Ghost rider becomes first Phuket fatality in Songkran Seven Days of Danger

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Ghost rider becomes first Phuket fatality in Songkran Seven Days of Danger
Phuket Gazette


Governor Maitri Inthusut was informed of Phuket’s first fatality for this year’s Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-saf

PHUKET: -- A woman speeding on a motorbike in the wrong lane has become Phuket’s first recorded fatality during this year’s Songkran Seven Days of Danger national road-safety campaign.

Nannika Boonchorn, 27, from Chaiyaphum, died after she collided at high speed with a motorbike with a sidecar at about 4pm yesterday.

The accident happened on Baan Thungkha – Kuandindaeng Road, which runs parallel to the bypass road.

According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office (DDPM-Phuket), Ms Nannika’s death was among the nine accidents that occurred during the 24-hour period ending at midnight last night. Eight people were injured.

Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuripat Theerakulpisut reported zero fatalities and zero injuries among the 7,460 passengers on 222 boats arriving in Phuket and 8,241 passengers on 227 boats departing the island during the 24-hour period.

Last year, 26 road accidents were reported during the Songkran Seven Days of Danger and the official death toll was zero. However, one man injured in an accident during the seven days died after the reporting period had closed (story here).

According to the DDPM office in Bangkok, 161 people have died from 1,539 accidents by day three of this year’s campaign.

Chantha Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces have recorded the highest fatalities this year, with both provinces recording 11 dead so far.

— Saran Mitrarat

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Ghost-rider-becomes-first-Phuket-fatality-Songkran/29138#ad-image-0


-- Phuket Gazette 2014-04-14

[espinoza]

Traffic education ?????????

[clockman]

What is a ghost rider?

[steelepulse]

Wrong lane or wrong direction?

I always thought of a ghostrider as a bike or motorbike that rides itself after the operator jumped off, or was thrown off, but who knows.

[WoopyDoo]

What is a ghost rider?

Ghost riding is a bit of a stupid craze where groups of youngsters take turns racing down the the carriageway in the wrong direction at night with no lights on.

personally I have zero sympathy for her.

Around here, ghost riders caused an accident last year on the local bypass which killed 3 people when a bike hit a car and caused the car to hit a tree. Amazingly all the dead were in the car and the bike rider survived.

The sooner they all kill themselves, the better. So long as it does not injure other road users....... which it does.

[Somtamnication]

Only one ghost rider death? Jing lah?

[Mickeem]

What is a ghost rider?

Ghost riding is a bit of a stupid craze where groups of youngsters take turns racing down the the carriageway in the wrong direction at night with no lights on.

personally I have zero sympathy for her.

Around here, ghost riders caused an accident last year on the local bypass which killed 3 people when a bike hit a car and caused the car to hit a tree. Amazingly all the dead were in the car and the bike rider survived.

The sooner they all kill themselves, the better. So long as it does not injure other road users....... which it does.

Really.. just when I thought the locals could not behave any more stupid on the roads.. would have thought at 27 she would have more sense.. time to invest in a Hummer..

[terminatorchiangmai]

Ghost riding is driving on the wrong lane of the road going against the direction of the traffic.

This is very normal in Thailand for motorbikes to do because some people are to lazy to drive the extra mile and make a U turn.

[rhythmworx]

They should stick to sniffing glue (no pun intended) surely it's a lot safer.

[Borzandy]

What is a ghost rider?

A Thai driver

[madmitch]

What is a ghost rider?

Must be a literal translation as if you google the term it does not mention a rider driving against the traffic.

Surprised the Gazette haven't used the headline "Ghost Rider In The Sky". Their regular dreadful headline writer must be away.

[soalbundy]

Good!

[marko kok prong]

drunk guy on a motorbike yesterday,so drunk he seemed to have is eyes shut,veered toward my car on my side of the road,luckily for him and me he recovered enough to veer away at the last moment,and nearly got hit by the car behind him,my heart was in my mouth,i have not been out since and will not until songkran is finished,as i speak though the thai family have set up the huge speakers at my wifes shop opposite our house,so i may have to as my room is starting to vibrate from the bass.

[sturdyd]

Ghost riding is driving on the wrong lane of the road going against the direction of the traffic.

This is very normal in Thailand for motorbikes to do because some people are to lazy to drive the extra mile and make a U turn.

Not limited to motorbikes, I'm afraid. At least not on the roads I travel.

[bbbbooboo]

Lol.....very aptly named this ghost riding, they quickly become ghosts(dead).Lol....stupid IS what stupid DOES

[larsjohnsson]

Ghost riding is driving on the wrong lane of the road going against the direction of the traffic.

This is very normal in Thailand for motorbikes to do because some people are to lazy to drive the extra mile and make a U turn.

But ghost riding is not the normal off the lane against trafic that you talk about.

[bangarang]

Seriously these police need to stop this crap of riding on the wrong side of the road because these idiots are too lazy to do a U-Turn. The police would be rich if they actually enforce at least 25% of these violators.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I have thought about the options many times if ghost riders were made to obey traffic directions.

Take the example of Khun X who comes out of Soi 36 into the north bound lane of a multilane highway and wants to go to Soi 34 which just happen to be 100 meters south.

To obey the law he looks right at the oncoming traffic and when safe pulls out of the Soi turning LEFT into the nearside lane. He accelerates his miserble 120 cc motorcycle up to speed and checking his six and signalling makes lane changes to get into the outside (overtaking) lane to head for the next U-Turn that is 2 kms up road. He is naturally fearful of the minibus and car loonies coming up behind him at 120 kph plus but makes it to the U-turn safely.

He now waits patiently at the U-Turn mindful of the fact that he has to pick a gap in oncoming south-bound traffic in order to smartly nip diagonally across the lanes to get onto the shoulder and proceed south. He manages by the skin of his teeth and now drives south on the shoulder (motor cycle lane) for 4 kms to reach the first available U-Turn to get back into the northbound lanes and drive up to Soi 34. Again he survives the diagonal squirt from shoulder to overtaking lane and the actual U-turn and diagonal squirt to get into the northbound motor cycle lane and drives 3.9 kms north and turns left into Soi 34.

So, he has travelled 8.9 kms, survived four diagonal 'squirts' and two U-Turns avoiding vehicle traffic speeding down four lanes in north and south directions when by turning RIGHT as he emerges from Soi 36 and ghost riding down the shoulder for 100 metres then turning right into Soi 36 he saves fuel, reduces the risk of injury or death and saves scores of speeding vehicle drivers from taking avoiding action.

Now, this doesn't mean that I approve of ghost riding but I tolerate it on multi-lane highway with a centre median because the options are scores of motor cycles and busy times performing the above mentioned manoeuvres. What I DO dislike is lazy riders on two lane blacktops ghost riding simply because they are to lazy or impatient to make the easy lane cross to the correct side of the road.

[soalbundy]

What is a ghost rider?

Must be a literal translation as if you google the term it does not mention a rider driving against the traffic.

Surprised the Gazette haven't used the headline "Ghost Rider In The Sky". Their regular dreadful headline writer must be away.

It's an expression well known in Germany....Geisterfahrer = ghost driver..... someone who drives the wrong way on a motor way, if that helps.

[MaxYakov]

What is a ghost rider?

A Thai driver

At least this Thai driver is one now.

[MaxYakov]

Ghost riding is driving on the wrong lane of the road going against the direction of the traffic.

This is very normal in Thailand for motorbikes to do because some people are to lazy to drive the extra mile and make a U turn.

But ghost riding is not the normal off the lane against trafic that you talk about.

I agree that "reversing" or going against traffic in a lane is not "ghost riding". "Reversing" or even going down a one way street the wrong direction is often a practical and more efficient operation and is quite common in Bangkok. It's usually done by motorbikes along the curb and at a relatively slow speed. Using ones lights and watching out for sidecars is highly recommended and usually practiced. I rarely see it done by other vehicle types because there usually is not enough room (or they really are "ghost riding" or drunk, I suppose).

Is "ghost riding" an attempt at suicide, a game of unilaterally declared "chicken", a drunken mistake, or just a stupid action?

Edited April 15, 2014 by MaxYakov

[connda]

Her own stupidity took her out of the gene pool.

[NomadJoe]

Ghost riding is driving on the wrong lane of the road going against the direction of the traffic.

This is very normal in Thailand for motorbikes to do because some people are to lazy to drive the extra mile and make a U turn.

But ghost riding is not the normal off the lane against trafic that you talk about.

I agree that "reversing" or going against traffic in a lane is not "ghost riding". "Reversing" or even going down a one way street the wrong direction is often a practical and more efficient operation and is quite common in Bangkok. It's usually done by motorbikes along the curb and at a relatively slow speed. Using ones lights and watching out for sidecars is highly recommended and usually practiced. I rarely see it done by other vehicle types because there usually is not enough room (or they really are "ghost riding" or drunk, I suppose).

Is "ghost riding" an attempt at suicide, a game of unilaterally declared "chicken", a drunken mistake, or just a stupid action?

This was discussed in the last article about this. A "Ghost rider" or "Ghost Riding" has 3 different definitions I am aware of. There was a Swedish guy that made a bunch of video's of himself on super powerful sports bikes getting chased around by the police in Germany and other places. The term caught on amongst other sport bike riders. This is what always comes to my mind when I hear it used in these articles, but that is not what is going on here. Then there is the exhibition style driving that first became popular in the bay area of California where a driver gets out of his moving car and runs along side it, does tricks or acrobatics, such as "surfing" on top etc. before jumping back in. Lastly there is the term as it is used in Thailand which is just to describe a driver that drives on the wrong side of the road. It is not a competition by youths racing with lights off as was mentioned previously, though one could be ghost riding while doing that.

Edited April 16, 2014 by NomadJoe