Thats not correct - the 'foreigner is always at fault' here is a myth - I base that on personal experience of a couple of accidents in the past (in Bangkok). Obviously that differs if I'm drunk - speeding - driving recklessly etc - but under normal conditions - dash-cams serve a great purpose - fault is readily established based on clear evidence. If another party was not wearing a helmet - the outcome would depend purely on 'fault' - and I have dash-cams to cover that. If at fault - of course I'd feel terrible and have no intention of squirming out of anything - however, if it were some lunatic pulling out without looking - avoiding compensation is not 'squirming out of it' thats just refusing to be held accountable for someone else's carelessness. I've been in that situation before in a car accident ( a long time ago now ) - the other party at fault (IMO). On the road illegally, no insurance, illegal overtake, hit my car, tried to blame me, he faked injury, police agreed with him, I held my ground, pushed back (politely), pushed back more, wouldn't sign anything - end result Police called 50/50 - my insurance paid for my damages only, compensation discussion thrown out immediately (and I didn't even bother with the 'phone a friend card' with the that one). I agree with the 'false sense of security' point you are trying to make and its extremely valid - but, I don't fear the police or accountability here - I've been here long enough to know exactly how to deal with such issues (and whom to know) - I'm cautious because of one simple reason - I have no wish to hurt anyone on the roads, the very same reason I never DUI, jump lights, or drive erratically etc. In nearly 30 years of driving here, I've 'clipped a motorcycle' once - he wasn't grounded, just a tyre mark on my bumper, their fault cutting across me - they were lucky not to fall. We both pulled over, the rider wai'ed and apologised - I figured the damage would 'buff out' (it did) - no harm done. Otherwise I'm surprised I've never had 'contact' with a motorcycle while driving - but there are many occasions where there can only be cm's in it. A motorcyclist has clipped my motorcycle while out riding - he was pulling out of a sub-soi, timed it badly and clipped my numberplate ( I think with his foot ) - we pulled over. He apologised, wai'ed, I bent my numberplate back (no real damage) - no harm done (his mother was nearby and saw it - came over and chewed him a new one !). Chances are I'll end up hitting a motorcyclist at one point, I sincerely hope not - however, there have been too many near misses - none I'd accept as my fault - just other guys taking chances with their own welfare while I'm driving in a straight line - if it happens, I'll have the dash-cam footage, the 1st class insurance and if things go sideways, the right numbers to call - I hope they would be wearing a helmet - but if not, thats out of my control, not my fault, not my responsibility, and ultimately not something I'm accountable for - I don't drive differently because of that knowledge (or impression) - I still don't want to get anyone hurt - so end up driving very defensively but feel as though its every other day I 'save someone' from an injury with defensive reactions to create a gap that was otherwise not there allowing them to avoid other traffic etc - many other drivers in Thailand are clearly forced to react the same way and many motorcyclists continue to ride taking advantage of that, but risking their own welfare - it often goes wrong as we see.
