Beware When Riding A Motor Bike ?

[marshbags]

Yesterday on the main Udon / N.Khai Road just past Tesco at the traffic lights, ( going towards N.Khai ) a foreigner was cut in two while trying a speedy getaway from the lights.

A lorry was finishing it,s manouvre at his notoriously busy juction, sadly the foreigner went to time getting away via the back end of the truck.

Unfortunately it was pulling a trailer and the now deceased gentleman got between the two moving parts and the back end went over him.

Cut him in two, with both parts going in different directions....., yes it was horrific and messy.

Please be careful and always allow for the unexpected, especially in a scenario like this.

I do not usually say who,s fault an accident was, but this guy flew off thinking there wasn,t anything behind the main vehicle.

I do not know who he is, but I will make further enquiries.

If anyone knows, please post any details.

I only hope I do not know him personally.

Please leave in the general section for everyones attention to serve as a warning, while it happened in Udon, it could happen anywhere.

May he RIP

marshbags

Edited December 10, 2009 by marshbags

[neverdie]

Your description of how the accident occurred is not that clear, however despite that its clear a life was lost and that is sad, it certainly pays to take all due care when driving, riding or walking on thailands busy roads.

May the victim RIP and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

[toybits]

There has got to be someone looking after me from out there. Yesterday (9 December 2009) after 5 pm in Chiang Rai, I was driving home with my two teenaged sons. While on the superhighway heading home a motorcycle driven by a vocational education student cuts across the lane in front of me at rather high speed, rear-ends a car in front of me and the poor bastard gets thrown off his bike slams his head (no crash helmet) hard on the pavement around 70 m in front of me.

I slammed on the brakes skidded for around 20 meters and this person disappeared under the hood out of my view. I was expecting the worst. I got out of the car, his head was about 3 feet from my front right wheel. I thought he was dead because he was not moving. Blood was leaking out from his head - just like in the movies. We tried to call the emergency number like 911 but couldn't connect. I go to look over this dude to feel for his pulse. To my relief, he had a rather strong pulse and he moved his arm a bit.

After about 5 minutes a traffic cop arrives and soon after that an ambulance. They placed a neck brace; made sure he did not have other broken bones and took him away to the hospital.

Looking back, we were lucky there was no other vehicle behind me. I was not driving fast, I had rather fast reflexes.

Someone up there is looking after me and my kids. Thanks to them we are in one piece and hopefully, that poor kid will survive.

[JayF]

...the poor bastard gets thrown off his bike slams his head (no crash helmet) hard on the pavement around 70 m in front of me.

...

...

I'm not one for complaining about all the safety hazards you see in Thailand or trying to change the way Thais do things, but this is one thing I wish the police would start educating people about, especially with the general style of driving in Thailand. Also, you see people on bikes driving like lunatics in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. Coming off at any speed dressed like that is going to seriously mess you up. I refuse to get on a bike or use motorbike taxis unless I'm wearing jeans, shoes and a helmet. Maybe some strategically placed billboards with photos of accident injuries might make people start thinking.

It was the same in Spain until they recently changed it. The law stated that you have to llevar a crash helmet at all times. Llevar means to wear or to carry. You saw so many people riding with a helmet slung over their arm or in the footwell between their feet. Crazy.

I don't know what the law is over here. Anyone know?

[Samuian]

look after yourself, drive defensive, never speed, look ahead, keep out of any snarl up... keep it cool!

My advise!

[JSixpack]

I hope this is read by our bike enthusiasts in the motorbike forum who are worried whether they can be first off the line . . . . .

[Gary A]

A friend of mine told me a story a while back. Similar scenario. A ten wheeler had passed and a Thai kid took off. He never noticed that the first ten wheeler was towing another ten wheeler. The motorcycle saw the towing cable but too late. The cable took the kid off his motorcycle really slick. The motorcycle kept going and the kid bounced off the cable. Amazing he wasn't badly hurt but was mad as a wet hen.

[eek]

Rest in Peace. Very sad.

Often my heart lunges when i see people taking road risks. I cannot count the times when on my scooter i see people pulling out from a soi in front of me at speed without even looking first. Then i have to dramatically slow down..thankfully no one has tail gated me at those times. It makes me angry because its not just a lack of care for themselves, its a lack of care for any pillion passenger they have, as well as a lack of care for anyone else on the road. Especially here, when so often there are whole families and children on scooters..you would think people would be more aware and considerate. Ive seen people carry helmets, rather than wear them. People not indicating. Not using mirrors. Putting yourself at risk is one thing (although even if you get hurt yourself, your family and friends will suffer too), but unsafe and reckless driving (including driving after drinking) puts others are risk.

[submaniac]

whoever you are, Rest in Peace. I feel the hit when another biker goes down.

I hate to say this, because I do not want to say anything ill when someone has died, but there are so many foreigners with little or no biking experience thinking they can just hop on a bike in Thailand. I think alot of people start riding in Thailand just because it is cheaper than having a car, but they just don't have the riding experience necessary to handle Thailand, and especially Bangkok. You need to have your basic riding skill down, and be able to quickly react to anything. People with years and thousands of miles under their belt should feel a bit of fear riding around in the LOS. Those who don't have the experience, don't realize that they should be scared. They become bold. They take risks. A more seasoned biker knows not to do that. Sorry this one had to pay the ultimate price.

[SaikoIsaan]

I'm not one for complaining about all the safety hazards you see in Thailand or trying to change the way Thais do things, but this is one thing I wish the police would start educating people about, especially with the general style of driving in Thailand. Also, you see people on bikes driving like lunatics in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. Coming off at any speed dressed like that is going to seriously mess you up. I refuse to get on a bike or use motorbike taxis unless I'm wearing jeans, shoes and a helmet. Maybe some strategically placed billboards with photos of accident injuries might make people start thinking.

I agree - I've been riding on so many cars where the kid is sitting on the lap, driving in heavy pouring rain like lunatics. When asked if they are not afraid of accidents, they say: "No, why? I didn't drink anything." So apparently, only drunk people have accidents. And people who fall asleep on the wheel - sometime we pass one of those cars that are totally crunched up because they hit something, and then they usually say: "Oh, he fell asleep at the wheel."...

[robblok]

I hope this is read by our bike enthusiasts in the motorbike forum who are worried whether they can be first off the line . . . . .

I love my motorbike.. its fast too.. but i dont want to be the first off.. its dangerous.. i rather look first.

I did have an accident not too long ago.. i came of almost unharmed.. bike had damage and is still not fixed.. but i got hit by a truck.. it taught me to be even more carefull. Not all bike enthusiasts are crazy. I agree there are quite a few who think a bit too much of speed.

[Scott]

My condolences to the family and friends of the victim. A tragic accident.

[mr_hippo]

I cannot count the times when on my scooter i see people pulling out from a soi in front of me at speed without even looking first.

There is a good reason why this happens - learn the rules of the road whilst you are here.

[wintermute]

Bummer but when one takes unnecessary risks in a country like Thailand while on a motorbike then this is the sort of result you can expect. This isn't the movies where the action hero farang jumps out of the way or slides under the trailer at 90km/h and gets back up without a scratch. Live and learn..in his case it's a bit late for that unfortunately.

Edited December 10, 2009 by wintermute

[BigBikeBKK]

RIP

Speed doesn't kill, inattention and stupidity do.

Ride On!

Edited December 10, 2009 by BigBikeBKK

[catmac]

I cannot count the times when on my scooter i see people pulling out from a soi in front of me at speed without even looking first.

There is a good reason why this happens - learn the rules of the road whilst you are here.

Do enlighten us, Mr H.

Like Eek, I never cease to be amazed at how many bikes are driven straight out onto a main road from a soi or gateway without so much as a glance to see if the road is clear or not.

[gravion]

ive got 125cc wave, but me cruzing yo dawg. i got into accident, me skidding off on nimahemin rd. now im scared.. when riding, clutches, crank or something get entangled or jammed which caused me to skid b4.

but hard days, gotta feel high with sort of cool moves, like cool u turn manuever... or suddenly throttoling hard... its like alcohol i guess. feeellls gooood,

anyone seen cartoon movies like AKIRA, FINAL FANTASY 7 ADVENT CHILDREN? man when u seem em, u gotta be cruzing hard yo dawg.

i wanna get those thick azz tire types of bike yo. prolly heavy frame so more stable ya? but iz gonna be vandalized by the locals... lol also no parking at some places...

[wintermute]

ive got 125cc wave, but me cruzing yo dawg. i got into accident, me skidding off on nimahemin rd. now im scared..

Sounds like the only skidmarks you've ever made are the ones in your undies for mommy to clean.

[Scully]

RIP

Speed doesn't kill, inattention and stupidity do.

Ride On!

If you break the speed limit then you may not have time to react to certain unexpected situations.

I agree that inattention may kill but saying speed doesn't is stupidity, the total opposite of what you said.

Ride On

[blubberboybob]

...the poor bastard gets thrown off his bike slams his head (no crash helmet) hard on the pavement around 70 m in front of me.

...

...

Also, you see people on bikes driving like lunatics in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. Coming off at any speed dressed like that is going to seriously mess you up. I refuse to get on a bike or use motorbike taxis unless I'm wearing jeans, shoes and a helmet.

jeans & tennis shoes aren't going to protect you much either.

[JayF]

...the poor bastard gets thrown off his bike slams his head (no crash helmet) hard on the pavement around 70 m in front of me.

...

...

Also, you see people on bikes driving like lunatics in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. Coming off at any speed dressed like that is going to seriously mess you up. I refuse to get on a bike or use motorbike taxis unless I'm wearing jeans, shoes and a helmet.

jeans & tennis shoes aren't going to protect you much either.

As opposed to shorts and sandals and no helmet? Jeans, shoes and a helmet are actually pretty effective when it comes to sliding across tarmac. I'm pretty certain they're more effective than bare skin and hair.

[eek]

I cannot count the times when on my scooter i see people pulling out from a soi in front of me at speed without even looking first.

There is a good reason why this happens - learn the rules of the road whilst you are here.

Do enlighten us, Mr H.

Like Eek, I never cease to be amazed at how many bikes are driven straight out onto a main road from a soi or gateway without so much as a glance to see if the road is clear or not.

Um yeh..would like to know that road rule please.

[ThailandTigers]

If you can afford it, please do not ride a motorcycle. Take a cab or buy a car or take the bus. You'll live longer, most likely.

[OneeyedJohn]

You have 2 spelling mistakes in your signatue pilllock !

Can't even spell 'wank'

Edited December 11, 2009 by OneeyedJohn

[JayF]

You have 2 spelling mistakes in your signatue pilllock !

Can't even spell 'wank'

There are so many things wrong with that post. Not to mention the three grammatical errors and spelling mistake in the post, and the grammatical error in the signature.

[neverdie]

RIP

Speed doesn't kill, inattention and stupidity do.

Ride On!

The scarey part of that Tony is that you actually believe what you've said, I hope you never find out the wrong way. You are partly right though, inattention and stupidity do kill.

[marshbags]

Your description of how the accident occurred is not that clear, however despite that its clear a life was lost and that is sad, it certainly pays to take all due care when driving, riding or walking on thailands busy roads.

May the victim RIP and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

Sorry no further info, just adding another description of what took place and hopefully changing the direction the thread is going in, of late.

The truck was going from right to left in a straight line, passing through an about to change / changing green light.

He would not have been in a safe position to stop as the lights change very quickly as with most up and down the country.

The deceased, as do many motor cyclists, jumped the lights before his red had gone to green.

He did not know or realise the truck had a trailer in tow, timed his move to go after the end of the truck, as it passed him, set off at a revved up speed, and collided with the trailer it was towing.

Didn,t stand a chance once he set off.

The driver of the truck did the usual runner, even though he could no have prevented it, nor was it his fault ????

I still cannot see anything in the local news media relating to it yet ????

Why they do not install digital timers at this junction, like they have in the town centre, I don,t know.

It would certainly be better than the present system, it really is a crazy junction and a scarey sight indeed, so many really bad accidents and most involving motor bikes.. not always their faults either.

Nearly all caused by jumping the reds, by whoever.

Very sad indeed, especially when I know it,s young people with serious injuries and fatalities.

marshbags

Edited December 11, 2009 by marshbags

[mr_hippo]

I cannot count the times when on my scooter i see people pulling out from a soi in front of me at speed without even looking first.

There is a good reason why this happens - learn the rules of the road whilst you are here.

Do enlighten us, Mr H.

Like Eek, I never cease to be amazed at how many bikes are driven straight out onto a main road from a soi or gateway without so much as a glance to see if the road is clear or not.

Um yeh..would like to know that road rule please.

Have you ever been travelling on a main road and everything stops to let someone enter the traffic flow? There are no traffic lights and no policeman has stopped the flow, why? Now, look at the picture below:-

The photo shows RamIntra 34, RamIntra 34 Yaek 5 on the left and RamIntra 32 is where the trees are; not clear in the photo is that RamIntra 34 continues around the slight bend towards the top right of the photo and RamIntra 34 Yaek 9 goes off to the right. What road markings do you see on RamIntra 34 (the main road)? Give way (yield)? In the west, those markings would be on Yaek5, Yaek9 and Soi32 where traffic on the main road (in this case Soi34) has prority but here it is traffic that is entering the main road which has priority!

Traffic should always look right before entering the flow but...

[geriatrickid]

Cut him in two, with both parts going in different directions.....,

Sounds awful - I can see it now, the boys from the "Rescue Foundation" racing to the scene in their pick-up truck only to be thrown into complete confusion over which set of pockets to go through first?

Not very nice.

If you really want to know, when this sort of incident occurs, it is really hard to go through the pant pockets. The spine usually gets yanked and all the lower organs rupture. Makes for a very soggy mess. I feel for the people that have to attend to the body. It's incredibly stressful and depressing. I don't think they have much of an ability to rifle pockets as they scrape bits & pieces off the pavement. Wait until you see your first severed head or torso. It's a sight that haunts you for a long time. I'm not justifying the looting of accident victims, but how many people ever consider compensating the people that pick up the bodies and return them to the families for some emotional closure and respect for the deceased? Easy to ridicule, but I challenge anyone that does so to go and try and pick up a severed head leaking contents without becoming woozy. You have to adopt a very detached and cold attitude if you want to survive.

[whichschool]

As a pedestrian who never rides motorbikes i often think when i see these Farangs driving wrecklessly on their bikes endangering others they will one day get what they deserve, thankfully no other person was injured by this guys dangerous driving.

Edited December 11, 2009 by whichschool