Is there any reason to own a car here if you are living in a city?

[JensenZ]

12 minutes ago, sungod said:

Good luck on that 'safe motorbike' of yours!!! (says it all really)

Dude, you have a real problem comprending anything. It's not the motorcycle, but the rider of it that determines the level of safety or risk... just as your big safe car can be a danger on the road in the wrong hands. Let's hope that's not you.

Edited January 17, 2022 by JensenZ

[userabcd]

No.

[sungod]

1 minute ago, JensenZ said:

Dude, you have a real problem comprending anything. It's not the motorcycle, but the rider of it that determines the level of safety or risk... just as your big safe car can be a danger on the road in the wrong hands. Let's hope that's not you.

'Dude' Who actually uses that expression anymore. ????

 

So no chance of you getting hit by someone else as your are 'safely' riding your 'safe motorcyle.'  You are a hoot!

[BE88]

16 hours ago, giddyup said:

I watch Thai TV news every day and the number of motorcyclists killed by careless/speeding motorists is frightening. I don't care how experienced you are you can't anticipate all the crazies.

Last year I found myself on a road bend where one car was overtaking another luckily I was not in a car and there was still room on the road to pass with my bike, I felt lucky to be on a motorcycle.

 

[BE88]

BTW There is also the option to rent a car when you need it and not worry about maintenance and taxes if you own a car.

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, JensenZ said:

Mr Statistics comes in again for another go LOL and this time with a sarcastic approach. Do you never quit? Please show me the comment where I said I was untouchable. I made it clear I am not and agreed there is higher risk on 2 wheels. The point is the risk is not set according to your statistical analysis, which you have not submitted, but constantly refer to. Putting everyone who rides a motorcycle in the same risk category is rather unscientific for a statistical analyst like you. We should check your sources.

 

Have a read here if you have some spare time. You might learn something you don't know about statistical analysis.

 

https://public.wsu.edu/~taflinge/evistats.html

Just how much actual riding do you do? If it's only to your local 7/11 a 100 metres away, or you live in a rural area with little traffic, then I guess your chances of survival increase. BtW, show me where I said I was a statistical analyst. Seems you're not above sarcasm yourself.

[Skallywag]

2 hours ago, Victornoir said:

I just replaced PCX with the new Forza 350.

Perfect for weekly shopping with the 45 l top case.

Perfect for getting to Chonburi hospital every month, faster than other motobikes, more lively than all cars, the king of asphalt !

Yes, this is the 1970's love affair with the ride and macho guy attitude who thinks his bike is the best and makes him happy.

Spend more time with ladies and quit polluting the air we breathe please is all I can say.

Once a month to chonburi hospital and shopping weekly you need a 170K motorbike?  Come on man, twisting a throttle isnt macho and king of the asphalt is only in your mind.

This is the 21st century, use public transpo, get an e-bike, or walk and lower the amont of fossil fuels you use to save the planet from climate change . 

You are selfish and self centered it seems, like 97% of the others who think burning fuel and creating pollution and traffic is their "right", but to me it is morally wrong

Stay safer so you live longer without permanent scars and injuries from an unavoidable accident 

OK rant over 

Peace

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, Victornoir said:

I just replaced PCX with the new Forza 350....Perfect for weekly shopping with the 45 l top case.

 

I got you beat, and 'saving the planet' at the same time ...  ????

 

And no, I don't use, though did try putting the dog in it, which she didn't agree with.  My next career move in retirement, Panda delivery driver. ????

Edited January 17, 2022 by KhunLA

[VocalNeal]

24 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

You are selfish and self centered it seems, like 97% of the others who think burning fuel and creating pollution and traffic is their "right", but to me it is morally wrong

To you? You are selfish and self centered it seems. et al. The internet, you use to fulfill your holier than thou mantra, if it were a country would be the fourth largest consumer of electric power. 

So how about not using the internet to "to save the planet from climate change" . 

 

But if living in Bangkok, I do not see the need to own a car. Bangkok, with its taxis,  has the best public transport in the world

Edited January 17, 2022 by VocalNeal

[Pravda]

59 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

Dude, you have a real problem comprending anything. It's not the motorcycle, but the rider of it that determines the level of safety or risk... just as your big safe car can be a danger on the road in the wrong hands. Let's hope that's not you.

 

The first thing they teach you in the west is defensive driving....and I quote..."drive like everyone around you is trying to kill you".

 

And that in Thailand is almost everyone. So, he is more than correct.

[FritsSikkink]

10 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I really enjoy shopping as an immersive experience. Immersed in a wealth of choice.

Then you should shop multiple times a day which you can do online where there is much more choice than in a brick and mortar shop.

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, sungod said:

Well, I know many guys who ride bikes carefully, but have been taken out by other users. Thats not rocket science either when you look at the road safety figures here.

Life is full of risk/reward. Touch wood, I've been driving a car and scooter here for 10 years now accident-free, so I must be doing something right.

If you look at the road safety figures here, or most other countries for that matter, IMO you'll find teenagers up to mid-twenties are the bulk of the toll. They think they are immortal.

[Skallywag]

40 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

To you? You are selfish and self centered it seems. et al. The internet, you use to fulfill your holier than thou mantra, if it were a country would be the fourth largest consumer of electric power. 

So how about not using the internet to "to save the planet from climate change" . 

 

But if living in Bangkok, I do not see the need to own a car. Bangkok, with its taxis,  has the best public transport in the world

Transportation emits more greenhouse gases than electrical power plants in the US, likely more in Thailand.  Power plants have CO2 scrubbers and other ways to reduce emissions, plus are outside urban areas where gases are diluted and released high above the land.  66% of power plants are natural gas and 21% are Coal 

10's of millions of cars and mototcycles are a constant in your face in the city blowing the CO2 and NOx gases right at street level.  20 million motorbikes and over 18 million cars in Thailand. 

Big difference IMO  

[VocalNeal]

2 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

Transportation emits more greenhouse gases than electrical power plants in the US,

But this isn't Kansas.

 

While on the subject of the US. there isn't enough electricity generated in the US for everyone to have an electric car.

[KhunLA]

Unless you're Amish ...

 

... stop with the blame game of not being green enough.

 

Do you ride a horse or bicycle for transport ... fly domestic or international.  Stop being a hypocrite.

 

You're on an electronic device, using the internet.  You can't get any more un-Green than that.  Even if you never leave your teepee.

Edited January 17, 2022 by KhunLA

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

But this isn't Kansas.

 

While on the subject of the US. there isn't enough electricity generated in the US for everyone to have an electric car.

There probably is, you'd just have to turn off the AC, electric heat & stove / ovens. ????

[Stocky]

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

That’s an impossibility with taxi’s... we dont know until we are in the vehicle. 

I have the phone numbers LINE accounts of a handful of local taxis I know and trust, I book them in advance, ditto a handful of tuk-tuks. They pick-up from the house.

[EVENKEEL]

If I was living solo in an urban setting such as Pattaya, owning a car might be more hassle than it's worth. Especially if you travel back to your home country periodically and don't have secure long term parking. Having a bad ass big bike and a scooter would suffice almost anywhere. Plenty of foreigners where I live that don't own cars, just MB's. They get by just fine. 

 

[petermik]

19 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I am not saying one shouldn't but I just wonder about the need. For you it's a hobby but for me I can not imagine a reason to drive, especially if I am going out for a drink or a meal. Being driven is so cool. But driving to me is just a chore and a bore..

We travel monthly from our base here in Pattaya down to a house we had built in Trang 7 years ago and I would not be without a car....motorbike I use here in Patts for long distance...walking I prefer in the city itself.

[spidermike007]

Our lives improved considerably when we got our first car here. The independence we got when we decided to go on road trips was fantastic, plus the ability to be able to drive during stormy weather. Mostly, we love traveling and there is alot to see here. I consider car trips to be so much more fun than the minivans. And the trains here are dreadful.

 

Perhaps, if they had better high speed public transportation options it would be easier. 

 

However, if you don't like traveling much, no issues. 

[richard_smith237]

45 minutes ago, Victornoir said:

Try to think for yourself instead of naively swallowing the bad soup of political correctness.

Don't do this, don't do that, no fat, no alcohol, no sex outside the family, no speed, stop war, stop famine, stop pollution, be a girl mind, save the planet, etc...

Prout !

 

[no sex outside the family]..... Erm... say what now ???? 

[scubascuba3]

36 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Our lives improved considerably when we got our first car here. The independence we got when we decided to go on road trips was fantastic, plus the ability to be able to drive during stormy weather. Mostly, we love traveling and there is alot to see here. I consider car trips to be so much more fun than the minivans. And the trains here are dreadful.

 

Perhaps, if they had better high speed public transportation options it would be easier. 

 

However, if you don't like traveling much, no issues. 

Renting for trips seems to be the way forward especially if you've travelled loads already

[richard_smith237]

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

Renting for trips seems to be the way forward especially if you've travelled loads already

A lot of people are mentioning ‘renting a car’.... has anyone tried to rent a car in Bangkok ?

 

A number of years ago we were without a car for two weeks (awaiting delivery of a new car having sold our other car). 

 

*It was an utter hassle....  we couldn’t secure a car after 3 days of looking around and gave up (maybe it was an extremely busy period). The large companies had no availability, the smaller companies had hideous or non-existing insurance policies...  some were just outrageously priced.

 

In that couple of weeks we had irritating issues with numerous Grab and taxi drivers... no rear seatbelts, rude and aggressive drivers. Drivers swearing at other traffic in front of our son.... we had to get out of a couple of taxi’s who refused not to watch a movie on their phone while driving.....   repeated fair refusals (drivers just outright refused to go to our destination), excessive fair quotes etc etc.....    

Long delays in getting a Grab to pick us up (i.e. waits of 30mins +).... That was on the whole a repetitively irritating experience. 

 

Its just so much easier getting in our own car whenever we want (which is basically every day)....  our own standard of driving, our own AC levels, car seat for my Son, no loud crappy music, no dirty seats, no aggressive or erratic driving etc.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JensenZ]

7 hours ago, giddyup said:

Just how much actual riding do you do? If it's only to your local 7/11 a 100 metres away, or you live in a rural area with little traffic, then I guess your chances of survival increase. BtW, show me where I said I was a statistical analyst. Seems you're not above sarcasm yourself.

So it is quite clear you don't read anything, just post your opinion on statistics that you quote but never show. It was made clear in many posts where I live. I had to conclude you fancy yourself a "statistical analyst" as it's the only thing you've talked about.

 

If I did live in a rural area, I would own a car, but riding a scooter on rural roads would be much more dangerous than slowly on congested urban streets. I don't suppose  you'd have some statistics to refute that claim, would you? I used to ride motorcycles on rural roads in the Philippines, with big buses and trucks passing me at high speeds. The sugar cane trucks were the worst. That was scary sh*t. Buses and trucks would pass on blind bends, both passing me and coming at me, often forcing me off the road.

[Woof999]

7 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I got you beat, and 'saving the planet' at the same time ...  ????

 

And no, I don't use, though did try putting the dog in it, which she didn't agree with.  My next career move in retirement, Panda delivery driver. ????

You can fit a panda in one of those?

[JensenZ]

8 hours ago, sungod said:

'Dude' Who actually uses that expression anymore. ????

 

So no chance of you getting hit by someone else as your are 'safely' riding your 'safe motorcyle.'  You are a hoot!

Hmmm. I've been called a "dude" a number of times on here, so it's still in common use here, at least.

 

As already stated, and casting all of your baiting aside for a moment, the actual risk level of any vehicle which is well maintained is determined by how the vehicle is ridden or driven. If I make a riding error, there's a good chance only I will suffer, but if you do the same in your big safe car, other people might die while you're strapped into your comfortable chair. Sliding off a motorcycle is survivable. Being hit by a car is a different matter.

 

 

[sungod]

2 hours ago, JensenZ said:

Hmmm. I've been called a "dude" a number of times on here, so it's still in common use here, at least.

 

As already stated, and casting all of your baiting aside for a moment, the actual risk level of any vehicle which is well maintained is determined by how the vehicle is ridden or driven. If I make a riding error, there's a good chance only I will suffer, but if you do the same in your big safe car, other people might die while you're strapped into your comfortable chair. Sliding off a motorcycle is survivable. Being hit by a car is a different matter.

 

 

How about if someone hits you in their comfortable car whilst you are ''riding safely' on your 'very safe' motorbike?

 

They'll have a scratch, you will be considerably worse off. Now if you were in a car you would be exchanging insurance company details rather than calling for an ambulance......

 

Shame you dont understand simple risk.

 

BTW, I'm not baiting you, you replied to my post- you seem to have forgot that.

Edited January 17, 2022 by sungod

[richard_smith237]

24 minutes ago, sungod said:

2 hours ago, JensenZ said:

Hmmm. I've been called a "dude" a number of times on here, so it's still in common use here, at least.

 

As already stated, and casting all of your baiting aside for a moment, the actual risk level of any vehicle which is well maintained is determined by how the vehicle is ridden or driven. If I make a riding error, there's a good chance only I will suffer, but if you do the same in your big safe car, other people might die while you're strapped into your comfortable chair. Sliding off a motorcycle is survivable. Being hit by a car is a different matter.

How about if someone hits you in their comfortable car whilst you are ''riding safely' on your 'very safe' motorbike?

 

They'll have a scratch, you will be considerably worse off. Now if you were in a car you would be exchanging insurance company details rather than calling for an ambulance......

 

Shame you dont understand simple risk.

 

BTW, I'm not baiting you, you replied to my post- you seem to have forgot that.

There is an element where you are both correct....

 

75 % of road fatalities are motorcycle riders.....   I ride a motorcycle and consider my risk significantly less than the average motorcyclist because of the following factors. 

- I wear a full face helmet and also riding gear (when going onto a main road).

- I never ride drunk.

- I don’t ride at night.

- I don’t take any chances.

- I ride extremely defensively.

- I don’t speed or ride recklessly.

 

Will this stop a Lorry with no brakes taking me out at the traffic lights ??? Actually yes, because at traffic lights I do not stop in the middle of the lane, I stop to the side (defensive positioning)... But, a lorry could still hit me if it swerved etc...

 

So yes, there is a far greater element of risk accounted with riding a motorcycle here in Thailand, but for ‘most’ foreigners who follow the same rules (as above) that element of risk is not as high as the ‘raw stats’ highlight. 

 

 

Within the context of this thread......  IF making a comparison between taking a motorcycle taxi or riding myself, I am safer riding myself. The same can be said of driving a car vs taking a taxi.

 

I don’t take motorcycle taxi’s wherever possible and haven't for about 4 years.

 

I do take taxi’s.... usually at night when I’ve popped out for a beer and not taken the motorcycle or driven. 

 

I’ve also refused to get in taxi’s in the past, i.e. when going on an expressway where we’ll likely be travelling at 100kmh and the vehicle just doesn’t look roadworthy or has no rear seatbelts etc.

 

 

So... to highlight your discussion gents [Sungod and JensenZ] - safety is a factor, risk can be mitigated on both motorcycles and cars so that the raw stats are less applicable to us, but that does not completely mitigate risk. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sungod]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

There is an element where you are both correct....

 

75 % of road fatalities are motorcycle riders.....   I ride a motorcycle and consider my risk significantly less than the average motorcyclist because of the following factors. 

- I wear a full face helmet and also riding gear (when going onto a main road).

- I never ride drunk.

- I don’t ride at night.

- I don’t take any chances.

- I ride extremely defensively.

- I don’t speed or ride recklessly.

 

Will this stop a Lorry with no brakes taking me out at the traffic lights ??? Actually yes, because at traffic lights I do not stop in the middle of the lane, I stop to the side (defensive positioning)... But, a lorry could still hit me if it swerved etc...

 

So yes, there is a far greater element of risk accounted with riding a motorcycle here in Thailand, but for ‘most’ foreigners who follow the same rules (as above) that element of risk is not as high as the ‘raw stats’ highlight. 

 

 

Within the context of this thread......  IF making a comparison between taking a motorcycle taxi or riding myself, I am safer riding myself. The same can be said of driving a car vs taking a taxi.

 

I don’t take motorcycle taxi’s wherever possible and haven't for about 4 years.

 

I do take taxi’s.... usually at night when I’ve popped out for a beer and not taken the motorcycle or driven. 

 

I’ve also refused to get in taxi’s in the past, i.e. when going on an expressway where we’ll likely be travelling at 100kmh and the vehicle just doesn’t look roadworthy or has no rear seatbelts etc.

 

 

So... to highlight your discussion gents [Sungod and JensenZ] - safety is a factor, risk can be mitigated on both motorcycles and cars so that the raw stats are less applicable to us, but that does not completely mitigate risk. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But cars are safer than motorcycles, just common sense

[richard_smith237]

34 minutes ago, sungod said:

But cars are safer than motorcycles, just common sense

Of course no one is debating that... so, whats your point ?