Two dead, one injured as motorcycles collide at Bangkok intersection

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Sai Mai police and rescue services responded to an accident on Pahonyothin Road inbound at the Phlathikarn Intersection.

 

A PCX with driver and pillion passenger was waiting at the red light.

 

They were hit from behind by a man on an Xmax.

 

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The 19 year old pillion passenger was declared dead at the scene and named as Yossaphat.

 

The driver of the Xmax 48 year old Chaiyos was also dead.

 

The driver of the PCX was taken to hospital and had not been identified in the Thai Rath story. 

 

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[worgeordie]

Micro sleep , brake failure , driving without due care and attention ,

take your pick, 

RIP those who died,

regards Worgeordie 

[Will B Good]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

A PCX with driver and pillion passenger was waiting at the red light.

Partially to blame I would say........"waiting at a red light".

[ezzra]

As bike rider myself it's very unusual that a stationery bike and come from behind bike will produce such fatalities, 

the Xmax must have been at a high speed to cause such outcome...

[Paul Kernell]

Amazing Thailand. It worries me on my motorcycle while stopped at a red light and being tail ended. I tend to stop in-between lanes giving anyone who is not going to stop ( often) plenty of room to miss me. To be hit by a motorcycle must be extremely rare, drink or sleep must be involved..... RIP.... Was there a disagreement earlier and loss of face? This is Thailand!

 

[Classic Ray]

First collision I had in Thailand was waiting at red lights on Canal Road in Chiang Mai 10pm on my Honda Wave.

 

Struck at speed by drunk youth on similar sized bike. Minor damage to mine and somehow no injury. He broke his wrist and wrote his bike off. Cops hauled him off to hospital, I felt sorry for him after he apologised when sober and I paid his fine.

 

I was just fortunate he was not driving a car or I would have been killed.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The driver of the Xmax 48 year old Chaiyos was also dead.

Good

condolences to the innocent victims.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

As bike rider myself it's very unusual that a stationery bike and come from behind bike will produce such fatalities, 

the Xmax must have been at a high speed to cause such outcome...

Hence it didn't stop?

[Nemises]

2 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

First collision I had in Thailand was waiting at red lights on Canal Road in Chiang Mai 10pm on my Honda Wave.

 

Struck at speed by drunk youth on similar sized bike. Minor damage to mine and somehow no injury. He broke his wrist and wrote his bike off. Cops hauled him off to hospital, I felt sorry for him after he apologised when sober and I paid his fine.

 

I was just fortunate he was not driving a car or I would have been killed.

Experienced bike riders often boast on here that their “40 - 50 years” motorcycle experience pretty much ensures their survival on Thailand’s deadly roads. They think they’re safer than everybody else. 
 

Their “50 years” experience counts for little when smashed into from behind at a red light. If hit by a car, bye bye. 
 

[digger70]

7 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Micro sleep , brake failure , driving without due care and attention ,

take your pick, 

RIP those who died,

regards Worgeordie 

RIP, Just Rider X Max Normal Brain dead.

[thailand49]

PCX 150cc Yamaha X-max 300cc

Using phone today there isn't a day goes by in Pattaya I don't see outside of motorbike delivery drivers using their phone easily a dozen a day today witness a worker pickup near head-on with another vehicle guy using his phone.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Nemises said:

Experienced bike riders often boast on here that their “40 - 50 years” motorcycle experience pretty much ensures their survival on Thailand’s deadly roads. They think they’re safer than everybody else. 
 

Their “50 years” experience counts for little when smashed into from behind at a red light. If hit by a car, bye bye. 
 

IF you were to understand defensive riding you would understand that experience does count for a lot.

 

It has already been touched upon that when stopped at the lights, wherever possible, experienced riders avoid placing themselves in the ‘line of fire’...  they stay to the side or the road or position themselves in front of an already stopped car, they ride with an ‘escape route’ and never in someones blind spot, never overlapping the front wheel with that of another bike, riding while ‘covering their space’ so if they need to adjust road position they can without being blocked in etc etc...  

 

Then there are other simple issues such as routes we take based on our experience. There are a couple or routes I take where I chose my routing to avoiding having to turn right across traffic because I found myself exposed and sometimes having to stop to wait for a gap while cars are speeding past my left side as a wait in the middle of the road, instead I re-route and turn right earlier, go around the block with a series of left turns (it adds a couple of mins to the journey but is much much safer). 

 

Experience will not protect from every eventuality, however, sensible, defensive riding and utilising ones experience minimises the risk. 

 

In contrast to this common sense logic your comment above implies that experiences makes no differences whatsoever.... the mere comment alone highlights your lack of experience, not only with motorcycling, but also making comments on a subject you clearly know nothing about. 

 

 

 

[Nemises]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

IF you were to understand defensive riding you would understand that experience does count for a lot.

 

It has already been touched upon that when stopped at the lights, wherever possible, experienced riders avoid placing themselves in the ‘line of fire’...  they stay to the side or the road or position themselves in front of an already stopped car, they ride with an ‘escape route’ and never in someones blind spot, never overlapping the front wheel with that of another bike, riding while ‘covering their space’ so if they need to adjust road position they can without being blocked in etc etc...  

 

Then there are other simple issues such as routes we take based on our experience. There are a couple or routes I take where I chose my routing to avoiding having to turn right across traffic because I found myself exposed and sometimes having to stop to wait for a gap while cars are speeding past my left side as a wait in the middle of the road, instead I re-route and turn right earlier, go around the block with a series of left turns (it adds a couple of mins to the journey but is much much safer). 

 

Experience will not protect from every eventuality, however, sensible, defensive riding and utilising ones experience minimises the risk. 

 

In contrast to this common sense logic your comment above implies that experiences makes no differences whatsoever.... the mere comment alone highlights your lack of experience, not only with motorcycling, but also making comments on a subject you clearly know nothing about. 

 

 

 

What a load of drivel. You have no idea what you are talking about. 

 

When you’re the only one waiting at a red light, there is no “escape route”. It’s bye bye if an errant car brings up the rear - as already mentioned. 
 

Or, if only a handful of other riders at the red light, same outcome ???? . 
 

It’s not just red lights. Good luck expecting your defensive driving certificate to help you when stationary at a ‘U turn’ or at a stop sign or at a pedestrian crossing etc with millions of drunk, drugged, distracted, phone-playing drivers (on the world’s most dangerous and non rule-enforced roads) all around you. News flash: your life is in their hands when you’re on a motor bike in traffic here. 
 

Oh, and you’re horribly wrong about me not be an experienced motorcycle rider. Did it for many years, but in more civilised, far safer, western countries with much higher road law enforcement. Included MX racing, enduros, trials, flat track racing and side-car racing on weekends plus daily weekday commutes of 1 hour each-way in busy Sydney AU traffic. 
 

In Thailand, it’s a truck only for me thanks.
 

Good luck on your motorcycle in Thailand traffic ????
 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Nemises

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

What a load of drivel. You have no idea what you are talking about. 

Quite wrong....  

 

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

When you’re the only one waiting at a red light, there is no “escape route”. It’s bye bye if an errant car brings up the rear - as already mentioned. 

Agreed... if the rider is stupid enough (or inexperienced enough) to be waiting in the centre of a lane, particularly the centre of the middle line (i.e. right in the line of fire should someone blow through the lights, not see, looking at their phone, drunk etc).

Experience (and common sense) will allow you to evaluate the individual situation and choose the solution with the least risk. 

 

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

Or, if only a handful of other riders at the red light, same outcome ???? . 

Again, experience will allow you to evaluate the situation and chose the solution with the least risk. 

 

IF a rider thinks they would just pull up to the lights as they are without any concern for what my be behind them (most local riders), thats because they don’t have experience or they don’t have common sense or any road safety awareness.  

 

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

It’s not just red lights. Good luck expecting your defensive driving certificate to help you when stationary at a ‘U turn’ or at a stop sign or at a pedestrian crossing etc

Experience...  never be stationary (or slow) and ‘exposed’ to vehicles from behind, there are always options. 

Even at a pedestrian crossing - If I’m first and there are vehicles behind me, I don’t stop (as much as I don’t like having to do that) - In a car I always stop BTW. 

 

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

with millions of drunk, drugged, distracted, phone-playing drivers (on the world’s most dangerous and non rule-enforced roads) all around you. News flash: your life is in their hands when you’re on a motor bike in traffic here. 

News Flash - thats motorcycling everywhere !!! (life in their hands) - but I agree, drinks and phone users, inattention etc is a significant risk factor here. 

 

That said, each situation is different, evaluated differently. 

Drunk Drivers - I don’t ride at night for that very reason (experience of Thailands roads at night have taught me thats its too dangerous). 

 

Exposed U-Turns, I don’t take them unless protected by other vehicles... very rarely am I the first vehicle at any U-turn or exposed junction, if I am, I don’t stop and taken an alternate route and switch back or pull over out of the way (extreme right, or to the left).

 

There are many choices we can make to make the individual situation safer - that doesn’t prevent 100% of catastrophic events, but if something so hideous happens, it could also happen in a car, where do we draw the line? 

 

1 hour ago, Nemises said:

Oh, and you’re horribly wrong about me not be an experienced motorcycle rider. Did it for many years, but in more civilised, far safer, western countries with much higher road law enforcement. Included MX racing, enduros, trials, flat track racing and side-car racing on weekends plus daily weekday commutes of 1 hour each-way in busy Sydney AU traffic. 
 

In Thailand, it’s a truck only for me thanks.
 

Good luck on your motorcycle in Thailand traffic ????

Great, you have lots of experience of how to control a bike in other places. 

 

Do you have experience of riding here?  it doesn’t sound like you have. I drove here for many years before deciding it was safe enough to ride a motorcycle here. 

 

You are correct, there is an elevated risk of riding here compared to the UK for example, but there is with driving too - the risk with riding is not catastrophically high as you imply, and if you are going to quote the road fatality stats, don’t waste your time - the stat is squeed by youngsters racing, riding a night, drunk, without helmets... and not ‘riding defensively’ because they’ve never been educated on road safety or riding / driving.

 

To cut down my risk there are many things I do and do not do, such as... 

- never riding at night, or while drunk, not in the wet, riding defensively (which doesn’t mean slowly) etc.... city driving is risky everywhere, here its risky for the reasons to describe, but not as bad as you describe. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by richard_smith237

[impulse]

11 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Micro sleep , brake failure , driving without due care and attention ,

take your pick, 

RIP those who died,

regards Worgeordie 

Or just a cautionary tale.  This would have never made the news had they been in 4 wheel vehicles with seatbelts.  They would have exchanged insurance info and been home with their families that night.

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by impulse

[Nemises]

36 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Do you have experience of riding here?

Yes…Whilst living in Pattaya - 3 months. When holidaying in Phuket - about 10 x 2 week yearly trips and whilst living in an Isaan village - 2 years straight. Plus numerous trips to Cambodia and Indonesia. 
 

The Isaan village was not even safe on a motorcycle …full of roaming soi dogs and 8 yo kid riders having races on their motorcycles. 

I’ve been hit twice by drunk Thai drivers. Fortunately both times I was in my truck and wasn’t injured. 
 

No more motorcycles for me here. 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Nemises

[richard_smith237]

32 minutes ago, Nemises said:

Yes…Whilst living in Pattaya - 3 months. When holidaying in Phuket - about 10 x 2 week yearly trips and whilst living in an Isaan village - 2 years straight. Plus numerous trips to Cambodia and Indonesia. 
 

The Isaan village was not even safe on a motorcycle …full of roaming soi dogs and 8 yo kid riders having races on their motorcycles. 

I'd think twice about riding a motorcycle in rural village - there’s no need anyway - Traffic is better. 

 

In Bangkok, I find it safe enough - its the other motorcyclists which present the greatest risk IMO. 

 

 

I know of lots of guys (westerners) who ride motorcycles (mostly scooters) in Bangkok. 

Two of them have had serious accidents, both of them were drunk !

 

32 minutes ago, Nemises said:

I’ve been hit twice by drunk Thai drivers. Fortunately both times I was in my truck and wasn’t injured. 

Glad to hear it (that you weren’t injured) - Day time or night time ? 

 

32 minutes ago, Nemises said:

No more motorcycles for me here. 

An individual choice and fair enough, your decision is based on experience. 

 

I’m just downgrading to a scooter in Bangkok ( no need for anything bigger as riding is just a convenience now, thats all and wife mostly uses the car ). 

 

If I lived in Chiang Mai I’d have something larger that I could enjoy.

[Nemises]

14 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Glad to hear it (that you weren’t injured) - Day time or night time ? 

Thanks.
 

Both accidents were during daytime. Both were during Songkran, both drivers were drunk and both at fault. One failed to stop at a stop sign, the other reversed out from his supermarket car parking spot without looking and ploughed straight into me. Thank goodness for dash cams…they couldn’t blame me. 

Stay safe. Maybe get a helmet cam?

[Road Warrior]

And MORE QAULITY thai DRIVING ???    and daily deaths unbelievable. brake failure/  just drunk  ?????????????

and a idiot !! 

[Moonlover]

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

IF you were to understand defensive riding you would understand that experience does count for a lot.

 

It has already been touched upon that when stopped at the lights, wherever possible, experienced riders avoid placing themselves in the ‘line of fire’...  they stay to the side or the road or position themselves in front of an already stopped car, they ride with an ‘escape route’ and never in someones blind spot, never overlapping the front wheel with that of another bike, riding while ‘covering their space’ so if they need to adjust road position they can without being blocked in etc etc...  

 

Then there are other simple issues such as routes we take based on our experience. There are a couple or routes I take where I chose my routing to avoiding having to turn right across traffic because I found myself exposed and sometimes having to stop to wait for a gap while cars are speeding past my left side as a wait in the middle of the road, instead I re-route and turn right earlier, go around the block with a series of left turns (it adds a couple of mins to the journey but is much much safer). 

 

Experience will not protect from every eventuality, however, sensible, defensive riding and utilising ones experience minimises the risk. 

 

In contrast to this common sense logic your comment above implies that experiences makes no differences whatsoever.... the mere comment alone highlights your lack of experience, not only with motorcycling, but also making comments on a subject you clearly know nothing about. 

 

 

 

 

13 hours ago, Nemises said:

What a load of drivel. You have no idea what you are talking about. 

 

When you’re the only one waiting at a red light, there is no “escape route”. It’s bye bye if an errant car brings up the rear - as already mentioned. 
 

Or, if only a handful of other riders at the red light, same outcome ???? . 
 

It’s not just red lights. Good luck expecting your defensive driving certificate to help you when stationary at a ‘U turn’ or at a stop sign or at a pedestrian crossing etc with millions of drunk, drugged, distracted, phone-playing drivers (on the world’s most dangerous and non rule-enforced roads) all around you. News flash: your life is in their hands when you’re on a motor bike in traffic here. 
 

Oh, and you’re horribly wrong about me not be an experienced motorcycle rider. Did it for many years, but in more civilised, far safer, western countries with much higher road law enforcement. Included MX racing, enduros, trials, flat track racing and side-car racing on weekends plus daily weekday commutes of 1 hour each-way in busy Sydney AU traffic. 
 

In Thailand, it’s a truck only for me thanks.
 

Good luck on your motorcycle in Thailand traffic ????
 

 

 

 

 

Calling @richard_smith237's post 'a load of drivel' is an insult! He is obviously, like me, an experienced rider who knows the risks and how best to mitigate them. In fact his survival techniques mirror mine in many ways. 

 

I've been riding here for 7 years, in city and countryside and have not had a single accident. I've had a few close shaves, but through my experience (some 30 years) and skill, I was able to avoid disaster. I'm 76 now and I intend to keep riding until my faculties prevent me doing so safety.

 

Of course there is risk, but what is life without a bit of risk? Bloody boring IMO.

 

We know know the risks @Nemises and are prepared to face them and we do not need lectures from the likes of you. We are NOT CHILDREN!

[Nemises]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

 

Calling @richard_smith237's post 'a load of drivel' is an insult! He is obviously, like me, an experienced rider who knows the risks and how best to mitigate them. In fact his survival techniques mirror mine in many ways. 

 

I've been riding here for 7 years, in city and countryside and have not had a single accident. I've had a few close shaves, but through my experience (some 30 years) and skill, I was able to avoid disaster. I'm 76 now and I intend to keep riding until my faculties prevent me doing so safety.

 

Of course there is risk, but what is life without a bit of risk? Bloody boring IMO.

 

We know know the risks @Nemises and are prepared to face them and we do not need lectures from the likes of you. We are NOT CHILDREN!

An angry man. Time to go for a ride to settle down a bit!
 

Be careful. 

Cheers ???? 

[Moonlover]

5 minutes ago, Nemises said:

An angry man. Time to go for a ride to settle down a bit!
 

Be careful. 

Cheers ???? 

A man of your experience should know that going for ride when one is angry (which I'm not by the way) is a very bad idea indeed and something I would never do.

 

I'm always careful thank you. ????

 

 

 

[Nemises]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

A man of your experience should know that going for ride when one is angry (which I'm not by the way) is a very bad idea indeed and something I would never do.

 

I'm always careful thank you. ????

 

 

 

Good to hear ???? 

Stay safe. 
 

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

First collision I had in Thailand was waiting at red lights on Canal Road in Chiang Mai 10pm on my Honda Wave.

 

Struck at speed by drunk youth on similar sized bike. Minor damage to mine and somehow no injury. He broke his wrist and wrote his bike off. Cops hauled him off to hospital, I felt sorry for him after he apologised when sober and I paid his fine.

 

I was just fortunate he was not driving a car or I would have been killed.

I drunk youth riding his motorbike and paid his fine???? You sure do get them.

[richard_smith237]

Evaluating the risk ‘careful’ motorcyclists face in Thailand compared to other nations.

 

This is obviously debatable and may receive plenty of objection, but bare with me... 

 

The risk assumes the following: 

- 75% of road fatalities in Thailand are motorcyclists

- 50% helmet wearing in Thailand

- 33% (1/3rd) of those are in accidents at night

- 33% (1/3rd) of those are accidents from drunk riders

 

WHO - road fatality estimate: 25,000 deaths. 

x 75% = 18,750

x 50% = 9,375 (half of them not wearing helmets)

x 33% = 6,281 (of those 1/3rd at night)

x 33% = 4,208 (of those 1/3rd drunk) 

 

There are 20 Million motorcyclists in Thailand - of which (an assumed stat) 4208 were wearing helmets, not drunk and in the day time...  Thats 0.021% (21 deaths per year per 100,000 motorcyclists). 

 

 

There are 1.4 Million motorcyclists in the UK - of which (reported) 285 die per year.

Thats 0.020% (20 deaths per year per 100,000 motorcyclists). 

 

 

Now... I know this arrangement of conveniently cherry picked and assumed stats is handled terribly, is likely to be inaccurate, however, I present such an example ONLY to highlight how once the Thai-high-risk factors which don’t apply to some of us ‘more careful riders’ are removed our risk profile is significantly lower than the raw stats suggest and place our risk closer to that which we’d face in our home nations.