You have to have a motorbike

[johng]

5 hours ago, giddyup said:

It's a lottery.

Got any lucky numbers ?

[Robert Paulson]

1 minute ago, johng said:

Got any lucky numbers ?

The numbers are: anything goes wrong, even one little thing, and you could easily be a goner or have a broken neck.

 

its funny because when covid first started I was one of these people laughing at everyone. Not a care in the world. And even though I think I was right, it did turn out worse than I thought I suppose. Point being I’m not very paranoid about stuff. But getting on a motorbike in Thailand: I’d just never do it. There’s no reason to. 

[johng]

4 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

Thailand is one of the most dangerous countries to drive in in the world. And most of the danger ie death is due to people being on motorbikes.

I agree driving a motorcycle is "dangerous"  even more dangerous than the dreaded Covid  for which the whole world was shutdown business ,lively hoods,mental health,physical health,kids education  human rights  all thrown aside, during that time  I witnessed a growing trend of riding a motorcycle with the mandated face mask  but without the mandated crash helmet !  thats why I call it the Covidiocy era.

[JoseThailand]

On 5/7/2024 at 9:50 AM, georgegeorgia said:

How do you get around if you can't ride a motorcycle 🏍️ 

 

If I lived in Pattaya I can't keep using Grabb/bolt etc too expensive on the monthly budget 

 

Bolt motorbike is super cheap in Pattaya. There are bus buses too.

[richard_smith237]

On 5/7/2024 at 7:14 AM, Screaming said:

It is insane to drive a motorbike in Thailand, a death wish.

 

Yawn... the usual boring response... 

 

Of course, you'd be correct in suggesting the risk is elevated compared to a car...  so is the risk of riding a motorcycle in the UK compared to a car... and so is the risk of riding a motorcycle here compared to riding a motorcycle in the UK.

 

But, what is rarely considered when making such sweeping generalisations above is the risk profile as it applies to us on an individual level. 

 

80% of road fatalities are motorcyclists - thats a horrific stat.

Now.. remove the following... 

- Those riding while drunk

- Those speeding

- Those jumping red lights

- Those 'under-taking'

- Those cutting blind corners

- Those turning into junctions cutting off the corner

- Those riding without helmets

- Those riding at night

- Those riding in the rain

- Those not riding defensively (which covers much of the above)

 

....  we see the risk profile as it applies to us individually reduce to levels some of us find acceptable when compared to the convenience of having a motorcycle.... 

 

Its not a death wish, its a balanced choice, where many of us cut the majority of risk by not riding like a complete d-head.

Thats not to say a lorry won't mow us down... but that has also happened to people walking down the road.

 

 

 

[JoseThailand]

5 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

Thailand is one of the most dangerous countries to drive in in the world. And most of the danger ie death is due to people being on motorbikes. 

 

True, but most fatal accidents happen on highways where people drive fast, not in small alleyways like in Pattaya. 

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

Thailand is one of the most dangerous countries to drive in in the world. And most of the danger ie death is due to people being on motorbikes. 

 

You mentioned 'drive'...  Statistically, 'Driving' (4 wheeled vehicles)...   driving in Thailand is safer than driving in the USA.

 

Punch the stats... remove 80% of motorcycle fatalities leaving... and the death rate per 100,000 of population is lower in Thailand than the USA... 

 

 

Riding a bike - different matter, but as above, those of us who ride more carefully can remove ourselves from the aggregate statistic, which are mainly contributed to by those riding carelessly.

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

I seriously cannot believe what people think they know. In a Country that uses the emergency lane as the motorbike lane no less. Hey have at it all you want. Nobody is gonna stop you, that’s for sure. Just looks at the stats if you really wanna know, it’s something like 75% of all road deaths are on motorbikes. 

 

80%...  and according to WHO estimates... thats about 20,000 Motorcycle deaths per year. 

 

There are 22 Million registered motorcycles in Thailand.

 

Thats risk of 0.2 per 100,000 motorcyclists dying.

 

 

The simplistic outlook of that stat is of course somewhat flawed, however, it presents an idea of the risk for all motorcyclists, then when removing other factors (such as riding while drunk etc - in my list above) the risk is less. 

 

 

 

Of course, the greater risk is injury from an accident and its far more difficult to look at the stats.

 

I'm just recovering from a serious sporting injury / accident - It has made me think more about when and where I use my motorcycle when I also have a car, or taxi's to use.

 

 

[johng]

Even though it is more "dangerous"  than the most dangerous plague in living history...I still enjoy riding my motorbikes.

[impulse]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Punch the stats... remove 80% of motorcycle fatalities leaving... and the death rate per 100,000 of population is lower in Thailand than the USA... 

 

Wrong way to look at it.  You need to find statistics per registered vehicle, or even better- per mile driven.  Good luck finding such info for Thailand.

 

There are some countries that have almost zero deaths per capita.  But they also have very few registered vehicles, because normal people can't afford a car.  Their deaths per registered vehicle is scary.  

[Robert Paulson]

you almost can’t make this up, on cue for the “motorbikes are safe in Thailand” crew a 3rd new thread is now in play 

 

[rocketboy2]

Op, Get yourself one of these.

reckon it's right up your street. 

 

[scubascuba3]

Most accidents happen at junctions so guess what, take extra care at junctions.

 

Life without a motorbike would be really limited, in Pattaya especially 

[Korat Kiwi]

6 hours ago, simon43 said:

Up here in north Laos, it's very safe to ride a motorcycle because the roads are so bad that it is impossible to drive fast! Young school kids ride the e-bikes and I have never seen an accident (of course, they must happen and probably to the teenage boys who want to show off).

 

I expect to fall off my motorcycle when I go riding in the hills because of the many potholes and bad camber on the muddy roads.  The important point is to wear a crash helmet and to ride a bike that is light enough to push back upright after the road has thrown you off!

 

 

What model is your bike?  XR130? 

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

But getting on a motorbike in Thailand: I’d just never do it. There’s no reason to. 

 

The deadly days of New years and Songkran..... they open the tolls on the motorway.

Hell of a rush nudging 300 on the speedo to work !

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Punch the stats... remove 80% of motorcycle fatalities leaving... and the death rate per 100,000 of population is lower in Thailand than the USA... 

 

Wrong way to look at it.  You need to find statistics per registered vehicle, or even better- per mile driven.  Good luck finding such info for Thailand.

 

There are some countries that have almost zero deaths per capita.  But they also have very few registered vehicles, because normal people can't afford a car.  Their deaths per registered vehicle is scary.  

 

Yep...  those are pretty much impossible to get hold of, thus, to establish a truly realistic statistic we'd need far more data input.

 

Looking at Population vs road deaths per vehicle type...   the USA has a higher road fatality rate (for 4 wheeled vehicles) than Thailand per 100,000 population. 

Conversely, the UK is 4x less. 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Robert Paulson said:

you almost can’t make this up, on cue for the “motorbikes are safe in Thailand” crew a 3rd new thread is now in play 

 

 

Theoretically - on average there could be something in the region of 60 separate threads per day on road deaths...

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Most accidents happen at junctions so guess what, take extra care at junctions.

 

Life without a motorbike would be really limited, in Pattaya especially 

 

Then of course there is defensive riding.....   

 

If on a motorbike, do your best not to be the first person stopping at traffic lights...  

If you have to do so, do so at the side of the road so you don't leave yourself vulnerable to traffic not paying attention (and potentially running the light and 'through' you') etc... 

 

Lots of stuff to watch out for... but IMO.. this one is a biggie... 

 

 

[stoner]

On 5/6/2024 at 10:50 PM, georgegeorgia said:

I don't trust myself on a bike

 

i wouldn't trust you on a bike either.

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

 

True, but most fatal accidents happen on highways where people drive fast, not in small alleyways like in Pattaya. 

 

Witnessed one today  in Laem Chabang and had to swerve to avoid a young girl in school uniform that was meat streaked.

 

Pickup mowed down 3 people on a scooter at high speed... I reckon all 3 dead the way the scoot and the peeps exploded.

 

Reckon it will be one the news tomoz.

 

Prolly should download my dash cam footage.

[Hummin]

5 hours ago, Denim said:

Cars are relatively cheap these days , can get an OK one for less than 100,000 then sell it on when you are done with it. Trick is to get the most popular and cheap to fix. A Toyota Vios or  Yaris will be very reliable and won't break the bank. I have a 21 year old Vios and it never ceases to amaze me how it just keeps going and going with few repairs and only routine maintenance.  When you buy at this level you don't even need to worry about depreciation. 

 

 

Talking about safety? Rather take my chances on a big bike

[Denim]

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Talking about safety? Rather take my chances on a big bike

 

Why ????

[Ralf001]

12 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Talking about safety? Rather take my chances on a big bike

Yeah I do not ride scoots.

I prefer my big bikes.... even if a run to the 7 to buy some beers.

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Talking about safety? Rather take my chances on a big bike

Why ? you can't fall off that car.......  

 

From a safety perspective...  there is no comparison - car 100% of the time. 

 

 

But... from a convenience perspective, a car can be quite a PITA, especially if in a town such as Pattaya where parking is awkward. 

 

Parking is a lot easier in Bangkok, but then there is the traffic to deal with.

Edited May 8 by richard_smith237

[simon43]

2 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

What model is your bike?  XR130? 

XR150.. sort off!  Chinese copy but it works fine.

[Korat Kiwi]

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

XR150.. sort off!  Chinese copy but it works fine.

Nah thats cool.  If it runs well then what's the problem. 

 

Inherited a Platinum 200 trail bike a few years back when I was in Chiang Mai. That was a bucket of bolts by comparison.  Took a lot to keep it going. 

 

Including redoing all the wiring.  Don't know why I bothered but I do like a challenge. 

 

Good for you and I hope the bike keeps getting you to where you want to go. 

[scubascuba3]

8 hours ago, Hummin said:

Talking about safety? Rather take my chances on a big bike

Big bikes are more dangerous than scooters because you'll end up going faster and speed kills, we all know that

[Hummin]

16 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Big bikes are more dangerous than scooters because you'll end up going faster and speed kills, we all know that

You can get trapped with scooters, I have seen it several times. 

 

It is all about skills and luck and an food angel wouldnt hurt.

 

We live today, and die another day

[pomchop]

10 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Most accidents happen at junctions so guess what, take extra care at junctions.

 

Life without a motorbike would be really limited, in Pattaya especially 

I live in a great location right in middle of pattya between 2nd road and beach road...walking distance to buahkaow or walking street area or to naklua area....baht buses easy as pie to catch going naklua direction on second road or walking st and on to jomtien on beach road....also tons of bolt around if want....

 

i do miss riding a motobike as i did it for years but ultimately as you get older and not as good balance or as good eyesight etc etc it is just not worth the risk anymore...plus way too many drunks and idiots riding around pattaya so even if ride with extreme care you can and eventually probably willl get whacked...

 

good news is patttaya has a great transport system of baht buses and bolt so really do not much need a bike or a car....i may pay a bit more for my condo location but it is worth it to me to have such a great location.

[scubascuba3]

29 minutes ago, Hummin said:

You can get trapped with scooters, I have seen it several times. 

 

It is all about skills and luck and an food angel wouldnt hurt.

 

We live today, and die another day

Shouldn't get trapped with any bike if have enough knowledge and skill, the bigger the bike the faster you'll probably go, that's the point