Tourist Dies On Rented Motorbike In Pattaya

[SteeleJoe]

This is what makes Pattaya a dangerous place to ride. People who probably have little motorcycle experience being allowed to jump on a large displacement sportbike. Little do they understand that these machines are not toys.

This makes entire Thailand a dangerous place, not only Pattaya!

I don't know why people keep saying this: it's not the place that's making it dangerous to ride it's the people who shouldn't be riding -- and shouldn't be allowed to -- that are putting themselves in danger.

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[thurien]

BUT is the Rider Licensed ????

Was the driver sober ???

too many questions at this early juncture

As for myself: No questions open

[Teerak2]

It sucks that fun and safe don't usually go hand in hand

[bra]

...what a shame.....

....I know it seems deceptively easy to drive a bike in Thailand....but one has to consider the mindlessness of most drivers...

You are not wrong but this accident didn't involve other drivers - it involved (as do many motorcycle accidents in Pattaya) the mindlessness of someone who shouldn't have been on that bike.

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Late last year there was publicity in Australia about the death passenger in a bike V bike accident in Samui. One TV current affairs program ran with it a couple of times, as the passenger who died was a young girl presenter who worked for the TV channel. Her boyfriend survived, although like her he was not wearing a helmet. He was on TV tearfully blaming the other bike rider (Thai), the Thai Police - everyone except taking some of the responsibility himself. Its almost inconceivable that an Australian would ride a bike without a helmet - the laws there are strict and policed and its part of the culture. You even need a helmet to ride a push bike. What makes tourists in Thailand and other Asian countries deliberately endanger themselves? Holiday? The locals dont? Bucking the laws because you can?

Well the people who wrote the laws did it for a very good reason - proved by the number of deaths involving non helmet wearing riders. My world wide travel insurance does NOT cover me for riding bikes in Bali (its even worse there) not that I intend to. The last time I rode was as a young lad rounding up sheep (slowly) with the occasional dog as a passenger - even then I always wore a helmet. The dog jumped off if things looked bad.

But condolences to the family of that poor girl in Pattaya - and may the lessons be learnt by others.

[drdoom6996]

This is what makes Pattaya a dangerous place to ride. People who probably have little motorcycle experience being allowed to jump on a large displacement sportbike. Little do they understand that these machines are not toys.

I live here and wear a helmet every time I get on one. Why do tourists turn off their brain when they go on vacation?

[transam]

This is what makes Pattaya a dangerous place to ride. People who probably have little motorcycle experience being allowed to jump on a large displacement sportbike. Little do they understand that these machines are not toys.

This makes entire Thailand a dangerous place, not only Pattaya!

The point is that guys probably would never own a big bike in farangland, soooooo it's a ''must try one of these '' whilst l am here. Bad news for some.

[smotherb]

Friend called from England complaining he had just got 6 points for going 36 in a 30MPH zone, thus racking up 12 points to get a 6 month ban, his other 6 points were for driving a clients VW camper when only having car insurance.

ake off

Then to contract 5 minutes after this conversation i see a Thai women putting her 18 month old toddler who can just about stand up between her legs put so he is standing on the footing section of her motorbike and then riding off.

Now both are wrong in my mind but <deleted> Thai people lets just have a little common sense, women like that should be sterlilised.

Please, I have seen numerous tourist couples load their kids on rented bikes and take off--in Pattaya too.. It's not just the Thais, it's anyone who has the option of safety or not without retaliation. Some people think it just won't happen to them, so they do not take precautions. Just look at your own country, today and yesteryear. When I was a kid--yeah, I'm a Yank--I rode with two or even three others on the same motorcycle and there were no motorcycle helmet laws, still aren't in many places. I took a gun to high school twice a week--I belonged to the Rifle Club, and nobody was ever shot. I was home alone, as one of many latch-key kids--with both parents working and not getting home from work until two or three hours after we did from school. Safety belts weren't in cars and child safety seats were not yet required. I remember standing in the middle of the front seat when riding in the car. Of course, now all these are now considered uncaring and illegal--except there are still 'no-helmet' laws in some states. Do you really believe Thai parents don't love their children? The safety of which you speak is a reactionary move made by the more affluent and more advanced nations to reduce potential death or injury from actions deemed unsafe and costly--which is driven as much by economic reasons as compassionate ones..

[juggernaut]

A lot of people here are making out that the guy shouldn't have been on the bike....... I don't think we have that information. I can't see anywhere it says whether he was licensed or not, was an experienced rider or not, was drunk or not. Couldn't it just have been a case of I want to have a bit of fun on this nice bike I have rented while on holidays? Seems that other factors aside, which we are given no solid information of, he has misjudged the appropriateness of opening up the throttle at that place and time and unfortunately his companion has suffered the the worst consequences. Anyone who has ridden a big bike has decided at some point to let it rip, you just have to choose the right place and time to do it with as minimum risk as possible.

Personally, I would never have done this (what witnesses describe him as doing) in that location of Pattaya, at any time, and especially not with a pillion passenger.

I imagine he is going to live with a pretty big burden for a long time over his actions that night.

[spidermike007]

This is so "not news". I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui. It remains the most lawless land in Thailand. The police talk about the helmet laws, and all they do is collect tea money once per month, at their monthly fund raising roadblocks. No concern for safety, whatsoever. Lip service whenever these deaths are publicized, but the fabulously timid Samui Gazette, and Samui Express will not report about these deaths, nor with the Bangkok Post, or the Nation, since they are highly censored. So, it remains a big secret that I found about from my friends at Samui Rescue. Whenever I go to the hospital, I see many bike injuries. No one really knows how many are injured every month, but the mixture of drinking while driving, lack of motorbike skills, the unlicensed 10 year olds riding motorbikes (that the toy police refuse to do anything about) and the young men (boys really) that drive like kamikazes, plus the central governments absolute refusal to put any priority on the completion of the main road in Samui (the ring road), make Samui a very toxic mix, when it comes to driver safety.

[cloghead]

the frightening thing is that bike will be up for rent again after a quick and dirty respray, no matter what shape the frame is in

And the owner will collect at least half the total replacement value from the moron who crashed it...

[NoshowJones]

Friend called from England complaining he had just got 6 points for going 36 in a 30MPH zone, thus racking up 12 points to get a 6 month ban, his other 6 points were for driving a clients VW camper when only having car insurance.

Then to contract 5 minutes after this conversation i see a Thai women putting her 18 month old toddler who can just about stand up between her legs put so he is standing on the footing section of her motorbike and then riding off.

Now both are wrong in my mind but <deleted> Thai people lets just have a little common sense, women like that should be sterlilised.

Thai people having common sense???????

[NoshowJones]

In addition to having killed his girlfriend and sustained injuries himself, Mr. Perfilov will now have to pay a lot of money to the bike rental thugs to get his passport back.

When I rented a motorbike in Pattaya, a 115cc Honda Click, I would never have given my passport if I was asked for it. I do have a Thai motorbike licence, I wonder if that was the reason I was not asked for my passport,

[jcgodber]

Friend called from England complaining he had just got 6 points for going 36 in a 30MPH zone, thus racking up 12 points to get a 6 month ban, his other 6 points were for driving a clients VW camper when only having car insurance.

Then to contract 5 minutes after this conversation i see a Thai women putting her 18 month old toddler who can just about stand up between her legs put so he is standing on the footing section of her motorbike and then riding off.

Now both are wrong in my mind but <deleted> Thai people lets just have a little common sense, women like that should be sterlilised.

There wouldn`t be any fertile women around here then ...................

Friend called from England complaining he had just got 6 points for going 36 in a 30MPH zone, thus racking up 12 points to get a 6 month ban, his other 6 points were for driving a clients VW camper when only having car insurance.

Then to contract 5 minutes after this conversation i see a Thai women putting her 18 month old toddler who can just about stand up between her legs put so he is standing on the footing section of her motorbike and then riding off.

Now both are wrong in my mind but <deleted> Thai people lets just have a little common sense, women like that should be sterlilised.

There wouldn`t be any fertile women around here then ...................

Darwin Awards recipient ?

Edited January 11, 2013 by jcgodber

[Hunter88]

In Pattaya this is not considered news.

[Briggsy]

This is so "not news". I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui. It remains the most lawless land in Thailand. The police talk about the helmet laws, and all they do is collect tea money once per month, at their monthly fund raising roadblocks.

I think the motorbike death rate on Koh Samui is actually 450 tourists per week. [source: made-up statistics}

[balo]

These people will never learn , they are in Thailand to keep up the statistics of farangs killed in accidents .

Tell them to wear a helmet , they will not do it.

They are destined to die....

[belg]

don't let tourists rent : motorbikes, jetski's and avoid riding tuk tuk's

save you 95% of trouble

ah yes and don't get drunk pissed at night ...

[joorakee]

There is one other danger that track riders are well-prepared for and which most riders around here are ill-prepared for: major skin loss. Track riders wear full body protection. Many riders here just have shorts and a t-shirt. Major skin loss can kill you just as well as a dented skull can, but it may take much longer and be much more painful.

In a hot climate - unlike in Central Europe, for example - hardly anyone rides fully protected, except for long-distance touring. Maybe wearing a mesh motorcycle jacket would be a good solution, but I haven't seen any in the LOS.

[smedly]

I have a mesh/leather Jacket and pants with armor that works quite well here

[Mudcrab]

Big bike, high speed + Pattaya traffic = suicidal tendencies or idiocy, take your pick.

I've seen quite a few on big bikes doing wheelies and burning off at high speed down the narrow roads here in Pattaya and often wondered how long they would survive.

small bike, high speed....same result

[spidermike007]

This is so "not news". I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui. It remains the most lawless land in Thailand. The police talk about the helmet laws, and all they do is collect tea money once per month, at their monthly fund raising roadblocks.

I think the motorbike death rate on Koh Samui is actually 450 tourists per week. [source: made-up statistics}

Thanks for your empiracle, and scientific input. I helps the whole community.

[Mudcrab]

When was this photo taken?

I see the police have taken over the scene and already had time to mark off the bike on the street, yet this person was laying in the street bleeding with no apparent assistance.

I saw a neighbor get taken out when a gas compressor exploded in his face, within the first month of moving BKK. Nobody, not even his friends, had any sense of urgency about it. I almost felt embarrassed that I had been running around giving compression instructions to someone on the scene and orchestrating a pickup truck ride to the hospital and generally acting like the closest thing to a paramedic there. Seriously. Embarrassed, like I had acted too frantically. The guy died right there in front of my office door. We all just went back to work after that.

Early Lesson: Don't come to Thailand unless you're somewhat comfortable with the idea that you might bleed out on the street in a tropical land.

Mai Penlai, dude.

A very distressing situation to be in. However giving instruction re CPR to someone else who may never have practised this before might not have been the wisest decision to make...better off doing it yourself and having someone else arrange the transport. Don't feel guilty - you did what you thought was the right thing at the time and is certainly better than doing nothing like the "bystanders" we so frequently read about.

Well done mate.

Edited January 11, 2013 by Mudcrab

[Mudcrab]

There are several morals to this story, but #1 would be WEAR A BLOODY HELMET!

Hmm. I would say that the number one moral is: dont ride on motorbikes. At the best of times they are hideously dangerous, large engines/high speed add to the danger, and lack of suitable protection (helmet, exposed skin) just compounds the insanity of being on one in the first place.

I would disagree strongly, if motorbikes/large engines/high speed were dangerous, I and thousands of motorcycle racers around the world would be dead.

It is stupidity that is dangerous, riding a bike more powerful than you're capable of controlling, riding drunk or otherwise intoxicated, riding without a helmet... stupid. (Some, all or none of these may pertain to this particular incident, but it irritates me when people say "motorbikes are dangerous").

Edit: "incident" not "accident"

or to borrow from our red neck gun nut brothers..."motorbikes don't kill people...people kill people"

[Yahooka]

This is so "not news". I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui. It remains the most lawless land in Thailand. The police talk about the helmet laws, and all they do is collect tea money once per month, at their monthly fund raising roadblocks. No concern for safety, whatsoever. Lip service whenever these deaths are publicized, but the fabulously timid Samui Gazette, and Samui Express will not report about these deaths, nor with the Bangkok Post, or the Nation, since they are highly censored. So, it remains a big secret that I found about from my friends at Samui Rescue. Whenever I go to the hospital, I see many bike injuries. No one really knows how many are injured every month, but the mixture of drinking while driving, lack of motorbike skills, the unlicensed 10 year olds riding motorbikes (that the toy police refuse to do anything about) and the young men (boys really) that drive like kamikazes, plus the central governments absolute refusal to put any priority on the completion of the main road in Samui (the ring road), make Samui a very toxic mix, when it comes to driver safety.

" I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui.".............yes must have "heard" that,because there is not any statistic in the world to back up that claim...........................maybee 60 INCIDENTS is more correct !?!?

[LaoPo]

This is so "not news". I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui. It remains the most lawless land in Thailand. The police talk about the helmet laws, and all they do is collect tea money once per month, at their monthly fund raising roadblocks. No concern for safety, whatsoever. Lip service whenever these deaths are publicized, but the fabulously timid Samui Gazette, and Samui Express will not report about these deaths, nor with the Bangkok Post, or the Nation, since they are highly censored. So, it remains a big secret that I found about from my friends at Samui Rescue. Whenever I go to the hospital, I see many bike injuries. No one really knows how many are injured every month, but the mixture of drinking while driving, lack of motorbike skills, the unlicensed 10 year olds riding motorbikes (that the toy police refuse to do anything about) and the young men (boys really) that drive like kamikazes, plus the central governments absolute refusal to put any priority on the completion of the main road in Samui (the ring road), make Samui a very toxic mix, when it comes to driver safety.

" I have heard that as many as 60 tourists die PER MONTH, on motorbikes in Koh Samui.".............yes must have "heard" that,because there is not any statistic in the world to back up that claim...........................maybee 60 INCIDENTS is more correct !?!?

That would be around 700 dead tourists per year, driving motorbikes on Samui...?

If there would be 700 dead tourists, who rode motorbikes, in ANY tourist country in the world (not just on a small island) touroperators would not sell a single trip anymore.

hmmm

[Briggsy]

Lao Po

Your stats are out of date. The Samui annual death toll is 23,400 tourists. Please see my post.

Thank you.

[LaoPo]

Lao Po

Your stats are out of date. The Samui annual death toll is 23,400 tourists. Please see my post.

Thank you.

I understand your post but I don't think it's the time to make sarcastic jokes about it; every death of a tourist is one too many

[SteeleJoe]

You people shouldn't make light of his stats -- he receieved SECRET information from his friends at Samui rescue (imagine how connected he is to have pierced the veil of the grand conspiracy).

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[harleyd61]

at home they don't have a bike like this,

so they rent them here.

then you things like this...

RIP lady

[Mudcrab]

Lao Po

Your stats are out of date. The Samui annual death toll is 23,400 tourists. Please see my post.

Thank you.

I understand your post but I don't think it's the time to make sarcastic jokes about it; every death of a tourist is one too many

and every death of a Thai is one too many too......isn't it? or have I missed something here?

Edited January 11, 2013 by Mudcrab