Safety On These Roads

[saparot]

I've just started riding on the Thai roads, and the other day I saw a motorbike accident involving a serious head injury. No helmets by the 4 people involved. Not sure if the guy died or not, but he was not moving and his face was deathly white with blood coming from his nose. His girlfriend was holding him, wailing. Generally, the Thai riders have some unbelievably bad riding habits, here is a list off the top of my head,

- not wearing helmets. I asked a thai why dont they wear helmets? sabai sabai she said.... unbelievable.

- wearing thongs/sandles

- no protective clothing

- 3 people on a motorbike

- riding like a grandma at 40kph on the freeway

- no indicating lights

- one handed riding - when it is raining, it seems to be "cool" to hold an umbrella in one hand, hold the bike in the other, and go at a wobbly 20kph.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to improve ones own safety on the road?

For instance, the standard practice for a Thai biker when wanting to do a U-turn in heavy traffic on say... a freeway, is to pull over to the left at the U-turn point, then wait for heavy traffic to pass before crossing the road to the U-turn. Normally there is a build up of motorbikes doing this in heavy traffic.

So what I do is if I know i want to do a U turn is to pull over to the left well before the U turn then wait for the break in traffic. Then accelerating from behind get in the right lane, ready for the U turn, thus avoiding the clutter at the U turn.

Maybe others with more experience can share some safe riding habits they have learned.

[qualtrough]

You can probably quadruple your chances of not being hurt in an accident by getting off the bike and into a car or truck. Bikes are afforded no respect whatsoever here, and no margin of error. You can often walk away in a car if someone rearends you at a stoplight, but on a bike you will likely be dead. I know that is not the answer your probably want to hear, but think about it.

[SM7WGP]

I've just started riding on the Thai roads, and the other day I saw a motorbike accident involving a serious head injury. No helmets by the 4 people involved. Not sure if the guy died or not, but he was not moving and his face was deathly white with blood coming from his nose. His girlfriend was holding him, wailing. Generally, the Thai riders have some unbelievably bad riding habits, here is a list off the top of my head,

- not wearing helmets. I asked a thai why dont they wear helmets? sabai sabai she said.... unbelievable.

- wearing thongs/sandles

- no protective clothing

- 3 people on a motorbike

- riding like a grandma at 40kph on the freeway

- no indicating lights

- one handed riding - when it is raining, it seems to be "cool" to hold an umbrella in one hand, hold the bike in the other, and go at a wobbly 20kph.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to improve ones own safety on the road?

For instance, the standard practice for a Thai biker when wanting to do a U-turn in heavy traffic on say... a freeway, is to pull over to the left at the U-turn point, then wait for heavy traffic to pass before crossing the road to the U-turn. Normally there is a build up of motorbikes doing this in heavy traffic.

So what I do is if I know i want to do a U turn is to pull over to the left well before the U turn then wait for the break in traffic. Then accelerating from behind get in the right lane, ready for the U turn, thus avoiding the clutter at the U turn.

Maybe others with more experience can share some safe riding habits they have learned.

The list can be long, and you forgott talking in the telefon and driving with 4 small children on the bike.

Thais dont have any rules and regulations for driving so dont try to understand them, its the lord Buhdda thas driving and the body they is only for loan before a better life.

Try to drive with a little force in it and keep allways one eye to look back in the mirrors forgett all rules in thailand its first come first served.

Dont be suprised that if a car try to force you of the road, he knows you are there .

He dont care because he knows you will give in and brake to let him pass

[jackcorbett]

I've just started riding on the Thai roads, and the other day I saw a motorbike accident involving a serious head injury. No helmets by the 4 people involved. Not sure if the guy died or not, but he was not moving and his face was deathly white with blood coming from his nose. His girlfriend was holding him, wailing. Generally, the Thai riders have some unbelievably bad riding habits, here is a list off the top of my head,

- not wearing helmets. I asked a thai why dont they wear helmets? sabai sabai she said.... unbelievable.

- wearing thongs/sandles

- no protective clothing

- 3 people on a motorbike

- riding like a grandma at 40kph on the freeway

- no indicating lights

- one handed riding - when it is raining, it seems to be "cool" to hold an umbrella in one hand, hold the bike in the other, and go at a wobbly 20kph.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to improve ones own safety on the road?

For instance, the standard practice for a Thai biker when wanting to do a U-turn in heavy traffic on say... a freeway, is to pull over to the left at the U-turn point, then wait for heavy traffic to pass before crossing the road to the U-turn. Normally there is a build up of motorbikes doing this in heavy traffic.

So what I do is if I know i want to do a U turn is to pull over to the left well before the U turn then wait for the break in traffic. Then accelerating from behind get in the right lane, ready for the U turn, thus avoiding the clutter at the U turn.

Maybe others with more experience can share some safe riding habits they have learned.

Let's see -

1. not wearing helmets. I asked a thai why dont they wear helmets? sabai sabai she said.... unbelievable.

2.- wearing thongs/sandles

3.- no protective clothing

4. - 3 people on a motorbike

5.- riding like a grandma at 40kph on the freeway

6.- no indicating lights

7- one handed riding - when it is raining, it seems to be "cool" to hold an umbrella in one hand, hold the bike in the other, and go at a wobbly 20kph.

Okay...let's see, how I do on these.

1. I wear a full coverage helmut although not the more expensive than a good used bike so I pass here.

2. I always were sandals, just about anywhere and this includes on the bike. I live 200 meters from the beach in Pattaya. So I fail here. On the other hand i'm still alive as wearing leathers would have killed me a long time ago in this heat.

3. hel_l no. Shorts and a t shirt if not swim trunks. I flunk.

4. on occasion, expecially in a 1.5 kilometer jaunt from a nearby bar when I pay my girlfriend with me and we meet up with one of the guys who's walked to the bar. F double minus for me here.

5. No way. Try to keep up with the traffic or stay in the slow lane way to the side. An A for me here.

6. Bike is in perfect operating order. Even check the tire pressure and pump up with a hand pump about once a week.

7. Yes. On occasion, but not usually. Takes me one tenth of one second to get the other hand on the grip. I fail here. But do keep the telephone in the pants, Not paying attention on account of a phone call is the height of stupidity.

You fail to mention the many more important points such as driving bikes on sidewalks, routinely driving against the flow of traffic in a one way lane, running red lights, not looking where one is going, (the classic is a Thai woman rear ending my bike as I was crossing a speed bump), taking the right away while driving into a major cross street necessitating a turn, loitering at a complete standstill in the middle of the street, passing the bike ahead of them then cutting right in front of them leaving just two feet to spare. And so on ad nauseum

Edited November 14, 2007 by sbk
quote fixed--sbk

[JimsKnight]

TIT.

Go with the flow man.

[ajarnmark]

I have been riding bikes for more than 15 years now. No single accident. I followed some basic rules:

1. Always wear helmet.

2. Have both back view mirrors in such a position that you can actually see the back view.

3. Keep an eye on the speedometer and never go above 60Kmph, unless there is a reason to do so, e.g. heavy traffic at your back and you want to be on left or right side of the road.

4. Never be in a hurry, being a bit late is better than being dead.

5. Take care of traffic lights properly. Even moving on green lights, make sure that no vehicle is violating the lights.

6. Never indulge in any kind of race with other bikes or vehicles.

Since at bike, one is very vulnerable, therefore, it is the best of one's interest to take care of safety.

I have seen one bad accident where two guys were collided, one apparently farang, but not sure as both of them wore helmets. Both of them were on the roads, a lot of Thais including BiB surround them, but nobody bothered to take them to hospital. This happened near Hualumphong. Blood was coming out from the noses of both and they were immobile. Possible cause of accident was that on guy thought he is fast enough to cross the red traffic light without being collided to the traffic from other side.

I wish bikers take care of their safety coz it could be fatal.

I just bought my new bike and lets see if I could keep my record of NO ACCIDENT intact or not.

If I do not reply to any post for sometime, board members can safely presume that I am dead.

[Beardog]

Always assume no one sees you as the Thai's as well as some of the farangs forget to do a headcheck & to the Thais mirrors are used for picking Zits!

The usual turn into oncoming traffic you will rarely ever see anyone look before merging. When you do drive for a while here & start to develop bad habits(if you do) Remember to keep a blinker on when driving on the shoulder (going against the flow of traffic)

Use your mirrors. I look 20 times a minute-I suppose it is anal retentive, but I can equate zero accidents in almost 4 years to defensive driving. I have taken 4 driving courses 2 motorcycle in the U.S. & drivin in the Nascar southwest auto racing division out of California.

Defensive Defensive Defensive & the last trick when you see someone driving like <deleted>- do not be afraid to gun it & get as put as much distance between you & the loser blabin on his or her cell phone & smokin a cigarette. Try to avoid driving next to a bus or a truck as they are much harder to dodge than a car or truck. & Lastly as rude as it is if you can't save yourself from the usual left hand turn from the far right lane- Do not hesitate to kick or push the bike out of your way or you will become one with the pavement.

Nascar is much safer. at least it is a controlled environment, here it is chaos vs chaos. Drive defensive& assume the worst. It will keep you alive. After a while (believe it or not) you will get used to it! just don't get complacent & lose your defensive sense.

I hope you never have to resort to kicking someone over to save your butt!

Beardog

[JimsKnight]

Saparot,

Welcome to the roads of Asia.

Enjoy the ride

[chavy]

Saparot,

Welcome to the roads of Asia.

Enjoy the ride

It'll be an eye opener "Jim"

[H2oDunc]

It makes me laugh at some of the comments riding in Thailand produces. Many are obviously from people who dont ride bikes in Thailand apart from going a couple of km into town. They have probably never ridden a bike on the roads of another country. Having ridden al over Thailand I can tell you I feel safer here riding than I do back in the UK. Once you accept the differences here its no problem. Drivers here have an awareness of motrcycles that is not present in many Eurpean countries. I have many thousands of kms under my belt here and never had an accident. Like any form of transport you have to take the relevent precautions. I always wear a helmet,imported from the UK not a Thai plastic copy, and proper clothing for the ride. If Im going anywhere apart from into town then Im wearing thick UK leather biker trousers and armoured jacket. Anything else is just asking for trouble. I am amazed that you go to somewhere like Koh Tao or Samui and the norm is Shorts or bikini, Shades and an I Pod. These people think they look cool. To me they are just out and out plonkers. ( not what i would put but polite )You come off a bike, even at slow speeds and your skin is going to vanish. But trying to educate these people is a waste of time. The Thais dont know any better but the farangs do. On Tao over the last few months several people have died through not wearing a helmet. My friend has a big bike rental shop here on Tao and when he opened he bought good helmets to give to customers. NOT 1 HAS TAKEN 1. You just cant tell people whats good for them sometimes!!!!!!!!!!! On their heads be it!!!!!!!!!!

[bessy]

I've just started riding on the Thai roads, and the other day I saw a motorbike accident involving a serious head injury. No helmets by the 4 people involved. Not sure if the guy died or not, but he was not moving and his face was deathly white with blood coming from his nose. His girlfriend was holding him, wailing. Generally, the Thai riders have some unbelievably bad riding habits, here is a list off the top of my head,

- not wearing helmets. I asked a thai why dont they wear helmets? sabai sabai she said.... unbelievable.

- wearing thongs/sandles

- no protective clothing

- 3 people on a motorbike

- riding like a grandma at 40kph on the freeway

- no indicating lights

- one handed riding - when it is raining, it seems to be "cool" to hold an umbrella in one hand, hold the bike in the other, and go at a wobbly 20kph.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to improve ones own safety on the road?

For instance, the standard practice for a Thai biker when wanting to do a U-turn in heavy traffic on say... a freeway, is to pull over to the left at the U-turn point, then wait for heavy traffic to pass before crossing the road to the U-turn. Normally there is a build up of motorbikes doing this in heavy traffic.

So what I do is if I know i want to do a U turn is to pull over to the left well before the U turn then wait for the break in traffic. Then accelerating from behind get in the right lane, ready for the U turn, thus avoiding the clutter at the U turn.

Maybe others with more experience can share some safe riding habits they have learned.

Thai people can really be a big pain in the ass on the road. They seem to have no concern on other drivers/ riders. All they seem to think is that they want to drive on... Their lack of riding habits such us doing U-turns when there's none, doing an overtake on the left side of the lane, No indicators and such are just a few examples of the hazards of driving in Thailand. My only advise would be to drive carefully and hope for the best. Coz really, there's no changing the attitudes of the Thai riders.. not by a long shot anyway!

[qualtrough]

Drivers here have an awareness of motrcycles that is not present in many European countries.

I don't drive a bike here, but have driven cars and trucks for about a dozen years, and I just do not see this awareness you speak of. I see cars and pickups tailgating bikes at speed all the time, and when I say tailgating I mean literally one or two feet behind a bike. Every, single, day I see cars, buses, pickups, and trucks force bikes over when they decide they want to occupy their lanes. And sadly, I see fresh spray paint indicating a motorcycle fatality just about every time I get out on the road. I wish I was exaggerating when I write that but I am not. If I wanted to I can count up at least a dozen or two people who I have known or that my family has known who have died in bike accidents, including several farangs, and I have seen the results of more motorcycle accidents here than I care to recall.

Having said that, I would not discourage anyone from riding a bike here if that is what they want, but I think it does potential riders a disservice to state that you feel safer here than back in the UK. That is your personal feeling and I cannot dispute that, but the statistics for motorcycle deaths here vs. the UK show that it is much more dangerous here by several orders of magnitude.

[madjbs]

I feel safer riding here than in the U.K but mainly because in the U.K you can drive at 100mph everywhere easily on a bike. Here I prefer to take it easy as the roads really don’t allow for much speed without serious risk. I do agree that cars have a higher awareness of motorbikes here, especially while changing lanes and going around corners etc... In the U.K people drive expecting there to be nothing there but here people expect there way to be blocked by numerous out of view bikes.

[T_Dog]

You need to drive extremely defensively here. People WILL cut you off, they WILL pull in front of you, and they WILL pull right up to in the fast lane and tail gate you no matter how fast you are going. Motorcycling is dangerous for sure because there are more targets (at least in the cities) than your mind can manage. People here ARE more aware of motorbikes, but with so many people on the road, the probabilties of someone not seeing you are high. Songtaews will change lanes unexpectedly with no signal. All that said, I LOVE motorcycling in Thailand. The roads are good, the scenery is epic, and the weather is warm. Find some rural places and enjoy yourself. Yesterday I had a great 140 KM ride and then pulling into my street a car started a U turn from the side of the road. Full brakes, skidding, I avoided her. She smiled and kept going. Woke me up, but part of life here. Be careful. Darn careful.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Since i had accumulated some 300.000 kilometers practice on motorized two-wheelers (anything from 50cc 25 KM/h to 900cc turbocharged 270 KM/h) before sitting behind the wheel of a CAR for the first time, i can say that i have never been scared of the typical thai road behaviour.

The way i ride my RXZ (which is a not-too-small 135cc two-stroke bike with "real tank" etc that is capable of getting to speed if i wish) here is as follows:

1) TWO mirrors available - short enough to enable me to "snake" thru traffic jams without having to fold them but still enabling me to see what's behind me.

2) ALL lights and other systems of my bike in 100% working order, PARTICULAR brake light, horn and indicators (in that order!)

3) Always "going with the flow" - if the traffic moves at 90 KM/h, so do i. If the traffic moves at 60, so do i. If the traffic does 120, then so do i!

4) Paying attention to BUSES. They don't give a sh!t for anyone else and specially not for motorbikes. If i get beside one - GAS and PASS as quickly as possible.

5) Paying attention to PEDESTRIANS - people often step onto the (otherwise empty) road when a motorbike approaches, usually concentrating on their cell phone conversation.

6) Using the RIGHT lane of the (multi-lane) road if i can see far enough ahead to make sure there's no cops waiting for me. The right lane usually has less potholes and enables a safer ride. Problem is - cops know that too and regularly hold up motorbikes doing it (it's against the law, the LEFT lane is to be used by motorbikes).

7) ALWAYS keeping a distance between ME and the car in front - and DEFENDING that distance against "squeeze-in'ers" by riding in the MIDDLE of my lane. Important as many cars here have no functioning brake lights (particular taxis for which "maintenance" is an alien word).

8) NEVER be shy to use the HORN, and make sure to have a LOUD one too! It reminds TV-watching or cell phone yakking car drivers that they are NOT alone on the road.

9) NEVER show RESPECT for any expensive or new cars. Once when a FERRARI almost had me run into it by cutting out of a soi in front of me without looking (on the phone of course!) i stopped right beside him at the next traffic light and told him in very clear words what i thought about his driving style. And i got an apology! Being a billionnaire does NOT make them better drivers, and they need to be told so!

10) Keep 100-Baht notes ready. Cops will ALWAYS stop motorbikes for little things like driving on the right lane, using an overpass forbidden for bikes or using the Bangna-Trat road (where no signs whatsoever showed it's forbidden for bikes! Such signs have only been put there a few weeks ago!) Even having the passenger's foot pegs down when no passenger is present is apparently illegal, as is wearing slippers/sandals (!) The cops will normally take a 100 Baht in their pocket and let you go. If you have no 100 Baht note, it'll get you a ticket, an hour of wasted time at the cop shop and 200-400 Baht for the actual fine.

11) (had to add this one due to a recent happening) Use a full-face helmet, they offer MUCH better protection! But if you ride a smaller bike, you will not need a 20.000 Baht helmet! An "Index" is just fine. I had mine STOLEN recently - in front of Udomsuk Post Office, my Index hanging on the steering bar, my boyfriend's on the seat, me standing there waiting for my boyfriend to mail a parcel. Motorbike in front of me wants to get out, i had to move mine a little - my boyfriend's helmet fell down and rolled onto the street. I had to catch it, took me 10 seconds with my back to the bike - when i turned around, the bike in front of me just took off - and my Index was gone! Lucky it was a 1.000 Baht one that i could replace half an hour later at Carrefour......

So far i have done little over 25.000 Kilometers on the bike in Bangkok without as much as a scratch to it (or me).

Best regards.....

Thanh

[moo9]

Hi

Since i had accumulated some 300.000 kilometers practice on motorized two-wheelers (anything from 50cc 25 KM/h to 900cc turbocharged 270 KM/h) before sitting behind the wheel of a CAR for the first time, i can say that i have never been scared of the typical thai road behaviour.

The way i ride my RXZ (which is a not-too-small 135cc two-stroke bike with "real tank" etc that is capable of getting to speed if i wish) here is as follows:

1) TWO mirrors available - short enough to enable me to "snake" thru traffic jams without having to fold them but still enabling me to see what's behind me.

2) ALL lights and other systems of my bike in 100% working order, PARTICULAR brake light, horn and indicators (in that order!)

3) Always "going with the flow" - if the traffic moves at 90 KM/h, so do i. If the traffic moves at 60, so do i. If the traffic does 120, then so do i!

4) Paying attention to BUSES. They don't give a sh!t for anyone else and specially not for motorbikes. If i get beside one - GAS and PASS as quickly as possible.

5) Paying attention to PEDESTRIANS - people often step onto the (otherwise empty) road when a motorbike approaches, usually concentrating on their cell phone conversation.

6) Using the RIGHT lane of the (multi-lane) road if i can see far enough ahead to make sure there's no cops waiting for me. The right lane usually has less potholes and enables a safer ride. Problem is - cops know that too and regularly hold up motorbikes doing it (it's against the law, the LEFT lane is to be used by motorbikes).

7) ALWAYS keeping a distance between ME and the car in front - and DEFENDING that distance against "squeeze-in'ers" by riding in the MIDDLE of my lane. Important as many cars here have no functioning brake lights (particular taxis for which "maintenance" is an alien word).

8) NEVER be shy to use the HORN, and make sure to have a LOUD one too! It reminds TV-watching or cell phone yakking car drivers that they are NOT alone on the road.

9) NEVER show RESPECT for any expensive or new cars. Once when a FERRARI almost had me run into it by cutting out of a soi in front of me without looking (on the phone of course!) i stopped right beside him at the next traffic light and told him in very clear words what i thought about his driving style. And i got an apology! Being a billionnaire does NOT make them better drivers, and they need to be told so!

10) Keep 100-Baht notes ready. Cops will ALWAYS stop motorbikes for little things like driving on the right lane, using an overpass forbidden for bikes or using the Bangna-Trat road (where no signs whatsoever showed it's forbidden for bikes! Such signs have only been put there a few weeks ago!) Even having the passenger's foot pegs down when no passenger is present is apparently illegal, as is wearing slippers/sandals (!) The cops will normally take a 100 Baht in their pocket and let you go. If you have no 100 Baht note, it'll get you a ticket, an hour of wasted time at the cop shop and 200-400 Baht for the actual fine.

11) (had to add this one due to a recent happening) Use a full-face helmet, they offer MUCH better protection! But if you ride a smaller bike, you will not need a 20.000 Baht helmet! An "Index" is just fine. I had mine STOLEN recently - in front of Udomsuk Post Office, my Index hanging on the steering bar, my boyfriend's on the seat, me standing there waiting for my boyfriend to mail a parcel. Motorbike in front of me wants to get out, i had to move mine a little - my boyfriend's helmet fell down and rolled onto the street. I had to catch it, took me 10 seconds with my back to the bike - when i turned around, the bike in front of me just took off - and my Index was gone! Lucky it was a 1.000 Baht one that i could replace half an hour later at Carrefour......

So far i have done little over 25.000 Kilometers on the bike in Bangkok without as much as a scratch to it (or me).

Best regards.....

Thanh

Not much to add....

Baht Buses, big Buses, Trucks are the most important co-users of the streets to be avoided.

Yes I installed a very loud compressor horn in my bike and that works quite good. It warns disorientated farangs trying desperately crossed 2nd road in Pattaya. The only incident I had (knock wood), was that I almost drove into a group of 4 or 5 Thais, who carelessly crossed the road and just stepped into my path, riding 40 or 50 km/h. I was lucky to do do a quick move with the bike (braking would have been way too late...) and avoided the collision, without falling with my bike. Since then I am extra careful when seeing people standing in the middle of the road....

[lost_in_space]

my advice. never, never, never take yours eyes of the road for even a millisecond, no matter how cute she is. things can happen very quickly.

[JSixpack]

It makes me laugh at some of the comments riding in Thailand produces. Many are obviously from people who dont ride bikes in Thailand apart from going a couple of km into town. They have probably never ridden a bike on the roads of another country. Having ridden al over Thailand I can tell you I feel safer here riding than I do back in the UK. Once you accept the differences here its no problem. Drivers here have an awareness of motrcycles that is not present in many Eurpean countries. I have many thousands of kms under my belt here and never had an accident. Like any form of transport you have to take the relevent precautions. I always wear a helmet,imported from the UK not a Thai plastic copy, and proper clothing for the ride. If Im going anywhere apart from into town then Im wearing thick UK leather biker trousers and armoured jacket. Anything else is just asking for trouble. I am amazed that you go to somewhere like Koh Tao or Samui and the norm is Shorts or bikini, Shades and an I Pod. These people think they look cool. To me they are just out and out plonkers. ( not what i would put but polite )You come off a bike, even at slow speeds and your skin is going to vanish. But trying to educate these people is a waste of time. The Thais dont know any better but the farangs do. On Tao over the last few months several people have died through not wearing a helmet. My friend has a big bike rental shop here on Tao and when he opened he bought good helmets to give to customers. NOT 1 HAS TAKEN 1. You just cant tell people whats good for them sometimes!!!!!!!!!!! On their heads be it!!!!!!!!!!

Spot on, everything you said. Almost exactly what I do too. For short trips I always wear a jeans jacket, jeams. gloves, imported half-face helmet, and hiking boots or real motorcycle boots. Longer trips, I add an imported padded motorcycle jacket and imported full-face helmet.

Neighbor of mine crashed about 100 meters after leaving his building--ran into a soi dog. Wasn't properly dressed and sustained needless injuries . . . lucky he didn't hit his head, 'cause was so stupid as not to wear a helmet for short trips.

[JSixpack]

7) ALWAYS keeping a distance between ME and the car in front - and DEFENDING that distance against "squeeze-in'ers" by riding in the MIDDLE of my lane. Important as many cars here have no functioning brake lights (particular taxis for which "maintenance" is an alien word).

Thanh

Excellent points, I agreed w/ all except this one. I think it's better to stay out of the middle of the lane most of the time. Drivers can't rear-end you that way and if somebody stops too suddenly in front, you won't rear-end them either. Part of my defensive driving is to let the squeeze-in'ers squeeze in so they get off my butt if they can't go around; I just fall back. I don't like driving so defensively, but I think it's much safer.

[Etrigan]

Add to the list:

1. Check the rear view mirrors regularly and confirm what you see with a quick head spin (less than a second) to cover the blind spots.

2. Always carry your license and a copy of the bike's registration papers and PRB compulsory insurance.

3. Stay left when possible (no.1 excuse for a cop-stop).

4. Assume trucks and buses simply can NOT see you. Keep your distance.

5. Lift your bum off the seat and bend your knees and lock your arms when unexpected potholes come into view.

6. Always wear protective clothing, inc full face helmet, jacket (leather if you can stand the heat and the smell!), gloves, steel toe capped boots (toes hurt when they break).

The biggest killer of bikers in terms of accidents is the "quick trip to the shops" ride, so even when just popping out to the shop, follow rule 6.

7. Expect the lights to turn red on you. Don't speed up to catch amber.

8. Don't enter any races of any kind with any vehicle.

9. Get some 3M brand reflective strips for night riding.

H2O Donc - You're right mate. Generally speaking, I think Thai drivers, especially in big cities actually expect a bike to be there whereas back home the norm is the opposite, hence the "sorry didn't see you" because they never expected to, which is why they don't!!! As for tourists and semi-naked riding, well, as we all know, THEY PAY A LOT FOR SCRATCHES these days (555).

[Macx]

Drivers here have an awareness of motrcycles that is not present in many European countries.

I don't drive a bike here, but have driven cars and trucks for about a dozen years, and I just do not see this awareness you speak of. I see cars and pickups tailgating bikes at speed all the time, and when I say tailgating I mean literally one or two feet behind a bike.

Funny thing is, both statements are true. And you might even experience both on the very same trip out your door.

TIT

I find that a bit of adrenaline is a healthy thing when riding in LOS.

I love riding my bicycle and motorcycle here because it's thrilling and it scares me sh!tless

[esprit]

Anybody who rides on 2 wheels rather than 4, irrespective whether it be Thailand or elswhere in the world,are showing a total disregard to their own safety anyway. Thailand and other countries would be a much safer place without them, the statistics prove it.

[dave_boo]

Anybody who rides on 2 wheels rather than 4, irrespective whether it be Thailand or elswhere in the world,are showing a total disregard to their own safety anyway. Thailand and other countries would be a much safer place without them, the statistics prove it.

Can I have a link to these statistics please?

[highonthai]

Anybody who rides on 2 wheels rather than 4, irrespective whether it be Thailand or elswhere in the world,are showing a total disregard to their own safety anyway. Thailand and other countries would be a much safer place without them, the statistics prove it.

That is about the most ignorant statement I've ever heard!

Oh yea, the skys falling and global warming....

Jeez, I hope you are kidding.

By the way, You ride on two wheels and drive on four.

Edited November 27, 2007 by highonthai

[Etrigan]

Anybody who rides on 2 wheels rather than 4, irrespective whether it be Thailand or elswhere in the world,are showing a total disregard to their own safety anyway. Thailand and other countries would be a much safer place without them, the statistics prove it.

I believe anybody who posts crap about bikers, irrespective whether it be in the bikers section or elswhere [sic] in the forum, are showing a total disregard to their own intellect anyway. Thaivisa and other forums would be a lot more tolerant and interesting place without them, the incoherent ramblings of esprit proves it.

[disforkid]

Hi

Since i had accumulated some 300.000 kilometers practice on motorized two-wheelers (anything from 50cc 25 KM/h to 900cc turbocharged 270 KM/h) before sitting behind the wheel of a CAR for the first time, i can say that i have never been scared of the typical thai road behaviour.

The way i ride my RXZ (which is a not-too-small 135cc two-stroke bike with "real tank" etc that is capable of getting to speed if i wish) here is as follows:

1) TWO mirrors available - short enough to enable me to "snake" thru traffic jams without having to fold them but still enabling me to see what's behind me.

2) ALL lights and other systems of my bike in 100% working order, PARTICULAR brake light, horn and indicators (in that order!)

3) Always "going with the flow" - if the traffic moves at 90 KM/h, so do i. If the traffic moves at 60, so do i. If the traffic does 120, then so do i!

4) Paying attention to BUSES. They don't give a sh!t for anyone else and specially not for motorbikes. If i get beside one - GAS and PASS as quickly as possible.

5) Paying attention to PEDESTRIANS - people often step onto the (otherwise empty) road when a motorbike approaches, usually concentrating on their cell phone conversation.

6) Using the RIGHT lane of the (multi-lane) road if i can see far enough ahead to make sure there's no cops waiting for me. The right lane usually has less potholes and enables a safer ride. Problem is - cops know that too and regularly hold up motorbikes doing it (it's against the law, the LEFT lane is to be used by motorbikes).

7) ALWAYS keeping a distance between ME and the car in front - and DEFENDING that distance against "squeeze-in'ers" by riding in the MIDDLE of my lane. Important as many cars here have no functioning brake lights (particular taxis for which "maintenance" is an alien word).

8) NEVER be shy to use the HORN, and make sure to have a LOUD one too! It reminds TV-watching or cell phone yakking car drivers that they are NOT alone on the road.

9) NEVER show RESPECT for any expensive or new cars. Once when a FERRARI almost had me run into it by cutting out of a soi in front of me without looking (on the phone of course!) i stopped right beside him at the next traffic light and told him in very clear words what i thought about his driving style. And i got an apology! Being a billionnaire does NOT make them better drivers, and they need to be told so!

10) Keep 100-Baht notes ready. Cops will ALWAYS stop motorbikes for little things like driving on the right lane, using an overpass forbidden for bikes or using the Bangna-Trat road (where no signs whatsoever showed it's forbidden for bikes! Such signs have only been put there a few weeks ago!) Even having the passenger's foot pegs down when no passenger is present is apparently illegal, as is wearing slippers/sandals (!) The cops will normally take a 100 Baht in their pocket and let you go. If you have no 100 Baht note, it'll get you a ticket, an hour of wasted time at the cop shop and 200-400 Baht for the actual fine.

11) (had to add this one due to a recent happening) Use a full-face helmet, they offer MUCH better protection! But if you ride a smaller bike, you will not need a 20.000 Baht helmet! An "Index" is just fine. I had mine STOLEN recently - in front of Udomsuk Post Office, my Index hanging on the steering bar, my boyfriend's on the seat, me standing there waiting for my boyfriend to mail a parcel. Motorbike in front of me wants to get out, i had to move mine a little - my boyfriend's helmet fell down and rolled onto the street. I had to catch it, took me 10 seconds with my back to the bike - when i turned around, the bike in front of me just took off - and my Index was gone! Lucky it was a 1.000 Baht one that i could replace half an hour later at Carrefour......

So far i have done little over 25.000 Kilometers on the bike in Bangkok without as much as a scratch to it (or me).

Best regards.....

Thanh

Great post!

[chiang mai]

Anybody who rides on 2 wheels rather than 4, irrespective whether it be Thailand or elswhere in the world,are showing a total disregard to their own safety anyway. Thailand and other countries would be a much safer place without them, the statistics prove it.

Can I have a link to these statistics please?

See below

http://www.grsproadsafety.org/?pageid=28

[dave_boo]

Anybody who rides on 2 wheels rather than 4, irrespective whether it be Thailand or elswhere in the world,are showing a total disregard to their own safety anyway. Thailand and other countries would be a much safer place without them, the statistics prove it.

Can I have a link to these statistics please?

See below

http://www.grsproadsafety.org/?pageid=28

If I may quote that website where it listed the statistics:

The primary causes of road crashes are the dangerous mix of motorcyclists and larger vehicles, alcohol impaired driving, and excessive speed. Many road deaths happen during the two national holidays: New Year (6 days) December/January and Songkran (9 days) in April.

In 2005 the road fatality rate were 20.6/105 population and 5.09/104 vehicles.

According to Thailand’s crash records, the main features of the country’s road crash and injury problem are:

• The working adult age group (25-59 years) represents the majority of those dying in road crashes (over 50%) followed by young people aged 15-24 years who account for 29% of the total fatalities.
  
• Many deaths occur during 2 holiday periods, New Year and Songkran.
  
• 45% of deaths in 2004 occurred on the national highways, half of them involving motorcycles
  
• 44% of the total number of road crash injuries in Thailand occur in Bangkok compared with only 6% of the country’s fatalities
  
• In average less than 17% of all injured used seat belts and less than 15% used crash helmets. Numbers are higher in Bangkok where enforcement is stricter
  
• Of all injured: 75% are male
  
• The Police identified excessive speed as the most common cause of crashes followed by unsafe passing and illegal overtaking
  
• In Khon Kaen Province (Northern Thailand), 81 % of total injured patients admitted to hospitals in 2002 were motorcycle injury victims. It is believed that this is likely to reflect the situation in other provinces too
  
• Hospital data indicates that over half of injured drivers and riders had been drinking alcohol
  

So apparently, according to bullet 3, 1/2 of 45% of the deaths occured on National Highways involving motorcycles, but there is nothing stating the relationship between those listed and the cause being the motorcycle operator's fault. In fact in Bangkok, which has a much higher concentration of motorcycles, there are fewer fatalities (although I suspect the crash injuries percentage is actually that high, simply because I would think that most country folks would get up and shake it off!)

Granted in Khon Kaen, where the GDP is quite a bit lower than the industrialised areas, there's going to be a higher percentage of the cases involving motorcycles as the transportation, simply because that's what they can afford. I'd have to assume that the cases were serious, since I've rarely seen the locals in Nakhon Sawan go to the hospital for anything short of dying. I find it interesting that they don't list serious injuries, which would have been a more apples to apples comparison, since merely hitting a dog with a motorcycle could cause more injuries, however slight than if you had been in a car.

I think that these statistics aren't telling the whole story, and to put it in Mark Twain's words, 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'

[mgjackson69]

One thing to keep in mind...

We see how the majority of the Thais ride, especially the young males, and many of us do not want to ride that way.

BUT - many of the people in the cars, and the other riders as well, are *expecting* us to ride in the same manner, and assuming that we will do so. Consider this scenario:

You are riding alongside a car on a busy multi-lane, and the driver knows that you are there. Directly ahead, a spot opens up that a motorcycle could easily use to "advance their position". Most likely, the driver that you have been riding alongside will see that spot open and automatically assume that you will take that spot. Therefore, the spot beside him will be vacated, and he just might move over there on the assumption that you will not be there anymore, not even looking first to check.

When in Rome...

[Bard]

One thing to keep in mind...

BUT - many of the people in the cars, and the other riders as well, are *expecting* us to ride in the same manner, and assuming that we will do so. Consider this scenario:

You are riding alongside a car on a busy multi-lane, and the driver knows that you are there. Directly ahead, a spot opens up that a motorcycle could easily use to "advance their position". Most likely, the driver that you have been riding alongside will see that spot open and automatically assume that you will take that spot. Therefore, the spot beside him will be vacated, and he just might move over there on the assumption that you will not be there anymore, not even looking first to check.

When in Rome...

You know most accidents involving expats is during there first period in Thailand, after that you adjust and get more of a feeling for the driving I suppose.

You go with the flow, do a bit like Thai drivers so you don't surprise them to much, make sure you have eye contact when your doing a road intersection, if he sees another way wait until he pass etc.. I don't say be insane driver as some few are, but follow the mainstream and you basically stay out of trouble. You're never ever safe on a motorbike anywhere, you are the weakest one on the road. So use what we can to avoid accidents, like use your high beam head light (yes HIGH beam) during daytime driving, be visible, always be ready for emergency. Accidents from EU and US concludes most accidents happen when we are in our comfy zone, relaxed and feel safe. In Thailand there are higher risk, makes you more aware and not in comfy zone where most accidents happen. So fresh driver here has a relaxed comfy zone from back home and will be surprised on the roads a lot, and easily end up in an accident.

I read a study comparing motorbike accidents in US with Thailand... Yes, really!!! I can dig up the link if someone else want to read it.

It concluded that Thai motorbike drivers have faster reaction (about 1.7 seconds) than US motorbike (about 1.9 seconds) drivers, they do more correct emergency breaking than US riders, now why is that? Because they are not in the comfy zone, and used to a very busy traffic picture and have not been told the right way to break, they have found it by failing and trying. And it concluded that the emergency breaking procedure teached in US would say that the Thai way was wrong, actually concluded it was correct for the situation...

So if we after our run in period get our reaction time tuned we are safer, plus you expect what the Thai driver will do and not crash with him. Do not think I believe it is good driving practise here, but when you recognize the higher risk, makes you more aware and not in comfy zone where most accidents happen.