Safety On These Roads

[fred2007]

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.

Just 3 people on a bike? they must have been farangs I have seen 5 guys on a bike the driver

riding one handed a mobile in the other hand and trying to look trough his little note book ( I guess he could not remember the number of the person he was calling next )

[dave_boo]

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.

I think that the report you read was spot on. I'm almost never comfortable riding my bike in LOS. I love doing it, but there's no way I could zone out like I did in the States. Even riding the back country roads I'm anxious. No way of knowing if a ton of beef or so lays just over the next hill's crest.

[subseasteve]

Well I caught my pregnant wife on the bike a couple months back, of course I went off, told never to ride it again with our baby there if she fell off even a light fall could have killed our baby, and the response was "I was only going to tesco, and I only did it once, I cant find park in car". It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when, every Thai person has road scars. I believe if you can afford a car or have family there is no excuse to have babies on bikes of course most families cant afford cars and bikes are the family wagon, but still there is no excuse for a baby to be on them. Adults can come out a bit bruised or banged up but kids get wasted.

Us farangs are over protective in their eyes, life is cheap in Thailand. Mai pen rai???Chacha?? Mai chai untarai mak!!

[mgjackson69]

If you do not like motorcycles, fine...to each his own.

Go somewhere else and preach your nonsense.

[Pikey]

To quote H20Dunc "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."

What a load of old w*nk! In my 28 years of biking, I've ridden all over Europe, parts of the US and NZ and for the last 3 years, daily in Thailand. In that time, I have NEVER seen such atrocious, idiotic driving/riding as here. I've had 3 accidents in my time, one in the UK in 1988 and two here. Number one involved me doing a U-turn on the moat road here in CNX and a woman in a pickup came up my inside as I was tipping in - she was going straight on in the U-turn lane! Result, Pikey bounces down the side of her D-Max and hits the deck. Number 2 was out in the sticks where I am minding my own business and 3 kids (rider was 11) pop out about 10m in front of me whilst I am doing 80kmh - brake, skid, bang, crash, wallop - Pikey hit's the deck again! In both cases these accidents were caused by the utter stupidity and disregard that most of the locals seem to display once they have a steering wheel or a pair of bars in their hands.

The only "awareness" that a lot of the locals have is that they don't give a sh*t about others when driving/riding and the only way to cope with this is to expect the unexpected and ride defensively. Apologies to any competent Thai riders/drivers who are reading this as I know they are not all tossers and indeed some of the local Thais here show just how bloody good they are on a bike when riding offroad or motarding at CNX Speedway.

Cheers & ride safe,

Pikey.

[LivinLOS]

If you do not like motorcycles, fine...to each his own.

Go somewhere else and preach your nonsense.

Come on, no matter your love or not for bikes, letting a pregnant woman ride around is not on.

I recently was cutting through beach rd traffic on a scooter, I do have a bad habit of being a bit of a gap shooter and pushing through when it all slows down, I notice someone else is carving along faster than the stream too.. As he gets close I see he is a farang, with a helmet on and on the back is his Thai missus without one, holding a newborn toddler totally unprotected !! He was shooting within inches of other cars at 40 - 50 kph, later sped up to 80+, I saw him have to anchor up real hard, and his GF had the baby slung sideways with its soft little unprotected head stuck out at the widest point just out in the wind !!!

My GF gasped and was shocked.. I felt like going and giving him an earful, but Darwinism will take care of his genes I guess. I mean, I might race about with my life, a lot less with my GF on the back.. But this was with a newborn hanging there !! Its not just the Thais !!

[anothertorres]

i'd just like to say that even I, myself cannot believe i actually ride a motorbike. it's totally insane that i do. anyway, i'd like to give props out to finding the right helmet. it really makes a difference.

[Familyonthemove]

The stranage and dangerous method of making a right turn from the left lane as mentioned in the original post will be caused by the way the police fine riders for using the right lane, making a safe right turn illegal and expensive.

One thing I've found out the hard way is to always try to make good progress in traffic. Thai drivers (in Bangkok anyway) will expect bikes to dart through any available gaps in traffic .... so he who hesitates is shunted from the rear.

I agree with the comments about wearing good protective gear ..... wear as much as you can before excess heat makes it counter-productive from a safety point of view. I can normally manage a good helmet, mesh vented jaclet with body armour, gloves and short boots before my brain starts to boil. But the air con from cars pushes out so much heat in traffic I sometimes ditch the jacket to prevent dehydration.

Personally I find navigation in BKK a distraction as I get lost regularly .... so I'm now trying sat nav and an ear piece in the helmet to give me directions. Basic IFox sat nav with Bangkok maps in English and Thai. Interestingly, the sat nav has all the massage parlours and karaoke bars maked on the maps??