This is one such tragic case that can't be blamed on the Thai's.

Surely this educated British couple did extensive research on the places (roads) they would be visiting on their global trek.

Asia is not the west with its dedicated bicycle lanes ,compulsory helmets and rigid safety laws and police enforcement,

Anyone studying Thailand over the net for a few days would quickly realise this not the place to ride bicycles or even a car for that matter.

Thousands of Thais drive around under the influence of drugs or alcohol day and night expecially upcountry.

They took a gamble as Thailand is the keystone of any S E Asian trip and unfortunately they lost.

Pray inform me who should shoulder the blame?

"when will standards and laws be enforced to prevent unnecessary accidents and deaths?
"

maybe the day the cops start doing the job they are paid for instead of being the head of the snake of the local maffia getting daily/weekly/monthly brown envelopes from businesses / motosay and car drivers ???

No amount of enforcement influences whether or not someone will reach for an object in their car. This accident was caused by negligence and a lack of common sense from the driver. There are drivers like this everywhere it is a common cause of accidents all over the world.

However, it is about time that the Police began to enforce some of the rules and began to give tickets and demerits for moving violations. I only see the police going after the easy stuff, things they can catch at a check stop or standing on the corner.

In Thailand you can pass a cop at twice the speed limit, make lane changes in front of him without signaling, and overtake at any point. Nothing will happen. The only time the rules come into it is when a collision occurs.

This accident could of happened anywhere.

It happens many times daily.

The big fuss is about the high profile nature of the tourist,that were killed.

What a stupid comment

Nothing will change. It's a mantra, but it is too true to cease repeating. Thailand is a monster that survives only to perpetuate itself. You kill the monster or do anything to it to make right with these brilliant suggestions and you will throw the entire infrastructure out of whack.

The problem is in the minds of the people. This is a culmination if their minds, and to change anything you must begin with their minds. But their minds are so corrupt, vain, illiterate, uneducated, ignorant, stubborn and resistant that every best effort would be thwarted and the flame put out by corruption, vanity, illiteracy, stupidity, stubbornness, etc.

It simply is not possible to find a beginning point and to begin the change because every point is so entangled with its own diverse set of impossibilities that tampering with this beast would cause a complete collapse; a domino effect so vast that the country would go to any lengths to restore the insanity that it relies upon for its existence.

Unparalleled lunacy. As the poster said, you can't fix stupid. You just can't.

This accident could of happened anywhere.

It happens many times daily.

The big fuss is about the high profile nature of the tourist,that were killed.

What a stupid comment

The comment overlooks probabilities. Accidents do happen, but what are the probabilities of getting blown to bits walking through a mine field versus getting hit by a gold ball walking through a golf course?

I would pedal down any interstate anywhere in the USA with no qualms whatsoever. Thailand? Hell no! These people pull off the most ignorant stunts the imagination can contrive on a daily basis when it comes to being or or near a road, or operating any type of mechanism on or near a road. I don't trust them. I cannot for one moment relax and say to myself, "Nope! They aren't going to do it. They aren't going to do it.", and lo and behold; they do it. Here it is the norm. In the USA it is the exception, and remarkable when it does happen. The reaction of American citizens to road mishaps tells the story. Here, the reaction is on scale to a fly landing on their nose. They brush it off without so much as a single human thought or consideration for the significance of the event itself.

Amazing Thailand, but then again, utter and absolute, sheer stupidity can be legitimately categorized as being amazing in a very bad way!

Edit: Hedghog, I did not mean to imply you are stupid. Apologies.

Edited February 22, 201313 yr by cup-O-coffee

not as if this is the only country where cycling deaths occur; many would like to believe that UK's roads are perfectly safe.

The Times:

122 cyclists died in 2012 - a five-year high

Cycling deaths in 2012 hit a five-year high, as 122 cyclists were killed on Britain’s roads last year.

Of the 122 deaths, 106 are known to have taken place due to a collision with a motor vehicle, while a number of the remaining deaths are still being investigated. In 61 of the fatalities, a car was involved. Lorries and HGVs were involved in 25 deaths, vans in ten deaths, coaches or buses in five deaths, taxis in three deaths, and two fatalities occured after a collision with a motorbike.

Checked one of the many cycling websites for Thailand, it lists 56 companies offering tours (aimed at tourists) within the country; many of those companies have several locations,, and offer varieties of tours from half-day to 14 days. Add the many thousands of locals who cycle, perhaps there are many more cyclists out there than are seen from those who chose to live behind the bars of a gated community.

 

This is not a cartoon physics world we are living in.

 

Unfortunately, many drivers in this country seem to think that they live in a cartoon world.

I know several very experienced cyclists with thousands of kilometers behind them in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, and many of them prefer the main roads for safety reasons. The mainiac drivers, those who are most likely to hit you, don't care if the road is wide or narrow. They drive at top speed wherever they go, and on a narrow road, the road has no shoulder so you will be hit. That was what happened to me the other day. On a wider road, I could have gotten away.

I don't doubt some cyclists prefer highways and main roads and tell themselves its safer. Safety can be qualified or defined by a number of parameters.

One does have to wonder why safety conscious western countries often prohibit bicycles on highways, autobahns etc. My guess is the speed differentials are not so safe for both vehicles and bicycles.

Perhaps it's different in Thailand but I really doubt it.. Vehicles traveling faster take longer to stop, are harder to control and cause more damage when they strike pedestrians, cyclists etc.

not as if this is the only country where cycling deaths occur; many would like to believe that UK's roads are perfectly safe.

The Times:

122 cyclists died in 2012 - a five-year high

Cycling deaths in 2012 hit a five-year high, as 122 cyclists were killed on Britain’s roads last year.

Of the 122 deaths, 106 are known to have taken place due to a collision with a motor vehicle, while a number of the remaining deaths are still being investigated. In 61 of the fatalities, a car was involved. Lorries and HGVs were involved in 25 deaths, vans in ten deaths, coaches or buses in five deaths, taxis in three deaths, and two fatalities occured after a collision with a motorbike.

Checked one of the many cycling websites for Thailand, it lists 56 companies offering tours (aimed at tourists) within the country; many of those companies have several locations,, and offer varieties of tours from half-day to 14 days. Add the many thousands of locals who cycle, perhaps there are many more cyclists out there than are seen from those who chose to live behind the bars of a gated community.

No, there are not many more cyclists out there than are seen from behind the bars of a gated community. Compared to any other country I have been to, Asian or European, there are very few people who ride bicycles in Thailand, except very short distances within villages. That may have something to do with the fact that cycling is a physical activity, something that is apparently not part of contemporary Thai culture. Driving motorbikes, pickup trucks and, more recently, small eco-friendly cars, seem to be at the very core of said culture, at any speed, on any side of the road.

 

This is not a cartoon physics world we are living in.

 

Unfortunately, many drivers in this country seem to think that they live in a cartoon world.

I know several very experienced cyclists with thousands of kilometers behind them in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, and many of them prefer the main roads for safety reasons. The mainiac drivers, those who are most likely to hit you, don't care if the road is wide or narrow. They drive at top speed wherever they go, and on a narrow road, the road has no shoulder so you will be hit. That was what happened to me the other day. On a wider road, I could have gotten away.

I don't doubt some cyclists prefer highways and main roads and tell themselves its safer. Safety can be qualified or defined by a number of parameters.

One does have to wonder why safety conscious western countries often prohibit bicycles on highways, autobahns etc. My guess is the speed differentials are not so safe for both vehicles and bicycles.

Perhaps it's different in Thailand but I really doubt it.. Vehicles traveling faster take longer to stop, are harder to control and cause more damage when they strike pedestrians, cyclists etc.

Now you forget the fact that many accidents in Thailand are caused by drivers who don't even attempt to stop, simply because they aren't aware of the other vehicle. If the accident that is a natural consequence of that happens at 50 or 100 kph doesn't really matter if you're on a bicycle. You're stone dead afterwards in either case.

Where I live, there are baht buses, the large truck type, going down the soi which is hardly wide enough for two vehicles to meet. There are several schools along the routes, roadside restaurants, hand carts etc. Through the window to the driver's cabin, I have on several occasions seen that we have been travelling at over 70 kph, sometimes close to 90. Would a cyclist survive an encounter with that truck? Of course not. Even if you see or hear it, there's often nowhere to go.

Nothing will change. It's a mantra, but it is too true to cease repeating. Thailand is a monster that survives only to perpetuate itself. You kill the monster or do anything to it to make right with these brilliant suggestions and you will throw the entire infrastructure out of whack.

The problem is in the minds of the people. This is a culmination if their minds, and to change anything you must begin with their minds. But their minds are so corrupt, vain, illiterate, uneducated, ignorant, stubborn and resistant that every best effort would be thwarted and the flame put out by corruption, vanity, illiteracy, stupidity, stubbornness, etc.

It simply is not possible to find a beginning point and to begin the change because every point is so entangled with its own diverse set of impossibilities that tampering with this beast would cause a complete collapse; a domino effect so vast that the country would go to any lengths to restore the insanity that it relies upon for its existence.

Unparalleled lunacy. As the poster said, you can't fix stupid. You just can't.

Great summation as to why the country will never change

Let's blame it onto bloody smart phones. Many times I was tempted to hit my partner over her head while she was trying to use her smartphone while driving. Do pay attention what Thais do while driving a car or riding a motorcycle. They play with their phones and pay no attention whatsoever. Untill someone gets killed. Even as a pedestrian you are at a risk, Bangkok in particular. Motorcycles keep coming at your from all directions, even on the pavement. Not to mention crossing the road. Neither green light nor zebra crossing guarantees that you are safe. Keep your eyes wide open. And drivers usually get upset if they have to slow down so you can cross the road. That's the way it is. All you can do as an individual is to be aware what is going on around you. Thais will not change their driving habits to appease some farangs. TIT.