Elderly foreigner hurt in bike-car smash in Phuket

[cocopops]

As everywhere in the world (also England,Australia,Africa,America,Europe...)there is priority of the right (except otherwise indicated)

So if you see dammage on the left side of a car ,99% this car was in his right.

In thai traffic rules is stipulated: motorcycles can only drive in the left hand side of the street .Occupying max 1 meter of space.I a car is parked in this space ,the motorcycle is not allowed to pas the parked vehicle on the right,but has to stop and Walk arround the car on the left side .

This is the thai law,check it out in the books.Dont ask a police man ,they know nothing.

Correct at a crossroads in the absence of any other guidance.

But it is a ridiculous suggestion that vehicles turning right across traffic have right of way. I don't think you understood the description of the accident.

Edited December 13, 2013 by cocopops

[RuskiCat]

farang driver

always his fault

thai logic : if falang no here, no accident, you pay now

I hit a cop car when he suddenly turned in front of me going 100 kph. He could have said anything and been in the right because of his nationality and rank. Instead, he apologized - and took me to the hospital. He paid my hospital bill and bike repair.

What were you saying about Thai?

[peecee]

Pretty clear who's at fault here. I honestly don't expect to be nor do I want to be still driving when I'm 88.

So you saw it as well! Yep, the bike was speeding & weaving in & out of traffic as the car driver carefully made his maneuver.

[Gweiloman]

Pretty clear who's at fault here. I honestly don't expect to be nor do I want to be still driving when I'm 88.

So you were there then....you actually saw the crash?

Otherwise your comment is aegist in the extreme and pretty prejudious against older people. Do you beleive that a driver of 38/48/58/etc would have avoided the accident? So, again, all young drivers under a certain age are ace drivers and all of them should be on the roads? Or just could the young bike rider have been travelling at sucicide speed, as I have seen all too often? The biggest cause of fatal accidents are males under 25...not older men over 80.

I do not know the driver but I would never assume that his age was the cause of the accident....he had the sense to try and avoid the crash so he can't be as senile as you beleive.

No, I was not there nor did I see the accident. But from the description of the facts (assuming they are accurate), looking at the map as to where the accident occurred and looking at the picture of the damaged car, it should be pretty elementary.

I believe a more alert and capable driver would have avoided the accident. I have been driving for over 30 years and have had to make a few turns (both left and right even) in my life. I'm yet to have had an oncoming vehicle which has right of way hitting me (needless to say, HD's are never under threat because they can't generally move fast enough for their speeds to be misjudged). It could well be that the biker was riding too fast. In most other countries, he will also be issue a traffic summon for speeding (assuming he lives). BUT, it is still clearly the car driver that is at fault for turning INTO oncoming traffic that has the right of way.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

No idea who was at fault, but not many people of any nationality should be driving at 88 !

My father is age 84 in the U.S., and in generally good health mentally and physically.

But still, he voluntarily gave up his driver's license around when he turned 80, even though he hadn't been driving much up to that point anyway. I think mentally and in terms of reflexes, he knew he just wasn't up to it anymore.

And I certainly concur. We can sit and have a reasonable conversation. And he can get around the house. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want him (my 84-year-old father) out on the freeway doing 60 Mph going down the highway.

By that point in life, it's probably wiser and safer to leave the driving to someone else...except perhaps the golf cart on the golf course.

[Gweiloman]

Pretty clear who's at fault here. I honestly don't expect to be nor do I want to be still driving when I'm 88.

So you saw it as well! Yep, the bike was speeding & weaving in & out of traffic as the car driver carefully made his maneuver.

Does not matter. A car turning right has to give way to oncoming traffic that has the right of way. Isn't that the same where you come from?

[robblok]

Pretty clear who's at fault here. I honestly don't expect to be nor do I want to be still driving when I'm 88.

So you were there then....you actually saw the crash?

Otherwise your comment is aegist in the extreme and pretty prejudious against older people. Do you beleive that a driver of 38/48/58/etc would have avoided the accident? So, again, all young drivers under a certain age are ace drivers and all of them should be on the roads? Or just could the young bike rider have been travelling at sucicide speed, as I have seen all too often? The biggest cause of fatal accidents are males under 25...not older men over 80.

I do not know the driver but I would never assume that his age was the cause of the accident....he had the sense to try and avoid the crash so he can't be as senile as you beleive.

Agism or not you cant argue facts, older drivers react slower. I would love for it to be different but it is not. Also vision also seems to get less with age. You might not like it but its spot on.

So yes maybe a younger driver with the same experience could have avoided it, not sure I was not there but to say that age does not matter is crap.

[White Tiger]

There's no mention of alcohol in the report; or anywhere else in this thread yet.

I suspect if the foreigner had been drinking the Thai press would have been very quick to point it out. So I reckon that means the car driver was stone cold sober. And that's got to be in the driver's favour.

I crashed into a motorcycle in Thailand once. A young girl pulled out of a house straight into my path when I was driving along a straight road at about 60km/hour. I had a few metres to react. I braked hard, swerved, skidded, and still managed to hit her a glancing blow. It was bizarre - every time I went left she went left, every time I went right she went right too. She was 13 years old and had taken her mother's motorcycle without permission. She was lucky - only a bruised ankle. But there was damage to the bike and to my car. The police came and at first all they were interested in was whether I had been drinking. I hadn't. So then all they were interested in was whether I had a driving licence. I had. So then all they were interested in was whether I had papers for the car and insurance. I had. And once all that was established they then listened to both sides of the story. It was agreed the girl was at fault - she should not have been riding the bike and she should not have pulled out onto a main road without looking.

The police then announced the matter should not be dealt with by them or the courts (the 13 year old girl had no licence and no insurance of course) and instead it was left for us to agree compensation between us. ('Us' being my wife who was my passenger when the accident happened, and the girl's parents, who were called to the scene by the police). In the end it was agreed that I should give the girl's parents 500THB to cover their expenses at hospital, and the girl's parents should give me 5,000 to cover the damage to my car. I got the car fixed under the insurance policy, so the 5,000THb went into my pocket. But it was an experience I never want to go through again.

But I can't help wondering what would have happened if I had been drinking, or if I had had no licence, or if the car papers had not been in order. Or for that matter, if I had been alone in my car. Having my Thai wife with me to explain what happened made a huge difference too.

I hope both parties in this accident recover quickly and get dealt with fairly, and suffer no lasting physical or psychological effects. The fact that it appears no alcohol is involved is a good start.

[bubblegum]

Pretty clear who's at fault here. I honestly don't expect to be nor do I want to be still driving when I'm 88.

☝️The driver turned in front of the motorcyclist who was doing a reasonable speed...driver probably at fault.

✌️The driver turned in front of the motorcyclist who was doing a reasonable speed...motorcyclist probably at fault.

Not so easy to be sure who is at fault.

I do agree with the last part. It's pretty hard to drive when you are ashes scattered to the wind, where I expect to be at 88!

<where I expect to be at 88!>

Which is what I hope to be long before 88.

Me to, for you that is!

[tetleythedog]

Elderly foreigner hurt in bike-car smash in Phuket

Weird headline because it appears the mc rider had the worst of it.

Not really suprising is it? As an avid bike rider i would expect to come off the worse hitting a car !!!!

[andreandre]

Pretty clear who's at fault here. I honestly don't expect to be nor do I want to be still driving when I'm 88.

So you were there then....you actually saw the crash?

Otherwise your comment is aegist in the extreme and pretty prejudious against older people. Do you beleive that a driver of 38/48/58/etc would have avoided the accident? So, again, all young drivers under a certain age are ace drivers and all of them should be on the roads? Or just could the young bike rider have been travelling at sucicide speed, as I have seen all too often? The biggest cause of fatal accidents are males under 25...not older men over 80.

I do not know the driver but I would never assume that his age was the cause of the accident....he had the sense to try and avoid the crash so he can't be as senile as you beleive.

No, I was not there nor did I see the accident. But from the description of the facts (assuming they are accurate), looking at the map as to where the accident occurred and looking at the picture of the damaged car, it should be pretty elementary.

I believe a more alert and capable driver would have avoided the accident. I have been driving for over 30 years and have had to make a few turns (both left and right even) in my life. I'm yet to have had an oncoming vehicle which has right of way hitting me (needless to say, HD's are never under threat because they can't generally move fast enough for their speeds to be misjudged). It could well be that the biker was riding too fast. In most other countries, he will also be issue a traffic summon for speeding (assuming he lives). BUT, it is still clearly the car driver that is at fault for turning INTO oncoming traffic that has the right of way.

Possibly the accident wouldn't have happened with a younger car driver..''possibly'' thats not a given!

I have driven and ridden for near 50 years now [mostly riding]..This makes you much more ''motorcycle aware'' when you are driving a car but on occasion even i also have been nearly caught out by underestimating the speed of an approaching bike..it is easily done..a bikes closing rate can be very deceiving especially if the rider is riding at a very excessive speed.

IMO;

''If every prospective car driver was made to ride a motorcycle for a couple of years first, the survivors would be great car drivers''

PS...Your quip re; HD's is rather lame , you should limit your post to things you know about.

[Loles]

The helmet helped him to survive this big accident. Good to know some Thai use helmet.

I don't want to hurt no-one, but please, 88 yrs age and driving car .... this not a lucky matching.

Yes need more info, but if you know this scene you have to know who made mistake ... this enough clear.

I hope both of them get quick and full recovery.

[White Tiger]

Maybe the authorities will put traffic lights at this junction as it seems to have been the scene of more than one bad accident.

[menorah]

Elderly foreigner hurt in bike-car smash in Phuket

Weird headline because it appears the mc rider had the worst of it.

Just what I thought as well

The car has a large hole in the windscreen where it's quite possible the driver's head impacted.

Also, the damage to the side of the car indicates the bike must have been traveling at least 40kph, which would create considerable sideways force, again this would cause the drivers head to impact against the side window.

Without doubt, both rider and driver will have sustained bad injuries and since this isn't a contest, I hope they both survive without permanent injury.

88 years is certainly older than your average driver but needn't preclude inability to drive well or react to traffic conditions safely. However, as a driver and a motorcyclist, I know how easy it is to fail to see an approaching motorcycle or to adequately estimate its approach speed. This 'accident' scenario is one of the most common where car and motorbike come to grief.

I echo earlier posts regarding the wearing of a crash helmet, they do save lives even if they don't prevent 'accidents'. I recently was obliged to make a sudden manoeuvre to avoid hitting a rider who swerved directly in front of me. I broke 4 bones in my foot, sustained some nasty cuts & abrasions and much later discovered damage to my helmet. I feel sure my helmet saved my life.

[LUSHGOAT]

You are all acting like children. There is allot to be taken into consideration here as someone said already what's the speed limit in the area I have seen it a million times I'm a motorcyclist, Car driver and H.G.V. YOU can look right and left and also after driving for many years you have a good idea what speed a vehicle is doing the car driver could have looked seen nothing then you have a bike doing twice the legal speed limit comes out of now where and bang or maybe as someone else said the car driver is old and maybe not as competent as he used to be we can speculate forever the only people who know for sure are the car driver and motorcyclist. But as a rule the motorcyclist in Thailand and that includes farangs ride like idiots with no regard for their own safety or others.

[Farang Paul]

Stop! All this speculation and apportioning blame by armchair pundits with little information and even less knowledge.

It was my father involved in the accident and the facts are as follows;

My father (an ex RAF pilot with a spotless, accident free driving record) was crossing the dual carriageway and saw a motorcycle (and no other vehicle) approaching at some distance up the road. He then realized the bike was travelling in excess of 120kph (verified by a Thai witness who has come forward and has filed a police witness report). My father accelerated to get to the far side of the carriageway and leave room for the motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle accelerated further and tried to go round the front of the car, rather than do what any experienced rider would do and go round the back of the vehicle. He hit the front passenger side door, where my mother was sitting and flew over the car. The car then hit the concrete wall as my father had lost control following the collision.

My father has suffered chest injuries, multiple cuts requiring many stitches and damage to his ankle, my mother has concussion and multiple bruises.

The matter is in the hands of the police who have released my father and mother to come home and recover.

The car was fully insured, we have no knowledge as yet as to whether the bike was insured or not.

I would ask the moderator of this site to please close this thread. Many of the comments are ill-informed speculation, many of them are offensive.

You now have the facts, our thoughts and wishes should be with the driver of the bike who is in a serious condition and with my parents who are in shock and injured.

To those who have expressed sympathy, my thanks. To those armchair pundits who know so much just from reading few column inches and have already apportioned blame with no real facts to go on, please return to your own sad lives and get your vicarious thrills elsewhere.

[AlfGarnett]

Fill the bike up with 91, few pisstops along the way.

[andreandre]

Stop! All this speculation and apportioning blame by armchair pundits with little information and even less knowledge.

It was my father involved in the accident and the facts are as follows;

My father (an ex RAF pilot with a spotless, accident free driving record) was crossing the dual carriageway and saw a motorcycle (and no other vehicle) approaching at some distance up the road. He then realized the bike was travelling in excess of 120kph (verified by a Thai witness who has come forward and has filed a police witness report). My father accelerated to get to the far side of the carriageway and leave room for the motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle accelerated further and tried to go round the front of the car, rather than do what any experienced rider would do and go round the back of the vehicle. He hit the front passenger side door, where my mother was sitting and flew over the car. The car then hit the concrete wall as my father had lost control following the collision.

My father has suffered chest injuries, multiple cuts requiring many stitches and damage to his ankle, my mother has concussion and multiple bruises.

The matter is in the hands of the police who have released my father and mother to come home and recover.

The car was fully insured, we have no knowledge as yet as to whether the bike was insured or not.

I would ask the moderator of this site to please close this thread. Many of the comments are ill-informed speculation, many of them are offensive.

You now have the facts, our thoughts and wishes should be with the driver of the bike who is in a serious condition and with my parents who are in shock and injured.

To those who have expressed sympathy, my thanks. To those armchair pundits who know so much just from reading few column inches and have already apportioned blame with no real facts to go on, please return to your own sad lives and get your vicarious thrills elsewhere.

First off, i really hope your parents are OK, as well as can be at least after such a traumatic event as this

2nd..thanks for clarifying exactly what happened here..should be closed for sure now IMO.

This is the 2nd thread today where all the loonies have had their say..mainly totally incorrect illinformed theories from the TV armchair know-it-alls, and have had to have someone who knows the facts to step in and put an end to all the nonsense being posted.

[cocopops]

Stop! All this speculation and apportioning blame by armchair pundits with little information and even less knowledge.

It was my father involved in the accident and the facts are as follows;

My father (an ex RAF pilot with a spotless, accident free driving record) was crossing the dual carriageway and saw a motorcycle (and no other vehicle) approaching at some distance up the road. He then realized the bike was travelling in excess of 120kph (verified by a Thai witness who has come forward and has filed a police witness report). My father accelerated to get to the far side of the carriageway and leave room for the motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle accelerated further and tried to go round the front of the car, rather than do what any experienced rider would do and go round the back of the vehicle. He hit the front passenger side door, where my mother was sitting and flew over the car. The car then hit the concrete wall as my father had lost control following the collision.

This makes things clearer. The assumption that the motorcyclist would assume the car will continue in it's path across the freeway is a poor one though. Cars trying to do a U-turn or cross the traffic here will often push the bonnet of the car into the path of the oncoming traffic while they wait (this is, quite simply, insane, but is also extremely common). So when the motorcyclist saw the car start to cross his path he almost certainly assumed it was going to stop.

Wishing your father and the other party speedy recovery.

[Tchooptip]

farang driver

always his fault

thai logic : if falang no here, no accident, you pay now

Why people keep spreading this urban myth is beyond my belief.

No, not people, parrots Easier to understand that way?

[thrilled]

Just another farang getting hurt in another motorcycle accident.I don't believe it makes any difference how good of A motorcycle operator you are.If ya ride in areas in Thailand where there's a lot of traffic,sooner or later your going to get hurt.

[andreandre]

Just another farang getting hurt in another motorcycle accident.I don't believe it makes any difference how good of A motorcycle operator you are.If ya ride in areas in Thailand where there's a lot of traffic,sooner or later your going to get hurt.

Did you even read the OP?

If you did,or even if you did not, how about reading #77 also..then go hang your head in shame!

[Tywais]

Topic closed pending moderator/admin evaluation.