability to accept responsibility for ones mistakes’....  fortunately, its not everyone.

 

 

Just yesterday my Wife showed me dash-cam footage. 

She was in the right hand lane (of a 3 lane inner city road) Rama IV I think. Traffic not busy. 

Bus stopped in the left lane but didn’t pull over properly also blocking the middle lane. Car behind the bus slowed to stop. A ‘works’ pickup slowed to stop behind the car, then suddenly swerved into the right hand lane (he didn’t want to stop !)

Wife passing in the outside lane at 54kmh (speed from dash-cam footage) was very fortunate, at that very place there was a U-Turn lane to the right, effectively making a 4th lane, which my Wife swerved into to avoid contact. 

100% pickup drivers fault, he swerved out without looking. 

 

Nope: The pick-up driver drove alongside my wife looking at her angrily and shouting something at her. He clearly believed he was not at fault and she had no right to be driving at 54kmh in the lane he wanted to swerve into !!!! 

 

Unfortunately, its the same unreasonable idiots who cause the accidents who lack the emotional tools to accept they are the ones who made a mistake, and, that type of behaviour is not solely exclusive to Thai’s, we see on this forum how differently people view things.

 

And, as always when presenting a personal experience, there will be someone freshly topped up with sanctimony and a sense of personal perfection who will point out some reason why my Wife was at fault !!! (I watched the video - she 100% avoided an accident which would have been 100% the fault of the other party).

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Thats one common facet over here... ‘the inability to accept responsibility for ones mistakes’....  fortunately, its not everyone.

 

 

Just yesterday my Wife showed me dash-cam footage. 

She was in the right hand lane (of a 3 lane inner city road) Rama IV I think. Traffic not busy. 

Bus stopped in the left lane but didn’t pull over properly also blocking the middle lane. Car behind the bus slowed to stop. A ‘works’ pickup slowed to stop behind the car, then suddenly swerved into the right hand lane (he didn’t want to stop !)

Wife passing in the outside lane at 54kmh (speed from dash-cam footage) was very fortunate, at that very place there was a U-Turn lane to the right, effectively making a 4th lane, which my Wife swerved into to avoid contact. 

100% pickup drivers fault, he swerved out without looking. 

 

Nope: The pick-up driver drove alongside my wife looking at her angrily and shouting something at her. He clearly believed he was not at fault and she had no right to be driving at 54kmh in the lane he wanted to swerve into !!!! 

 

Unfortunately, its the same unreasonable idiots who cause the accidents who lack the emotional tools to accept they are the ones who made a mistake, and, that type of behaviour is not solely exclusive to Thai’s, we see on this forum how differently people view things.

 

And, as always when presenting a personal experience, there will be someone freshly topped up with sanctimony and a sense of personal perfection who will point out some reason why my Wife was at fault !!! (I watched the video - she 100% avoided an accident which would have been 100% the fault of the other party).

I don’t have a dash cam in my car and even if I did, I’m not sure it would have captured the motorbike rider that veered into me and clipped my wheel leaving only the tiniest of dings.   Fortunately, my girlfriend (at the time) was there to set him straight and thankfully he had no damage to his bike as it was his foot peg that clipped me.  Still...even if I had 360 degree video coverage that showed that the guy was a fault...and the damage to my car was more substantial...I dread thinking about the headache I would deal with getting it repaired.

I have been hit 2x, once by a government official and both times the police found in my favor... any time you are in an accident there will be inconveniences as there can be loss of time if your vehicle needs repairs... 

 

but, this is life, things happen... don't worry, be happy. 

21 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Sat, waiting at the red lights......the motorcycle taxis, Grab and Panda gangs swarm through the queues of cars like their lives depend on getting to the front .......one of them takes off your wing-mirror or gouges the side of the car..........

 

This hasn't happened to me, yet, but it only seems to be a matter of time......what might happen next?

 

Do they smile, say sorry and leave you with a huge bill......... jump off their bike and share insurance and contact details......pretend not to notice and ride on.......is there any point in clocking their number plate?

 

Anyone any experience of this?

Brand new Mazda2...two weeks old...GF at stop light in Thonburi. Old guy on bike rams into back of car. She jumps out...gets a pic of him and his license plate before he gets back on and runs away. Files Police report....giving them pic of driver and bike and license plate #. They do nothing....Insurance will cover all but 2000 baht because offender could not be located. GF informs me that police request incentive to actually go out and catch the guy. Bottom line...give police 2000 baht to get off their <deleted> or pay 2000 baht deductible. Sucks...but that's what happens next

20 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

its just part of the coast of having your own transport. 

Yes, indeed!  

 

Not directly relevant but my ‘scrape-rate’ was far higher when I drove (and particularly parked) in London (UK) and Boston (USA) than it is here (in Bangkok and Pattaya areas mostlyj. 

     I have lived in Bangkok almost two years. I dont drive, but I can give you a couple of examples I witnessed.

I was on Sukhumvit Road Asoke in a Grab Car. A motorbike passes the Grab Car on the left. The motorbike driver hits the car's sideview mirror pushing the mirror back. The motorbike driver stops, looks back at the mirror, and takes off.

    The second incident was when I was a passenger in a car, and a Thai friend was driving. We were in Onnut. She starts to make a left turn onto Sukhumvit Road. A motorbike comes up at a high rate of speed and attempts to go around the left side of the car and cut in front of the car. This is as she is making the turn. The motorbike couldnt make it and the driver drops the bike from under him. My friend slams the brakes to avoid hitting him. The motorbike driver then comes over to the car and wants to fight, At this point two security guards from a condo building start approaching the motorbike driver. When the driver sees them approaching, he gets back on his bike and takes off. This was not my friends fault. The motorbike was going too fast plus trying to make an unsafe maneuver. 

It's never happened to me in Thailand. But I used to commute with a motorbike in Melbourne (Australia) and occasionally knocked a mirror when filtering through peak hour traffic. I remember once smashing a large towing mirror that was sticking right out. It bent my mirror out of whack and I had to adjust it back in place. That was slightly inconvenient for me and I vowed never to do it again.

On 2/4/2021 at 11:48 AM, Surelynot said:

Sat, waiting at the red lights......the motorcycle taxis, Grab and Panda gangs swarm through the queues of cars like their lives depend on getting to the front .......one of them takes off your wing-mirror or gouges the side of the car..........

 

This hasn't happened to me, yet, but it only seems to be a matter of time......what might happen next?

 

Do they smile, say sorry and leave you with a huge bill......... jump off their bike and share insurance and contact details......pretend not to notice and ride on.......is there any point in clocking their number plate?

 

Anyone any experience of this?

Why do you worry about something that has NOT happened to you ?

You think too mut..

On 2/4/2021 at 12:45 PM, ThailandRyan said:

Amazing how many bike riders never turn there heads, or look into a side view mirror before cutting directly in front of you.  Complete disregard for others as well as their own safety.  They must truly believe the amulets and tattoos protect them.

They Learned it in moobaan , never see a mirror on a bike in Moobaan in isaan 

I thought you were asking about the afterlife.

1 hour ago, murraynz said:

Why do you worry about something that has NOT happened to you ?

You think too mut..

As I said before......people who worry, generally live longer and are wealthier.......their stress levels overall are lower because the look ahead with a view to countering problems before they become a real problem.

14 minutes ago, roquefort said:

I thought you were asking about the afterlife.

Got a pretty good idea.....SFA

16 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

people who worry, generally live longer and are wealthier

I doubt that.

Stress is a killer

On 2/4/2021 at 1:19 PM, Bangyai said:

 

Did it require expensive surgery and how do you pull your jeans up ?

 

 

Who said he has to pull up his jeans?

 

 

 

Happened to me. Bikes going in opposite directions both overtaking whilst I was stationary in a queue. They had to swerve to avoid each other and one of them bounced their handlebar of the side of my car and rode off into the traffic. Guess I was lucky in that their bike was not apparently damaged otherwise no doubt I would be at fault as a farang with first class insurance. My front and rear dashcam did not pick it up!

If they do have insurance it is most likely just Pa la ba which only pays for medical.