Crazy Ficking Pick-up Drivers

[Neeranam]

On my way to work yesterday morning, a pick-up truck came overtaking a car coming tthe other way from I. He was one of those crazy ficking cants flashing his lights expecting everyone to get out his way. Well I didn't manage to and we had a head-on collision.

My car was crumpled and I was very lucky to escape with broken bones in my foot, a minor bang on the head and a bruised leg.

As I crawled out of the debris, ready to smack the guy in the puss, I realised I couldn't walk angry.gif He was alright and tried to negotiate with me. "Can you admit it was your fault?", he had the nerve to ask. I asked a few of the bystanders if the witnessed the accident. Restraining myself, I said just wait for the police. He was moaning about having to pay the 400 baht fine!

When the police man came in his pyjamas, he started chatting with the guy in private. I smelled a rat so butted in. They said it would be better for all round to share the blame, even though both cars were on my side of the road.

I refused as they were getting pissed off as this farang could speak their language - changing to Lao language, that they both, of course knew.

Knowing that I was fighting a losing battle, I punched a few numbers into my mobile(he was lucky it wasn't my fist in his face). 30 minutes later one of my "trump cards" arrived. It was all wais and the usual stuff, and the dick-head admitted it was his fault.

If this "puu yai" hadn't come, I'm sure that I would probably have been forced to pay for everything.

As I sit here with my leg in plaster, not able to work and earn money for 6 weeks, do I give a fick about this guy's 400 baht fine?

These ficking pick-up driver really get to me, but my question in this thread is what would you do if there was a pick-up truck running straight for you?

Would you swerve off the road if you had time to think and do it, possibly causing more damage?

Also my sporty mazda was well crumpled and the pick-up was not damaged too badly. I thing that my crumple zone saved myself and the ###### in the other vehicle from serious injury. I was thinking what would happen to two pick-ups had a similar crash? Anyone any experiece or thoughts? Are pick-ups actually safer or not. Is it a case of I'm bigger than the others so I will be ok, fick them?

Edited November 22, 2005 by Neeranam

[Soph]

Wow - Neeranam, im sorry to hear that, but glad you are ok, sounds like it could have been alot worse.

Feckers eh! Its scary stuff - they just dont seem to care. I dont drive a car, but have to ride my bike 25 minutes to work and the same back everyday and often come accross these crazy people. You can take as much care as is possible whilst driving, but if other people arent doing the same and dont give a sh@t then there is nothing you can do. I drive pretty slowly and these guys often come flying past me making the bike wobble.

Always wear a helmet I say, even in the car

[Plus]

I try to let these guys the way to avoid the collision - not worth the trouble, but only after flashing lights and honking. My Sportrider is bigger and heavier then most pickups so they take notice.

Truly sad to hear about your accident - shit like this doesn't happen very often.

[COBBER]

Sory to hear your story Neeranam. You are very lucky indeed. It could have been much worse. Get well soon mate.

[Insight]

Neeranam, just reading your story had me fuming. Especially:

He was alright and tried to negotiate with me. "Can you admit it was your fault?", he had the nerve to ask.

No doubt if you didn't have your language skills or contact, there would of been a bucketload of salt poured into the wound.

I've got a few contacts in BKK I could use myself should a situation like yours arise, but I'm lacking in the language skills. What concerns me now is if such a crash should knock me clean out. Perhaps the position of the cars might be mysteriously adjusted by the time I come to?

[Neeranam]

No doubt if you didn't have your language skills or contact, there would of been a bucketload of salt poured into the wound.

I've got a few contacts in BKK I could use myself should a situation like yours arise, but I'm lacking in the language skills. What concerns me now is if such a crash should knock me clean out. Perhaps the position of the cars might be mysteriously adjusted by the time I come to?

Yeah, it's scary to think what would or could happen.

I had some valuables in the car which I was told to take out very quickly too, even to cut the wires on the cassette player as the car went off to the garage.

I'm really glad that I had my insurance and license up to date as well as the registration stuff, that I only got done a few weeks ago.

[Thaiboxer]

Sorry to hear about the wreck. It seems that us farang have little defense and will most likely get blamed by the corrupt cops and have to pay for everything. Even with your language skills you still had trouble. It pays to establish good contacts who can help you out of a mess. Just out of curiosity, how long have you lived in Thailand?

Get well soon!

[Plus+]

About insurance - did you call them right away? It takes a little more than a policeman in pyjamas to force them to pay for damages if you refuse to sign "guilty" claim - there has to be lots of paperwork including the official police report signed by you, and they can't just bully the motorcycle guy since he's got his own superiors, he also has a camera to take pictures of the accident. And if you refuse to admit your guilt then the courts have to be involved.

The more paperwork and more people gets involved the more weight has to be pulled by that pickup driver.

[Jeff1]

Happy to hear that you are alright .

It sounds like you need to buy a pickup truck now .

[Neeranam]

Happy to hear that you are alright .

It sounds like you need to buy a pickup truck now .

Well you know man maybe if you can't beat them - join them, but I would really hate to do it. I'm pretty sure I would have been worse off in a pick-up.

What really annoyed me was the attitude of the "witnesses" - they said they didn't understand me when I used the Thai word for witness - payaan, which is the correct word. My wife phoned her relatives and they all thought it very funny that the farang managed to get the other guy(Thai) to admit the fault, and the fact that an important person came to my rescue.

I phoned the insurance right away - this is very important, and my friend took lots of photos of the scene - this is also very important. it might be a good idea to keep a digital camera in the car in case of any accidents.

My language skills are not great but I've been learning for well over 10 years so I can get most things I want and understand most things in many situations.

Thanks a lot for the get well soon messages.

The good news is that I may be able to have an extended trip back "home" with my family for xmas.

[Thaipwriter]

When the police man came in his pyjamas, he started chatting with the guy in private.

This is a bit obscene for a Policeman, he should know better

But seriously, at least once a week this happens to me on the road around Bung Kaen Nakorn. fortunately I am on a motorci so I can get out of the way.

If anyone ever hits me, they better hope that i cannot get up again because I'll.......

Good luck with your recovery

[Emilio]

Dear All,

I've been in Thailand for 24yrs! I have seen it all!!!! Neeranam, hope you are well!!!

I want to share this story to you all. We all know the NEW (as if) campaign of, NO DRINKING and DRIVING.

A few weeks ago, I was driving my sisters Honda CRV around the Clong Toei Port area. One of those Convoys, hopefully not carrying a container, slammed into the right side of the car. Hopefully I was not hurt and wasn't mad too. The convoy driver tried to avoid a collision with the front cars, so he sharply steered left and caught me instead. I would have done the same perhaps.

But when I got down, the driver did not get out from hiw vehicle. Hopefully there was a police man and saw the whole thing. The policeman comes up to me, after talking to the driver and tells me that the driver is DRUNK like hel_l! So, I tell him to arrest him. Then he tells me, if I do that, the insurance wont cover accidents by drunk driving! I was astonished for a while! Then this guy from the convoy company comes up and says, "No worries" a new driver is coming, and I had to tell both of the insurance companies that this new driver was the one behind the wheel of the convoy. This was the only way I could claim my insurance and get my sister car fixed. The other drunk driver, just fled the scene!!! It was my only option. After all that, I still went to speak to the policeman and told him that I couldn't believe you let that guy go just like that. I was SO SO MAD.

Be sure if it wasone of us FARANGS drunk...........u imagine the picture!!!!

Drive safe all......

[WhiteShiva]

So sorry to hear about you accident, Neeranam, hope you make a speedy recovery. I have lost count of the times I have had close encounters with pick-up drivers.

I have come to the conclusion that in Thailand the bigger the car, the smaller the brains of the driver.

Get well soon, mate.

WS

[Tornado]

Sorry to hear that Neeranam, it was lucky you didnt have a child in the car or anyone else. 400 Baht fine!, it shows how selfish this prick is, you cant even walk and he is thinking of that.

Im lucky that Ive got a Mitsu with steel all the way round, pick ups and the like dont bother me so much, its the bus drivers who scare the crap out of me.

Visa run tomorrow, so another happy day of driving ahead.

I hope you get better soon.

[Neeranam]

So sorry to hear about you accident, Neeranam, hope you make a speedy recovery. I have lost count of the times I have had close encounters with pick-up drivers.

I have come to the conclusion that in Thailand the bigger the car, the smaller the brains of the driver.

Get well soon, mate.

WS

Hee hee, thanks mate.

It's criminal that these guys can get such a lethal weapon so easily.

Sorry to hear that Neeranam, it was lucky you didnt have a child in the car or anyone else. 400 Baht fine!, it shows how selfish this prick is, you cant even walk and he is thinking of that. mad.gif

Im lucky that Ive got a Mitsu with steel all the way round, pick ups and the like dont bother me so much, its the bus drivers who scare the crap out of me.

Visa run tomorrow, so another happy day of driving ahead.

I hope you get better soon. smile.gif

Thanks mate,

I am bloody lucky that I am ok and my little one, and wife weren't in the car. I had nightmares last night actually about that.

I am terrified of some of those buses too.

It's a sad state of affairs when we have to buy big cars or trucks to feel safe.

It's about time that I bought a new vehicle - any recommendations for safety?

Maybe I should swallow my pride and buy a ficking pick-up

[andyfletch]

Maybe I should swallow my pride and buy a ficking pick-up

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good to hear you're ok, get well soon.

Buy one like this and then they won't try the same thing again !!!

[bdenner]

Better luck next time because, unfortunately, this is not the last you will see of these brainless specimens.

I like it the way they come from behind flashing their lights wanting you to move off the road for em. Bloody idiots don’t realize that the rear vision mirrors are there to help repair facial problems and the average driver has no idea what is going on behind --- nor cares.

[pal78]

Maybe I should swallow my pride and buy a ficking pick-up

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good to hear you're ok, get well soon.

Buy one like this and then they won't try the same thing again !!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well.. maybe. But I'd advise you to get a very modern truck if you are planning that. Check this out:

http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTest...ooperVsFordF150

40mph into a wall and the driver is in a state! Of course in a head on with the mini the truck would probably be fine, but two trucks head on... nasty.

[Thaiboxer]

As one poster said earlier, the driver's brain size seems to decrease with an increase in vehicle size. I guess a lot of these morons think they're safe in their pickups. What they probably don't realize is that pickups are much more likely to roll over in an accident than a regular car and this is especially true for small pickups like the kind seen here in Thailand. Maybe Neeranam needs one of those old 57' Chevys...low center of gravity combined with A LOT of weight makes for a pretty stable vehicle. The next time he pulls in behind one of these stupid pickup drivers he could give him a little "nudge" and send him into the weeds! Som nom nah!

PS..Make sure you aim for the driver's side corner.

Edited November 23, 2005 by Thaiboxer

[Neeranam]

40mph into a wall and the driver is in a state! Of course in a head on with the mini the truck would probably be fine, but two trucks head on... nasty.

One pick-up head-on with another one - ouch.

One car with a crumple zone with another - soft.

[andyfletch]

Also it depends on the vehicle:

Saw an accident in Malaysia a few years ago - Mitsu Pajero v. BMW X5. Pajero, 7-8 years old value about RM 40000; BMW, about 6 months old, value about RM 300,000.

They hit offside front corner to offside front corner, both dozy idiots driving with their wheels over the white line, combined impact speed probably about 60-70kph.

End result?.................

Pajero - minor damage, smashed headlight & indicator, not a lot else, drove away.

BMW - collapsed front suspension, going nowhere without a tow truck.

Made me smile

Edited November 23, 2005 by andyfletch

[Thaiboxer]

That must have been a sight to see...I figured a BMW would squash a Mitsubishi but I guess it depends on the angle of the two vehicles in addition to their strength.

[pal78]

End result?.................

Pajero -  minor damage, smashed headlight & indicator, not a lot else, drove away.

BMW  -  collapsed front suspension, going nowhere without a tow truck.

Made me smile

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Conclusions:

The BMW is designed to crumple, dissipating the the force of the impact and sparing the occupants the full-force of the impact. The BMW based on modern safety principles, and receives 4 or 5 star NCAP ratings in Europe due to it's ability to protect both it's own occupants, while also being kind to other road users in case of an accident.

Pajero is designed to be as strong as possible with little or on consideration for dissipation of impact forces. The concept is simple, but the result is a car that is more dangerous in an accident, not safer.

Being able to drive away from a serious accident is not a measure of safety.

I agree with you though, that it does depend on the vehicle you are driving. Given the choice, purely from a safety point of view (not just my personal safety), I'd take the BMW over a Pajero.

On the flip side of that argument, Fifth Gear (in the UK) did a test where they smashed a new Renault Espase into an old one. The new one scored a perfect five stars in the NCAP test. I believe the combined impact speed was 60 km/h.

The result? The old car was mashed, the driver would have died for sure as the steering wheel and engine landed in his lap. The new car was crumpled quite badly, but the airbags didn't even engage. The cabin was perfectly intact and the driver would have suffered some slight pain from the seat belt pre-tensioners.

As for the argument that brain size is inversely proportional to the size of the vehicle driven, this doesn't explain motorbike drivers, some of the craziest drivers on the roads in Thailand.

[Thaiboxer]

As for the argument that brain size is inversely proportional to the size of the vehicle driven, this doesn't explain motorbike drivers, some of the craziest drivers on the roads in Thailand.

You have a good point there; some of these motorcycle guys think they're immortal. You also made a good point about the cars that are rigid vs those that dissipate the impact force. Volvo and Mercedes are also pretty safe. While airbags are often standard on cars in the States it's not the same over here; you often have to get them as an option which drives up the purchase price.

[andyfletch]

Pajero is designed to be as strong as possible with little or on consideration for dissipation of impact forces. The concept is simple, but the result is a car that is more dangerous in an accident, not safer.

I agree with you though, that it does depend on the vehicle you are driving. Given the choice, purely from a safety point of view (not just my personal safety), I'd take the BMW over a Pajero.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wasn't trying to make the safety point with that observation, rather that expensive, so called "quality" vehicles also have their weak points.

Agreed it is probably more dangerous to other road users in an accident, but also what are the vehicles designed for in the first place. The Pajero, and the majority of pickups are designed as workhorses/site vehicles/offroad vehicles and the one involved in the accident was a siginficantly older model.

The BMW is a car which looks like an offroader ( likewise the Volvo XC90) but in reality does not have the strength or capabilities of the pure off road machines, and is more of a status symbol, and then of course there is the crazy end of the market - the Porsche Cayenne!!!!

A monocoque design will never be as inherently strong as a ladder chassis design. However recent versions of the Pajero are now monocoque, and are thus more like the BMW. That said it is still a successful racer in the Paris - Dakar rally, as is the BMW, so it may well be that it was the pure angle of the accident that caused the extreme damage I saw.

No matter though, I still can't see the point in paying 8x as much for a fashion statement!!!

On the motorbike issue - well enough said - they are mad. Saw one a few weeks back, motorcycle taxi, with passenger, squeeze through an ever decreasing gap between a soft drinks delivery lorry and a wall on Suk Soi13 as the lorry was trying to negotiate a 90 deg bend. Its bad enough that they ride like loonies when they are alone on the bike, but with passengers too???

[Thaiboxer]

I've seen lots of close calls with motorcyclists. The worst ones are those in which you see an entire family jammed on a 110cc which at most can handle two average sized adults for short distances. I once saw two teenage boys on one of those tiny bikes pull right in front of me when I was driving; they came out of a soi without even looking. Luckily I was quick enough to stop or I could have killed them. In traffic jams I've seen these morons race between lines of cars; it's only a matter of time till a driver opens their door to dump out some old coffee then WHACK!

Edited November 23, 2005 by Thaiboxer

[WhiteShiva]

I've seen lots of close calls with motorcyclists. The worst ones are those in which you see an entire family jammed on a 110cc which at most can handle two average sized adults for short distances. I once saw two teenage boys on one of those tiny bikes pull right in front of me when I was driving; they came out of a soi without even looking. Luckily I was quick enough to stop or I could have killed them. In traffic jams I've seen these morons race between lines of cars; it's only a matter of time till a driver opens their door to dump out some old coffee then WHACK!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The attitude of many motorcycle drivers has always puzzled me. Who do they expect others to be more concerned about their safety than they are themselves?

When you see the accident rates here in Thailand, it is fairly obvious that not everyone is......

[sierra01]

Thai motor cyclists are either accidents looking for somewhere to happen or else they have a death wish. The closest call I've ever had was the knee of a passenger on a m/c actually hit the wing of my car as they cut in front of me!

[Thaiboxer]

I hate it when they try to squeeze between cars with hardly any space and they bump your mirror

[pal78]

I wasn't trying to make the safety point with that observation, rather that expensive, so called "quality" vehicles also have their weak points.

........

The BMW is a car which looks like an offroader ( likewise the Volvo XC90) but in reality does not have the strength or capabilities of the pure off road machines, and is more of a status symbol, and then of course there is the crazy end of the market - the Porsche Cayenne!!!!

........

No matter though, I still can't see the point in paying 8x as much for a fashion statement!!!

On the motorbike issue - well enough said - they are mad. Saw one a few weeks back, motorcycle taxi, with passenger, squeeze through an ever decreasing gap between a soft drinks delivery lorry and a wall on Suk Soi13 as the lorry was trying to negotiate a 90 deg bend. Its bad enough that they ride like loonies when they are alone on the bike, but with passengers too???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Okay, in that case we are in total agreement. I am not a fan of SUVs anyway, and see no point to those like the BMW, Honda CRV etc. The ones that are about as much use off road as a Ford 7610 (Tractor) is on the road. Prosche Cayenne, is an excellent example of this. And actually I can't see the point in spending any extra money on a SUV of any kind, unless you need it because you are a park ranger or something... and then you're going to be getting a real off-roader like a Toyota Land Cruiser or something.

I have witnessed 4 serious motorbike accidents in my life, all in Thailand. Considering that I've only lived in Thailand for 1/8th of my life, that's telling. I've also witnessed the aftermath of many more, three of which involved large pools of blood, and presumably loss of life.

The least serious, and therefore funniest was when a guy stepped off a bus I was on and landed on top of a motorbike. The rider though that it was a good idea to pass out a bus on the inside while it was parked at a bus stop!!

Just last week I was driving in the rain and the roads were clear ahead of me. A motorbike was approaching me on the other side of the road and as we got close enough for me to be able to see his smiling face he decided to turn right across the road and down a soi to my left. But he turned too suddenly and lost control of the bike which tried to throw him into the air and then came to a complete stop in my lane. I was forced to emergency break to avoid killing him. Luckily the road was clear behind me too, which makes me wonder why he couldn't have waited for 4 seconds until my car went by!

Actually the more I think about this the more I am reminded of numerous similar instances of stupidity. But then I still live in Bangkok and drive on Bangkok roads, so I can't claim to be super smart either.