Riding During Songkran, Feasible?

[nocturn]

Trouble is, as usual, we have people flapping their gums here on a topic that they really don't know anything about, have never experienced it. I HAVE as a bike is my only form of transportation, and that's why I'm outta here during Songkran. No need to suffer the danger and inconvenience.

the board would be pretty slow without the armchair forensic scientists up north and the Thailand experts currently living anywhere but the kingdom.

I was passing a pickup truck on asoke with two guys and a large garbage style can in it. It was the day before the festival was due to start, and the guys and truck were bone dry. there was no indicator that they were water fighting.

I was coming along side the truck at about 60 approaching the asoke sukhumvit intersection when i was hit by a wall of water from the side.

I very nearly ate it, and in correcting from the shock ended up in the next lane. If someone else had been moving rapidly towards the intersection in that lane i would have been hamburger.

I very likely would have crashed had it been ice water.

At the next light they waved a large pain bucket at me and laughed.

It was just plain malicious, i can see no other explanation.

[longstebe]

@ David48

It was just some light hearted fun.

I don't think water being thrown over you would make you go blind for a few seconds but oil probably would.

are you kidding me?

Not you aswell.

See post #42.

[YipYipYa123]

you should be wearing a full faced helmet at all times on a bike anyway (ideally passenger also but driver for sure )

its hard to feel sorry for someone who crashes his bike because water went in his eyes

OK tough guy...try getting 5 gals of water with large chunks of ice in it directed into your face while riding. Ask my buddy Rodger. He the one with only one leg now. You can see him around Chiang mai still riding. His leg wasn't amputated. It was torn off in his crash. Songkran 2005. Love to see you tell him this idiot comment.

well sir ,either you are talking through your ass or it took a olympic grade athlete to throw 5 gallons of water any distance at all

have you any idea on the weight of five gallons of water or are you just spouting random shit in the hopes people will listen ?

what speed was he doing to have a body part as large as a leg ripped off by a bucket of water ?

do you ever think about reality before you make a post ?

Then had a thai guy thinking he was gonna smear his mixture of talc and Tiger balm in my eyes,

who puts tiger balm in peoples eyes ?

they put wet chalky paint on faces

i will also tell your friend he shouldnt have been riding at a speed high enough to cause amputation in songkran

also if 42lbs of water was throw horizontally ,most of it would miss him

if it was dropped on him from above then he again shouldnt have ben doing near that speed alongside a pick up in songkran of all times

in both cases ,a visor may have saved him ,BUT HE WAS STILL GOING TOO FAST !

[inthepink]

How many of the people on this thread who think that a full face helmet will save one from accidents at Songkran actually hold a full motorcycle licence from their home country and have a number of years experience riding large capacity machines outside of Thailand? I'm willing to bet the answer is none (although some are sure to lie just to try to prove a point).

[Kilgore Trout]

you should be wearing a full faced helmet at all times on a bike anyway (ideally passenger also but driver for sure )

its hard to feel sorry for someone who crashes his bike because water went in his eyes

I think you are missing the point; perhaps a physics lesson is in order.

Getting hit in the head with a bucket of water at speed on a motorbike is like getting hit with a brick; and I've seen them chuck them at people going much faster than that.

Just think about diving; what would happen to your head if you dove off a 40 ft cliff with your hands at your side?

[thaihome]

Worth noting that the video clearly shows one of the revelers trying to get them to stop so he (and undoubtedly the others as) could pour water on the riders while they were stopped. Unfortunately the driver instead chose to try and make a swerve while driving through a puddle in the road. Being splashed had nothing to do with his crashing the bike. His attempts to avoid it did.

You are going to get wet if you go out anywhere in the country during Songkran. Accept that , be ready for it and you will be much better off and not nearly as angry and bitter.

TH

[Kilgore Trout]

Double post, sorry

[Semper]

How many of the people on this thread who think that a full face helmet will save one from accidents at Songkran actually hold a full motorcycle licence from their home country and have a number of years experience riding large capacity machines outside of Thailand? I'm willing to bet the answer is none (although some are sure to lie just to try to prove a point).

What would experience from driving in another country have to do with accidents during Songkran?

And I have had a "full motorcycle" license for 38 years. So I guess you lost your bet.

[Kilgore Trout]

@ David48

It was just some light hearted fun.

I don't think water being thrown over you would make you go blind for a few seconds but oil probably would.

Driving a bike 40-50 kmph and the unexpectedly being hit by a bucket of water will certainly make you go blind for several seconds, or being thrown off the bike.

In all honesty if its Sonkran, you're riding and you're approaching a bunch of people at the side the road standing next to a drum of water, if you get splashed "unexpectedly" you probably shouldn't be riding a motorcycle period.

I'm not advocating the splashing practice but if someone rides during this festival they should expect to arrive wet.

Tell that to the countless thais who have to work at 7-11's or wherever, serving YOU, for 6 thousand baht a month. Perhaps you could tell them to use their day's wages on taxi fare to and from work.

What you fail to realize is that most injuries and fatalities occur to Thais, and the number of dead in these three days is unbelievable. Blame the person throwing water, not the person getting hit genius.

[longstebe]

How many of the people on this thread who think that a full face helmet will save one from accidents at Songkran actually hold a full motorcycle licence from their home country and have a number of years experience riding large capacity machines outside of Thailand? I'm willing to bet the answer is none (although some are sure to lie just to try to prove a point).

It may not save you but It's certainly better to wear one. Anyone who disagrees with that is a dafty.

Does holding a full US motorcycle license count if I come from the UK?

[longstebe]

@ David48

It was just some light hearted fun.

I don't think water being thrown over you would make you go blind for a few seconds but oil probably would.

Driving a bike 40-50 kmph and the unexpectedly being hit by a bucket of water will certainly make you go blind for several seconds, or being thrown off the bike.

In all honesty if its Sonkran, you're riding and you're approaching a bunch of people at the side the road standing next to a drum of water, if you get splashed "unexpectedly" you probably shouldn't be riding a motorcycle period.

I'm not advocating the splashing practice but if someone rides during this festival they should expect to arrive wet.

Tell that to the countless thais who have to work at 7-11's or wherever, serving YOU, for 6 thousand baht a month. Perhaps you could tell them to use their day's wages on taxi fare to and from work.

What you fail to realize is that most injuries and fatalities occur to Thais, and the number of dead in these three days is unbelievable. Blame the person throwing water, not the person getting hit genius.

I'm guessing most of the deaths are caused from alcohol (drink driving) not from someone throwing water over you.

[CanInBKK]

@ David48

It was just some light hearted fun.

I don't think water being thrown over you would make you go blind for a few seconds but oil probably would.

Driving a bike 40-50 kmph and the unexpectedly being hit by a bucket of water will certainly make you go blind for several seconds, or being thrown off the bike.

In all honesty if its Sonkran, you're riding and you're approaching a bunch of people at the side the road standing next to a drum of water, if you get splashed "unexpectedly" you probably shouldn't be riding a motorcycle period.

I'm not advocating the splashing practice but if someone rides during this festival they should expect to arrive wet.

Tell that to the countless thais who have to work at 7-11's or wherever, serving YOU, for 6 thousand baht a month. Perhaps you could tell them to use their day's wages on taxi fare to and from work.

What you fail to realize is that most injuries and fatalities occur to Thais, and the number of dead in these three days is unbelievable. Blame the person throwing water, not the person getting hit genius.

What is your point, really? Aside from altering a quote which is a violation of Thaivisa rules, you also take it off on a tangent. Nowhere did I suggest minimum wage employees should take a taxi.

I think the bulk of the Songkran death toll, both automotive and motorcycle, should be attributed to alcohol, not getting splashed at the side of the road by water.

[inthepink]

How many of the people on this thread who think that a full face helmet will save one from accidents at Songkran actually hold a full motorcycle licence from their home country and have a number of years experience riding large capacity machines outside of Thailand? I'm willing to bet the answer is none (although some are sure to lie just to try to prove a point).

It may not save you but It's certainly better to wear one. Anyone who disagrees with that is a dafty.

Does holding a full US motorcycle license count if I come from the UK?

Yes it counts. I just reread my post and it isn't exactly what I meant to say. What I wrote doesn't really make sense to me....unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on your point of view) I can't remember what I was trying to say so maybe best to forget I said anything at all...

Ahem....nothing to see here, move along now please.

[Kilgore Trout]

What is your point, really? Aside from altering a quote which is a violation of Thaivisa rules, you also take it off on a tangent. Nowhere did I suggest minimum wage employees should take a taxi.

I think the bulk of the Songkran death toll, both automotive and motorcycle, should be attributed to alcohol, not getting splashed at the side of the road by water.

I don't think highlighting your words is a violation of thaivisa rules, please inform the mods if you think so.

So what are you saying then, that those who have money get what they deserve if they get hit by water on a motorbike, but thai employees making minimum wage don't? Sounds a bit silly to me.

Even the radio constantly reminds people not to throw water at moterbikes, people know this yet do it anyway. It is illegal, riding a motorbike is not.

[MrsMills]

The ammount of posts some of you guys rack up suggests you never get out at all, why would you care about songkhran.

Songkhran is for the young or young at heart, not the miserable old men of ThaiVisa.

I will be out soaking allcomers just like I have for 21 previous years, if you lot wanna come and tell me what an idiot I am, you'll get soaked too, geriatrics included.

[Sydneycraig]

If you need to, or want to ride during songkram then do so but ride very slowly like you are in a very heavy storm and expect, and be prepared fo,r occasional severe downpours! If not then take the car, walk or stay home. Simples...!

[SlyAnimal]

If, as per the video, people are riding their motorcycle with no helmet (especially as they should know it's Songkran), then I really can't feel sorry for them. Should always have a helmet on, it's the law for a reason (and not just revenue collection lol)

But in general, it's not really safe to ride during songkran I think. A lot of drunk drivers + random people running onto the roads + cold water (+ sometimes ice) being thrown at moving vehicles. Not to mention, that even if you drive slowly and have a helmet on etc, it doesn't mean that the people coming in the other direction won't crash into you when they are blinded by water. Definitely not a time to be driving a motorcycle, accidents could happen anywhere. People have no sympathy at all for someone just because they might cause an accident, if someone obviously doesn't want to get wet, then they just see it as more of a challenge etc.