Danish Motorcyclist killed in South Pattaya Road crash

[webfact]

Danish Motorcyclist killed in South Pattaya Road crash



PATTAYA: -- A 67 year old Danish Man, who was driving a motorbike with sidecar, was killed after his vehicle was hit by a Minivan travelling to Bangkok.

Police and rescue services made their way to the scene of the crash on the Sukhumvit Road outside of the Pattaya Post Office in the southern outskirts of Pattaya. Lying on the road was Mr. Ole Laursen aged 67 from Denmark, close to his badly damaged motorbike and sidecar in the right hand lane of the carriageway.

\A Minivan, which was transporting passengers to Bangkok from Rayong Province and was carrying 5 people, had been moved off the carriageway by its driver, Khun Pomot aged 58. He claimed that he was travelling in the right hand lane when the slow-moving motorbike came across from the left lane into the right lane. Khun Pomot claimed he was unable to stop in-time to avoid a collision with the motorbike which he struck at a high rate of speed.

Full story: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/122580/danish-motorcyclist-killed-in-south-pattaya-road-crash/


-- Pattaya One 2014-03-24

[Spalpeen]

Sad that his time in Thailand came to an end like this. You just can't be too careful on the roads here.

[bangkokheat]

i detest minivan drivers, reckless wanna be race drivers, hands up anyone had close calls with minivans

[Borzandy]

"The driver, Khun Pomot claimed that he was travelling in the right hand lane when the slow-moving motorbike came across from the left lane into the right lane." It's not my fault, I was drinving only at 100 Km/h and the motorbike...

[oldsailor35]

"Unable to avoid collision. Struck at high speed"....................says it all !

[lucjoker]

big mistake, to risk your life crossing a mayor road to do a u-turn (or a right) when you know

there are high speed cars ,van's,trucks ,other morons who can never stop when something comes in front of their wheels.

Q; how else could he cross?

A; By judging better the ongoing circus on the road,and waiting for a long time .

A Don't do this with a self made trike ,witch is already not easy to drive straight and too slow to mix in high speed traffic .

rip ,he's in a better place now.

[i claudius]

i detest minivan drivers, reckless wanna be race drivers, hands up anyone had close calls with minivans

Last year we hired one to all go to hua hin ,my sister in law was so terrified of the guys driving (and he would not slow down) ,she phoned the company and made them send another minivan ,some of these guys are just plain crazy and to be honest are a real danger on the roads.

[quagmirefg]

A good portion of drivers in Thailand drive with no regard for Safety with the "Me First and Screw the Rest" attitude.

These Minivans are amongst the Worst Offenders along with many Pick-ups and SUV's.

They drive at Break Neck speeds without being Defensive Drivers and "Anticipating" or observing other vehicles, persons, or objects upon the Roadways.

Far too many drivers in Thailand do not leave a "Safety Cushion", nor are they "Observant".

No wonder Thailand ranks Second Most Dangerous in the World for Traffic Injuries and Deaths.

Just venture onto the Thai Roadways where this Madness and Mayhem is played out day and night.

As long as the Government and Police are complacent to think that "Checkpoints" are the answer, this Carnage will continue unabated.

[gmac]

When will Thailand learn that u-turns are lethal? They force slow moving vehicles into the 'fast' lane and are just accidents waiting to happen..............usually they don't have to wait too long!

RIP Mr Laursen.

[robertthebruce]

So So Sad.. poor man..

R.I.P.

I love my life in ''Thailand'' but driving or being driven anywhere is so so dangerous...

[Spoonman]

As those things are illegal the blame lays squarely on the deceased shoulders as far as Iam concerned.

[Dave 74]

Replace mini-van drivers with the chimps from Dusit zoo.

RiP lad.

[gmac]

As those things are illegal the blame lays squarely on the deceased shoulders as far as Iam concerned.

Not doubt you were in your Fortuner, tailgating the minivan at the time it happened!

Many things are illegal in Thailand, you may not have noticed but illegality has little affect on reality here. The deceased was very likely unaware that his vehicle was illegal as the things are everywhere and the police do nothing about them.

[circusman]

big mistake, to risk your life crossing a mayor road to do a u-turn (or a right) when you know

there are high speed cars ,van's,trucks ,other morons who can never stop when something comes in front of their wheels.

Q; how else could he cross?

A; By judging better the ongoing circus on the road,and waiting for a long time .

A Don't do this with a self made trike ,witch is already not easy to drive straight and too slow to mix in high speed traffic .

rip ,he's in a better place now.

Could you please post your source of this info?

[AhFarangJa]

R.I.P. Mr. Laursen,

But i feel that I must put my two pennies in with regards to minibus drivers. I agree that there are a lot of crazies , but every time we come home to Hua Hin we have a private minibus who collects us from Swampy. He is courteous, professional, and a careful driver. I am the first to admit I am not a good passenger (preferring to drive myself), but I, and my wife and son always feel safe in his hands. This is a private family company, and I am assuming the number of complaints are aimed more at the free for all cram them in for maximum profit operators. Just wanted to give credit where credit is due,

[qdinthailand]

As those things are illegal the blame lays squarely on the deceased shoulders as far as Iam concerned.

Assuming you refer to the sidecar-scooter rig, how is it illegal?

[Halion]

This is one subject that you can paint with a big brush.

Mini Vans in Thailand are a most serious threat to road safety owing to the attitudes exhibited by the drivers.

Anyone living in Thailand will have personal knowledge of the manner in which they behave.

Excessive speed in heavy traffic, violent lane changing in both town and expressways, traffic congestion caused by illegal stopping and parking.

This is a serious problem in this country that is never redressed, however it is fair to say that it is indeed a government issue as their existence is due to government failure to provide an adequate public transport system and compounded with the governments action to take remedial actions against their operation and their indifference to safety and traffic regulations. Mini Vans are a bloody nightmare.

[KhunBENQ]

The worst road for a bike driver is Pattaya Sukhumvit without a jam.

As lucjoker described:

crazy speeding on the right lane, slow bikes etc. on the left try to get over to the U-turn.

These roads are killers. Crazy and insane to build and keep it that way.

When I am in Pattaya (rarely) I avoid to drive along this road with the motorbike whenever possible.

Unfortunately I could not convince a friend to avoid it: heavy accident in July 2013, spending 600'000 Baht in Bangkok hospital.

Begging his children for money to pay the hospital.

7 months handicapped. Now on good recovery.

So sad!

Edited March 24, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[Fookhaht]

Key clue for those who might have still missed it: "....at a high rate rate of speed..."

[gmac]

The worst road for a bike driver is Pattaya Sukhumvit without a jam.

As lucjoker described:

crazy speeding on the right lane, slow bikes etc. on the left try to get over to the U-turn.

These roads are killers. Crazy and insane to build and keep it that way.

When I am in Pattaya (rarely) I avoid to drive along this road with the motorbike whenever possible.

So sad!

The key to staying alive when making u-turns on Sukhumvit is to match your speed with the traffic in the next lane coming from behind, trying to do it at a snail's pace, as many do, is a recipe for disaster.

[KhunBENQ]

Key clue for those who might have still missed it: "....at a high rate rate of speed..."

Speeds of 100 to 160 km/h (60 to 100 miles/hour) are the norm in this crazy place and rarely police cares.

[KhunBENQ]

The key to staying alive when making u-turns on Sukhumvit is to match your speed with the traffic in the next lane coming from behind, trying to do it at a snail's pace, as many do, is a recipe for disaster.

Technically you are right.

But think about it: where in a civilised country you have an eight lane superhighway shared with low moving bikes, even bicycles, pedestrians etc.

No significant speed limit/check, no over/underturns, not even a separated side lane (even in upcountry this is the norm).

Third world and one of the reasons I do not want to live at a place like Pattaya racing for my life.

Edited March 24, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[Nemesis7]

Rest in peace

[gmac]

The key to staying alive when making u-turns on Sukhumvit is to match your speed with the traffic in the next lane coming from behind, trying to do it at a snail's pace, as many do, is a recipe for disaster.

Technically you are right.

But think about it: where in a civilised country you have an eight lane superhighway shared with low moving bikes, even bicycles, pedestrians etc.

No significant speed limit/check, no over/underturns, not even a separated side lane (even in upcountry this is the norm).

Third world and one of the reasons I do not want to live at a place like Pattaya racing for my life.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, unfortunately it's the way things are in this country, so we just have to do our best to survive it.

[Ulic]

Not sure whose fault it was. Probably a combination of the two of them. I have seen many driving that type of sidecar motorbike

cross multiple lanes at far below a merging speed and often driving at night without tail lights or signalling. That said I have rarely seen

the mini vans driving at less then maximum speed weaving in and out of traffic. The only thing I know for sure is the driver of the

sidecar motorbike paid the ultimate price. RIP

[midas]

With so many kamikaze drivers like minivan drivers on the road I think he would have been better off applying what they call a " hook turn " in Victoria, Australia

Edited March 24, 2014 by midas

[laurentbkk]

what was the speed of the mini van when the crash happened ? knowing those roads maniacs I doubt he was driving at "normal speed" ..those mini vans are a disgrace for all road safety ..

[NoshowJones]

i detest minivan drivers, reckless wanna be race drivers, hands up anyone had close calls with minivans

I travel regularly on the minibuses between Nakhon Sawan and Bangkok, and sit mostly in the front seat. The mini bus drivers on that run are very safe and reliable. IMHO, most accidents are caused by slow moving traffic that hog the center and outside lanes, although I accept that the state of the inside lanes in some parts are in a dreadful state caused by overladen trucks.The mini bus drivers have to keep changing lanes to overtake these idiots.

[Dannyboy6]

As those things are illegal the blame lays squarely on the deceased shoulders as far as Iam concerned.

. I hate this Sidecar Crap...

[AVOMan]

I drove past this accident yesterday afternoon with the Danish man lying on the ground, the broken motorbike close by and not a helmet in sight. I also drove back there today and from the skid marks from the van there was a lot of speed involved. That part of Sukhumvit is like a race track and traveling at 80 kph you get left for dead.

As I often say regarding the road toll here, the Government doesn't care (they do pay lip service to it occasionally), the Police don't care and the people don't care. So in the long term with all interested parties with this attitude nothing is going to change.