Norwegian killed in motorcycle accident in Bangkok

[ldnguy]

If the other person was a Thai guess who is responsible even if he wasn't ?

Some people come to Thailand for a good time. Others come just to sit behind their laptop and troll.

[rondii]

If the other person was a Thai guess who is responsible even if he wasn't ?

If the other person was Thai guess who the Thai Visa Kangaroo court will blame without any other knowledge of the event.

Odd that so many prisoners incarcerated in Thailand are Thai. According to the sages here at TV, they're never charged by the police, or if charged they're never found guilty by the courts or if found guilty they never go to prison. Who are all those people who've been locked up?

Who is talking about going to prison ? No need to be so defensive but I would think you've never been involved in a situation with a Thai driver and the BIB.

Well I have, my motorcycle and another motorcycle ridden by a Young Thai, with his wife as pillion. She had to go to hospital.on the rescue van. I really was in the wrong, Police took my licence and told me to go to the local police station (at Makkasan in BKK). I went, and about 40 minutes later the other rider turned up after seeing his wife to hospital. Police left it to him and I to settle. He only wanted his bike repaired (it was unrideable, had to be taken away in a pickup), he had taken his wife to hospital where they had their registered card.

Police wanted to give me a THB500 fine, but we said why, we've settled. Police shrugged, gave me back my licence, and we left. I admit my Thai is passable which helps.

The guy supplied me with a quote, I knew his wife had taken 2 days off work. I met him at bike shop to pay, haggled the bike shop quote down but gave the rider the full amount. You would have thought I had given him a fortune he was so grateful.

All in all, a relatively pleasant experience, which is the same as 99% of my experiences with Thais, and apparently much different from many TV posters.. makes me think it's many TV posters who have the bad attitude, not the Thais??

[draftvader]

You have to be out of your mind to drive a motorbike, especially in Thailand.

Thank you for my free, online, psyche evaluation.

[connda]

Is there a motor cycle lane ??? note-how many are over the stop line, how many are on the Z crossing ? They have to be at the front--Thai mentality--same at 7-11 shops.

From what I have seen - foreigners on motorcycles behave no differently in traffic here

Adopt the local habits very quickly

I have ridden here for 5 years and I can confirm that is true. The unfortunate truth is that sitting out the front whilst waiting at the lights is a good defensive measure. Drivers are always jostling once they get moving and this causes a LOT of problems for motorcyclists.

The m/cyclists who pull in front of me at lights etc tend not to move off too smoothly, can be shaky to say the least and are a danger to themselves because of the uncertainty as to what they will do next.

It would be sensible for them to stay to the nearside away fro faster traffic but when does sense come into it and as ginjag says they HAVE TO be first.

If you've driven a cycle here, it's not always about being first. It's about being safe. The slowest imiciles tend to gravitate right to the front including tuk tuk, bicyclists, and samlaw drivers -- about the slowest folk on the road. If you are out front with them, it doesn't take much to out accelerate the "mob" and to get a clear traffic lane between you and most of the stupidist individuals on the road. I call it finding the 'sweet spot' in the road: somewhere between the idiots in front of me and the idiots behind me. A zone where I'm alone and I can concentrate on the surprises coming out from the side streets or driving against traffic.

In any Western country, the cops in patrol cars would have a feeding frenzy on every green light. But not here. So, you protect yourself.

[Mister Fixit]

You have to be out of your mind to drive a motorbike, especially in Thailand.

Nope, just very careful, anticipate anything and have eyes in the side and back of your head ...

[Tokay]

Is there a motor cycle lane ??? note-how many are over the stop line, how many are on the Z crossing ? They have to be at the front--Thai mentality--same at 7-11 shops.

From what I have seen - foreigners on motorcycles behave no differently in traffic here

Adopt the local habits very quickly

You have no choice. That is, if you want to have a fighting chance of staying alive. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it.

[manarak]

RIP.

driving a motorcycle in Bangkok is a challenge.

[chaiyapoon]

You have to be out of your mind to drive a motorbike, especially in Thailand.

There speaks a person who never rode a motorcycle.

[lvr181]

Is there a motor cycle lane ??? note-how many are over the stop line, how many are on the Z crossing ? They have to be at the front--Thai mentality--same at 7-11 shops.

From what I have seen - foreigners on motorcycles behave no differently in traffic here

Adopt the local habits very quickly

"When in Rome do as the Romans do"? Or get swamped by those around you because you think you are doing the right thing?

[NongKhaiKid]

If the other person was a Thai guess who is responsible even if he wasn't ?

Not true.

I've had two experiences with accidents and Thai drivers, both times I was hit and hurt. Both times the other driver was at fault and no one questioned that.

In one case the Thai diver was terrified that nobody would listen to him because he was Thai. Funny how it's opposite what we think sometimes.

The second was a more serious accident. I was hit by a car driven by a Thai driver. When it happened the Thai driver was right to the hospital to pay. Later had a meeting with the police, the police asked if 30,000 was ok with me, it was. That money caused that family a lot of pain but there was no doubt they wanted to do the right thing.

I think you mean ' not ALWAYS true ' and it 's nice to hear of some having positive results as the opposite happens so much more.

[NanLaew]

... A classic example being the car pulling out from a side street on the left, despite bikes approaching with right of way.

Not according to the equivalent of the the 'Highway Code' in Thailand. Merging (entering) traffic has right of way.

[Friendly Stranger]

Seen my share of deceased individuals from motorcycle aftermaths. Underage and inexperience kills amongst others. RIP to the Viking and the many that'll surely follow.

[lvr181]

You have to be out of your mind to drive a motorbike, especially in Thailand.

I drive cars and ride motorbikes, so from your comment I would assume you're not a motorbike rider.

And that may explain your thinking.

RIP the Norwegian.

[SinCityGr8One]

If the other person was a Thai guess who is responsible even if he wasn't ?

If the other person was Thai guess who the Thai Visa Kangaroo court will blame without any other knowledge of the event.

Odd that so many prisoners incarcerated in Thailand are Thai. According to the sages here at TV, they're never charged by the police, or if charged they're never found guilty by the courts or if found guilty they never go to prison. Who are all those people who've been locked up?

Who is talking about going to prison ? No need to be so defensive but I would think you've never been involved in a situation with a Thai driver and the BIB.

Thai Visa actually has a court in Oz? The simple fact of the matter is that another Foreigner has lost their life while in the Kingdom. R.I.P. Condolences to the Family back Home.

[bander]

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And for 6 days ago we lost another guy from Norway here in udon 56 years old. He was a good friend of mine
Also motorcycle accident
Sad. Rip

Morten Wiik, RIP.

[Chaz1819]

If the other person was a Thai guess who is responsible even if he wasn't ?

Not true.

I've had two experiences with accidents and Thai drivers, both times I was hit and hurt. Both times the other driver was at fault and no one questioned that.

In one case the Thai diver was terrified that nobody would listen to him because he was Thai. Funny how it's opposite what we think sometimes.

The second was a more serious accident. I was hit by a car driven by a Thai driver. When it happened the Thai driver was right to the hospital to pay. Later had a meeting with the police, the police asked if 30,000 was ok with me, it was. That money caused that family a lot of pain but there was no doubt they wanted to do the right thing.

I think you mean ' not ALWAYS true ' and it 's nice to hear of some having positive results as the opposite happens so much more.

Fair enough, a lot of these posts might not flame out so quickly if we used words like sometimes, not always and most important, the words "in my experience"