last night a night of road nightmares

[limbos]

And what makes you think that Phangan roads are that much safer?

[John 1]

What a nightmare! Driving on Samui is really something that worries me. Even if I wear a helmet and never drink and drive I could be hit by some moron who hasn't been as considerate.

But what I want to know: is it correct to assume that most accidents happen at night? Is there any statistics showing this? (combination of people being drunk and it being dark should significantly increase the risk).

Do the odds of getting killed decrease if you drive sober in the daytime, slowly and wear a helmet? Or is it just as dangerous in the daytime due to kids driving, careless driving and what have you (daytime drinkers)?

Perhaps one should simply not drive on Samui

If you have any concerns just walk.

[carmine]

What a nightmare! Driving on Samui is really something that worries me. Even if I wear a helmet and never drink and drive I could be hit by some moron who hasn't been as considerate.

But what I want to know: is it correct to assume that most accidents happen at night? Is there any statistics showing this? (combination of people being drunk and it being dark should significantly increase the risk).

Do the odds of getting killed decrease if you drive sober in the daytime, slowly and wear a helmet? Or is it just as dangerous in the daytime due to kids driving, careless driving and what have you (daytime drinkers)?

Perhaps one should simply not drive on Samui

If you have any concerns just walk.

You might remember the two elderly English tourists that were killed by a reckless driver on their morning walk earlier this year.

[evadgib]

And what makes you think that Phangan roads are that much safer?

I think he was joking.

"Out of the frying pan into Mt Etna?"

[robsamui]

I have a question:

I see lots of school kids finishing the day at school, heading home on their bikes with no helmets.

If it is the law to wear one, why is it the schools have not made it mandatory that kids riding bikes to school must wear a helmet?

Because they have no driving licenses, you must be 18 for that.

So they can't make it mandatory to wear a helmet as that would mean they are officially acknowledging that breaking the law is OK.

Oh so true, this is a fairly big problem on Samui, local parents letting their children drive motorbikes before they're legally old enough to actually drive a bike. It becomes really scary when you would have an accident with one of the kids driving a bike who isn't old enough, regardless of the question who's mistake the accident caused, you'll be likely to pay the family in question money to settle the case.

One of the most reverse logic items I know.

Hmm . . . I can think of several reverse logic processes - like putting the bungalow room rates up during the low season because there's not enough money coming in, or 30 vendors all next to each other on the roadside, every one selling oranges . . .

just off the top of my head . . .

R

[Opl]

I find more and more people drive the same way they play video games (not only in Samui or in Thailand) , trying to make it the fastest, the shortest, to escape other drivers.

In your turn you have to guess what others might do that is not in the code, and somehow manage to move smarter to avoid collisions with people who will ignore you even if you are on their way.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Opl

[phetphet]

One of the downsides of the recent road resurfacing is the crazy speeds some people are now driving.

Also, why are those safari tour guys always in such a hurry? They scare the s**t out of me sometimes.

[PoorSucker]

Also, why are those safari tour guys always in such a hurry? They scare the s**t out of me sometimes.

Agree, the safari tour guys is the new cement truck drivers (or they recruited them from there).

[BigC]

What a nightmare! Driving on Samui is really something that worries me. Even if I wear a helmet and never drink and drive I could be hit by some moron who hasn't been as considerate.

But what I want to know: is it correct to assume that most accidents happen at night? Is there any statistics showing this? (combination of people being drunk and it being dark should significantly increase the risk).

Do the odds of getting killed decrease if you drive sober in the daytime, slowly and wear a helmet? Or is it just as dangerous in the daytime due to kids driving, careless driving and what have you (daytime drinkers)?

Perhaps one should simply not drive on Samui

If you are sober and in the day time and you have a bike licence with some road knowledge then the odds go down. The most forangs i see that have crashes do not have a licnese from back home. Most people that i know drive motorbikes everyday and night and dont crash gave full licenses from back home.

I have my full bike lisence that i did on a 500 cc. They really teach you hard how to be aware of whats around you and when to check over you shoulder ( they call it left and right life savers )

Plus how and when the appy the front and back brake. They showed an example when walking with a 500 cc turning the handle bars then pressing the front brake. The bike starts to full straight away.

Braking in a straight line with both fron and back brake and ease off when going round corners if you have to brake on the corner use the bake break.until you straighten up then apply the front brake.

The problem is lack of knowledge.

If you drive sober and away of your surroundings then you can drive here avoiding allot of accidents even people that drive like lunatics.

if anyone is going home i suggest getting a full bike license.

Check over your shoulder before you indicate check over your shoulder before your turn.

Check over both shoulders as you arive at traffic lights.

Check over you shoulder if you are going round a car or object to make sure there is no t Dave with his CBR coming up the side.

Driving slow shall give you time to avoid an un expected collison though nithing is 100 per cent full proof but can narrow the chances down

[BigC]

Also, why are those safari tour guys always in such a hurry? They scare the s**t out of me sometimes.

Agree, the safari tour guys is the new cement truck drivers (or they recruited them from there).

samui is very much a business Island with people rushing everywhere.

[BigC]

why not have bumpers on the car ike in bumper cars and bikes. might help??????

[tornado40]

Big C - great advice

I've had a full bike licence since I was 17 - and now (well I'm post retirement visa age) enjoy using the 150 pcx when on the island

You are correct about the life saving ability of checking over your shoulder - also I limit my speed to 40 in the local area and 60 on the ring road

I have a UK helmet which is better than the tin pots you get here

I would like to add that I always am conscious of cars parked on the left - where they may either suddenly pull out or open a door without checking behind them

All these little points can help avoid accidents

[Phanganista]

The main Thong Sala - Haad Rin road can get very busy around FMP times with backpackers who are very inexperienced on bikes. I really try to minimise my time on that road during FMP period. Otherwise most of the small backroads in Phangan are quiet outside of FMP times. However, it's the unpredictable & erroneous events which scare me. A couple of months ago I was riding on a small inner island road in the middle of the day. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a bike came screaming down on me a la Barry Sheene. The guy riding it had both legs out at near 90 degrees, he was screaming at the top of his voice. As he (literally) screamed past me his left foot missed me by millimetres. I very much had the impression that he was under the influence of a psychoactive substance.

I was rather discombobulated by such reckless behaviour, and by my inability to warrant my own safety in the face of this type of behaviour.

The longer I live here the less I use my motorbike, preferring to walk when possible. I know walking doesn't guarantee safety, but it's just a relative comparison...

Sent from my GT-P5110 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Leckyman]

What a nightmare! Driving on Samui is really something that worries me. Even if I wear a helmet and never drink and drive I could be hit by some moron who hasn't been as considerate.

But what I want to know: is it correct to assume that most accidents happen at night? Is there any statistics showing this? (combination of people being drunk and it being dark should significantly increase the risk).

Do the odds of getting killed decrease if you drive sober in the daytime, slowly and wear a helmet? Or is it just as dangerous in the daytime due to kids driving, careless driving and what have you (daytime drinkers)?

Perhaps one should simply not drive on Samui

If you are sober and in the day time and you have a bike licence with some road knowledge then the odds go down. The most forangs i see that have crashes do not have a licnese from back home. Most people that i know drive motorbikes everyday and night and dont crash gave full licenses from back home.

I have my full bike lisence that i did on a 500 cc. They really teach you hard how to be aware of whats around you and when to check over you shoulder ( they call it left and right life savers )

Plus how and when the appy the front and back brake. They showed an example when walking with a 500 cc turning the handle bars then pressing the front brake. The bike starts to full straight away.

Braking in a straight line with both fron and back brake and ease off when going round corners if you have to brake on the corner use the bake break.until you straighten up then apply the front brake.

The problem is lack of knowledge.

If you drive sober and away of your surroundings then you can drive here avoiding allot of accidents even people that drive like lunatics.

if anyone is going home i suggest getting a full bike license.

Check over your shoulder before you indicate check over your shoulder before your turn.

Check over both shoulders as you arive at traffic lights.

Check over you shoulder if you are going round a car or object to make sure there is no t Dave with his CBR coming up the side.

Driving slow shall give you time to avoid an un expected collison though nithing is 100 per cent full proof but can narrow the chances down

Excellent advice there Big C.

[limbos]

I'm shocked by the fact that Big C can put a comprehensive post together with more then two sentences without any grammar frivolities. Shocking indeed.

Edited November 19, 2013 by limbos

[samuijimmy]

I'm shocked by the fact that Big C can put a comprehensive post together with more then two sentences without any grammar frivolities. Shocking indeed.

he's been known to have a few posts without the BigC-isms!

But the advice is good, not only look over one shoulder, but both, ... as well as using the mirrors....

Edited November 19, 2013 by samuijimmy

[waynerooney]

If you take the time to contribute to this topic, why not take the time to form a contructive comment rather than reply with an idiotic response????????????????????????????????

So Why not go back to your home countries where it is safer??????????????????????????????

[saweden]

What a nightmare! Driving on Samui is really something that worries me. Even if I wear a helmet and never drink and drive I could be hit by some moron who hasn't been as considerate.

But what I want to know: is it correct to assume that most accidents happen at night? Is there any statistics showing this? (combination of people being drunk and it being dark should significantly increase the risk).

Do the odds of getting killed decrease if you drive sober in the daytime, slowly and wear a helmet? Or is it just as dangerous in the daytime due to kids driving, careless driving and what have you (daytime drinkers)?

Perhaps one should simply not drive on Samui

If you are sober and in the day time and you have a bike licence with some road knowledge then the odds go down. The most forangs i see that have crashes do not have a licnese from back home. Most people that i know drive motorbikes everyday and night and dont crash gave full licenses from back home.

I have my full bike lisence that i did on a 500 cc. They really teach you hard how to be aware of whats around you and when to check over you shoulder ( they call it left and right life savers )

Plus how and when the appy the front and back brake. They showed an example when walking with a 500 cc turning the handle bars then pressing the front brake. The bike starts to full straight away.

Braking in a straight line with both fron and back brake and ease off when going round corners if you have to brake on the corner use the bake break.until you straighten up then apply the front brake.

The problem is lack of knowledge.

If you drive sober and away of your surroundings then you can drive here avoiding allot of accidents even people that drive like lunatics.

if anyone is going home i suggest getting a full bike license.

Check over your shoulder before you indicate check over your shoulder before your turn.

Check over both shoulders as you arive at traffic lights.

Check over you shoulder if you are going round a car or object to make sure there is no t Dave with his CBR coming up the side.

Driving slow shall give you time to avoid an un expected collison though nithing is 100 per cent full proof but can narrow the chances down

Thank you Big C! That's some good advice.

[Tropicalevo]

But the advice is good, not only look over one shoulder, but both, ... as well as using the mirrors....

The only problem regarding the use of mirrors for most people on the island, is that they have to keep re-setting them from when they were used to aid in the squeezing of zits.

[carmine]

Is it correct that in order to get your bike license you have to demonstrate you can steer a figure of eight whilst sending an sms on your mobile phone?

[MantisMan]

I have my full bike lisence that i did on a 500 cc. They really teach you hard how to be aware of whats around you and when to check over you shoulder ( they call it left and right life savers )

This is all good and well, but you miss the point entirely.

Most people take Motorbike lessons/tests in a country that has ORDER and makes order from chaos.

Here, people go out of their way to make CHAOS from ORDER.

Although there is a semblence of ORDER here, no one cares but you and I and that's just not enough.

Just watch how they pass other cars with solid yellow lines, going up/down hills AND! around corners.

Unbelievable!!

[carmine]

I have my full bike lisence that i did on a 500 cc. They really teach you hard how to be aware of whats around you and when to check over you shoulder ( they call it left and right life savers )

This is all good and well, but you miss the point entirely.

Most people take Motorbike lessons/tests in a country that has ORDER and makes order from chaos.

Here, people go out of their way to make CHAOS from ORDER.

Although there is a semblence of ORDER here, no one cares but you and I and that's just not enough.

Just watch how they pass other cars with solid yellow lines, going up/down hills AND! around corners.

Unbelievable!!

Just to add that if they hit you head on it will probably be deemed your fault even though you were infact driving on your side of the road. Something to do with "if you were not here it wouldn't have happened"! Nice!

[BigC]

If you take the time to contribute to this topic, why not take the time to form a contructive comment rather than reply with an idiotic response????????????????????????????????

So Why not go back to your home countries where it is safer??????????????????????????????

No this is the most clever repsonse i have ever seen. If only someone suggested this before. all i have to do is levae my wife and kids behinde and go back to England to avoid a traffic accident. oh yes and leave my job and income. what a great suggestion

[BigC]

I have my full bike lisence that i did on a 500 cc. They really teach you hard how to be aware of whats around you and when to check over you shoulder ( they call it left and right life savers )

This is all good and well, but you miss the point entirely.

Most people take Motorbike lessons/tests in a country that has ORDER and makes order from chaos.

Here, people go out of their way to make CHAOS from ORDER.

Although there is a semblence of ORDER here, no one cares but you and I and that's just not enough.

Just watch how they pass other cars with solid yellow lines, going up/down hills AND! around corners.

Unbelievable!!

The motor bike lisence in our own countries are not done with driving round a car park only. i did 5 days on the road with an ear peice radio. The small tips and tricks work everywhere in the world. It helps that i am from england and they drive on the same side of the road as us but from my experience people who know the ins and outs of their bike can drive anywhere in the world and some people do.

they get their license and drive across america, africa, SE asia. be hard to do that with out some training. also how to re-act when someone else is drive crazy. people with no lisence might just slam on both brakes on a corner and lock up. or if a car pulls out infront of you when you are driving straight. ( depending on the time fram ) you maybe able to avoid it as you may have seen this car edging forward and already antcipated the action also filturing through the traffic can be safe if you know what you are doing but still...

[Tchooptip]

Also, why are those safari tour guys always in such a hurry? They scare the s**t out of me sometimes.

Agree, the safari tour guys is the new cement truck drivers (or they recruited them from there).

You my ko jy my poor PoorSucker when we see them at such speed they are racing WITH the cement trucks (but they can't win of course)

[BigC]

Also, why are those safari tour guys always in such a hurry? They scare the s**t out of me sometimes.

Agree, the safari tour guys is the new cement truck drivers (or they recruited them from there).

You my ko jy my poor PoorSucker when we see them at such speed they are racing WITH the cement trucks (but they can't win of course)

oy ! i am on the only one who is alowd to wright nonsense with bad spelling ! Stop copying me!

[Neilly]

oy ! i am on the only one who is alowd to wright nonsense with bad spelling ! Stop copying me!

Better start using the copyright symbol on all your posts then Big C...this one, ©...you'll be okay then as no one breaks the copyright rules in Thailand

[evadgib]

oy ! i am on the only one who is alowd to wright nonsense with bad spelling ! Stop copying me!

Better start using the copyright symbol on all your posts then Big C...this one, ©...you'll be okay then as no one breaks the copyright rules in Thailand

That's small c; Try this:©

Edited November 22, 2013 by evadgib

[Tchooptip]

Also, why are those safari tour guys always in such a hurry? They scare the s**t out of me sometimes.

Agree, the safari tour guys is the new cement truck drivers (or they recruited them from there).

You my ko jy my poor PoorSucker when we see them at such speed they are racing WITH the cement trucks (but they can't win of course)

oy ! i am on the only one who is alowd to wright nonsense with bad spelling ! Stop copying me!

Until proved otherwise nonsense AND bad spelling are both the ThaiVisa national game so please try to be honest... Big© Pffff...

[yorkie100]

Interesting information and good advice on the UK, FCO website:

You can drive in Thailand using an International Driving Permit or Thai driving licence.

124,855 people were killed in road traffic accidents between 2000 and 2010 meaning that on average there were over 12,000 deaths a year during this period. In the UK there have been on average about 3,000 deaths from road traffic accidents each year over the past decade. In any comparison of these statistics, you should also note that there is a difference in the method of calculating statistics for road deaths in Thailand (at the scene of the accident) and the UK (within 30 days of the accident). The risk of death or injury on the road increases if you travel at night.

With motorcycles so widely used in Thailand the majority of road traffic accidents involve motorcycles, contributing to around 70% of all road deaths. If you’re riding a motorcycle in Thailand take extra care. According to Thai law, safety helmets must be worn.

Serious accidents involving other vehicles including cars, coaches and mini-buses also occur. Many accidents are due to poor vehicle and driver safety standards. There have been a number of accidents involving overnight coach travel. In June 2011, 3 British nationals were killed in an accident involving overnight coach travel, in July 2012, 2 British nationals were injured in an overnight coach crash and in February 2013, 3 British nationals were injured in an accident involving overnight coach travel. Seek local advice if you are in any doubt about the safety of your transport provider.

Motorcycles or scooters for hire in beach resorts are often unregistered and can’t be used legally on a public road. Before you hire a vehicle, make sure you’re covered by your travel insurance and check the small print of the lease agreement. Don’t hand over your passport as a guarantee against returning a motorcycle or scooter. Unscrupulous owners have been known to hold on to passports against claimed damage to the motorcycle or scooter.

Riding ‘Quad-bikes’ can also be dangerous. It is illegal to drive these on the roads in Thailand even though they’re available to hire on the roadside.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/safety-and-security

Edited November 22, 2013 by yorkie100