Motorist kills, injures cyclists in another such tragedy

[prakhonchai nick]

Not helping injured people - 10 years jail minimum. Doesn't matter intoxicated or not. Leaving badly wounded people suffering on the scene only thinking about yourself is LOWER than low. Piece of filth.

RIP to the victim who died.

Totally agree.

10 years minimum should be just for doing a runner. Extra sentence if drunken/careless driving involved!

[impulse]

When working in Africa we were instructed, if involved in a motor vehicle accident get to the nearest police station, do not try and deal with the crowd at the scene.

However we had a big company on our side that had fostered a healthy relationship with community officials.

In some countries, our guys were required to carry a first class airplane ticket and their passport with them at all times. Their instructions were to get to the airport and get on the first plane out- to anywhere safe, and let the company sort out the mess in their absence. The first class ticket guaranteed they could get a seat, even if they had to downgrade to cattle class or trade it for a different destination.

The cost of the settlement increased by an order of magnitude if the driver was in custody. We never got to hear the actual amounts, but one guy hit a well connected camel (yes, a camel) and it cost the company over $1 million.

[monspencer]

Yes, that's true. On the other hand in the one instance I required the assistance of 'good samaritans' ( having fainted and cut my head open because of a low blood pressure issue) they were readily forthcoming...all Thai and they assistance they rendered was wonderful. I suspect it is the guilty and guilt-ridden who hide behind the good samaritan issue as a way to flee in a cowardly manner.

buddy of mine was passing an accident and stopped to help someone who'd fell off his bike. when the guy came round he pointed at my buddy and claimed to anyone who'd listen he'd ran him off the road and demanded money!

best to just drive by..

Very true. A few years ago when waiting to turn right at a traffic light junction, a motorcycle driver began to turn when the lights were clearly in our favour. However some idiot hurting along simply did not stop though the lights had been red from his direction for a few seconds...result, an accident with the motorcycle rider on the ground.

I was going to wait for the police to come to give an eye witness account, but my Thai wife told me to just drive on. She said that as a farang all fingers would point at me and find some excuse as to how I had caused the accident.

Lesson learned.

[hextac]

This "rushing to the scene" is getting on my tits now. Stop it <deleted>.

[DM07]

I stay in touch with the city that my children live in, in the US. Their newspaper had an article today about all of the recent motorcycles accidents, and the deaths involved. It is not just Thailand. It is the world. Why do so many feel that Thai bashing will cure this problem? Alcohol?

How many more times: this is THAI- visa, so commenting on THAI-subjects is not bashing!

Join the Rest of the World- visa, if you don't want be a part of this!

[Happy Grumpy]

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

What good is that when 'bail' and indefinite freedom can simply be bought no matter what the charge?

[hextac]

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

Why do you live in Thailand.... Leave it to the Thai people to set their own laws.... if you don't like living here... there's the door... and please shut it behind you..!

Oh Christ, here come the pussy whipped "go home" sycophants.

[northernphil]

This "rushing to the scene" is getting on my tits now. Stop it <deleted>.

I quite agree. The plod rushed to the scene only to find the accident victims had already been rushed to hospital. Oh and the perp had rushed away as usual.

[chrisinth]

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So sad. This is so common in Thailand where we have so many males who are simply cowards

Are we sure it was a Thai that was driving?

Apologies if I missed that statement, along with the statement that the driver was drunk............................

[Xinkburn]

Bring in the missionaries Only proper law enforcement can improve the drink driving. Zero tolerance and booze buses 24/7 at random locations supported by severe penalties

[tphut]

I allways said the same BUT after seing youtube of what happens to some who stay i would never stop if there was people at the seen.

Not helping injured people - 10 years jail minimum. Doesn't matter intoxicated or not. Leaving badly wounded people suffering on the scene only thinking about yourself is LOWER than low. Piece of filth.

RIP to the victim who died.

[ratcatcher]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

Why do you live in Thailand.... Leave it to the Thai people to set their own laws.... if you don't like living here... there's the door... and please shut it behind you..! alt=facepalm.gif>

I think you may find NeverSure is a distant admirer of Thailand from the peace and comfort of the Greatest Nation on Earth.

There is no Greatest nation on earth and if you are referring to the USA forget. It is far from great never mind greatest. It isnt bad but ha a long way to go to get the words great or greatest

Well, you rose to that like a trout to a fly.

I, as a Canadian, was being somewhat facetious and I am certain NeverSure knows that. As Canadians, we are constantly reminded that the land below the 49th parallel is the greatest nation on earth.

Obama, BTW, would disagree with you.http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-05-04/bill-ackman-would-think-very-hard-before-next-short-bet

By the way I was born in Great Britain. Great innit? Not anymore.

[moonoi]

Obviously tragic news and my heart goes out to the victims.

But some cyclists invite trouble by riding after dark with no lights front and back, no hi-vis clothing, no helmet...no common sense.

Nice bit of victim blaming there. If you knew what you were talking about, you would know that hi-vis actually makes drivers more comfortable and pass closer to cyclists, it actually proven safer to ride without. Again with helmets, although I would never ride without one, there is plenty of research to show that they only help in a very narrow set of circumstances and can even cause more injury in some.

The funny thing about common sense is that it isn't that common........

[chickenslegs]

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

Doing a runner after an accident carries very little penalty here as far as I know.

...so, it makes sense to leg it.

..and if you get caught you can always invent an excuse like 'I panicked' etc

The general reason for running and turning yourself in to police at another location, is because Thai crowds far too often go mental and beat the driver senseless, just because they are enraged. Doesn't matter the circumstances, the sobriety or the fault, the driver gets mauled far too often. So drivers usually take off fast.

Question: If that is true, why don't they "take off" to the nearest police station or, at least, call and inform the police of their location once they are in a safe place?

Answers on a postcard, marked "Because they are drunk", please.

[elgordo38]

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

Why do you live in Thailand.... Leave it to the Thai people to set their own laws.... if you don't like living here... there's the door... and please shut it behind you..!

What laws??

[moonoi]

This accident has my wife telling me she doesn't want me to go out training on my bike anymore, as this is one of the roads I always use during my weekend training sessions. Although I never ride a night, I had been considering it as my time is not available as it once was, but no longer.

Also It's not actually RamInthra Rd as the article states, it is actually Rachada-RamInthra Rd which joins RamInthra and Kaset-Nawamin roads. Generally for that past 3 years I've been riding around the area, it has been very safe, and is a well known cycling loop used by many local clubs.

From the description of the accident, it sounds like there was little the cyclists could do to protect themselves and was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. RIP.

[NeverSure]

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

Imagine a court system that automatically presumed, without proof, that a person was this or that. The notion that anyone in the future would ever get a fair trail would be ridiculous.

A presumption is proof. Also, there are many places where if you are committing a crime you lose all civil rights. For instance if you are driving drunk or without a license you are automatically at fault in any accident. That's a lawful presumption you are at fault and it's going to stick.

A blood alcohol level of .07 is a presumption you are intoxicated. Some people may not be, but you aren't supposed to drink and drive at all so .07 or whatever it is in a jurisdiction is where the presumption starts.

Remember, driving is a privilege and when you get a license you agree to certain things. You agree that if you have an accident while intoxicated or when driving without a license you will be the one at fault. That's a presumption that sticks.

Cheers

[Aussieroaming]

R I P

[ianf]

Just an observation, and most certainly not an excuse or absolute reason for these terrible accidents, but in either case did the bikes have lights?

I say this because I don't think I have ever seen a bike with lights on after dark in Thailand.

Utter rubbish. I see bikes with lights every day.

[jackh]

China had a terrible problem with drunk driver accidents. They still have a problem, but it is much better now. They have taken a serious stance on drunk driving. When caught, it is an immediate 15 days in jail. No excuses. Then paying BIG $$ in fines, court with the real possibility of your license taken away for 1 year. Second offense and go through the first part over again, plus after court you will get a few months in jail. Also your license is revoked for life. If you kill someone driving drunk, it will cost you big time. A few years in jail, 1-2 million RMB in fines and payments to the family,

It has made a difference, but Chinese are slow to learn.

[Yunla]

RIP to the poor cyclist who died, my prayers are with their family and friends at this terrible time.

I hope for a swift and comfortable recovery for the two cyclists who were injured.

Such a sad story.

[ourmanflint]

Adelaide, Australia, because of the low level of traffic, is very bike friendly with numerous bike lanes throughout the city. Most of these on major roads. I used to enjoy taking advantage of these, riding for pleasure. However, as a motorist, I found many of these lycra-clad riders had no respect for the rules of the road. They would block a lane by riding three abreast, weave in and out, verbally abuse you and sometimes hit your car if you gave a warning beep on your horn. It should be seen as a privilege for bike riders to share the roads, since it is the motorist who pays the taxes for new and repaired/upgraded roadworks. Share the roads by all means, but within the law and safely.

This doesn't lessen the sadness I feel with this tragic incident, the injuries and loss of life. Motor vehicles can be murder weapons and, especially for bike riders, the utmost care must be taken when on the road.

Apart from the last sentence this is the same crap car drivers repeat ad nauseam worldwide. Car drivers have no special right to use the roads more than someone else just because you pay car tax. You pay car tax because it is a privilege to drive a car it is not a right, remember you are the one polluting the air we all breathe with your car. The government provides the roads for your use and taxes you because it can, and because of the damage car driving adds to health and road repair bills. The revenue from road tax is nowhere near enough to pay for road repair so it almost always comes from general tax which we all pay equally.

Cyclists do not damage the roads or pollute the air we breathe. You do!

[Rhys]

Just sad, night riders.... RIP.... A fleeing driver... I trust the authorities find this person and bring him to justice..

[cookee68]

Thailand should create a legal presumption of intoxication for anyone who runs. It should be presumed he ran to hide intoxication. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and this agreed presumption should be a condition of driving whether licensed or not.

There should also be heavy penalties for leaving the scene which would compound the penalties.

It should now be presumed that this driver ran because he was intoxicated, and intoxication should bring a presumption of being at fault. Failing to stop and render aid should also be a crime for the driver.

Drivers seem to believe that running is the answer to avoiding trouble when to the contrary it should compound the troubles.

Doing a runner after an accident carries very little penalty here as far as I know.

...so, it makes sense to leg it.

..and if you get caught you can always invent an excuse like 'I panicked' etc

Or a ghost of a Buddha run in front of my car, causing me to sway in fear of hitting him and going to hell, the authorities will believe all that shit

[catman20]

when the police catch this person why not make an example of him and give him 5 year in a Thai jail as they would in Europe that would or should stop all this people running away from the seen of an accident.

[quandow]

Three points:

1. What happened to the Red Bull heir? Until universal accountability is the law, these atrocities will continue in Thailand.

2. I teach Emergency/First Responder, and we tell our students if you come across an accident in Thailand, run, don't walk, in the other direction. I stopped once to help at the scene of an accident (two cute girls in a minor motorbike accident, I couldn't say no). When police arrived, they did their damndest to try and implicate me. Thank goodness there were too many witnesses that sided with me. The BiB looked quite angry but had to let me go. Yes, Good Samaritan Law needed!

3. In the U.S., it is a greater crime to hit-and-run than driving under the influence. The police really should do their job, but we know how THAT'S going.

Still a developing country, but developing into WHAT defies logic.

[LawrenceN]

Just an observation, and most certainly not an excuse or absolute reason for these terrible accidents, but in either case did the bikes have lights?

I say this because I don't think I have ever seen a bike with lights on after dark in Thailand.

I wondered the same as I read the story. But I have been noticing more lights on bikes after dark around Chiang Mai, especially on the more expensive bikes. If you spend 60,000 baht on your bike, what's another 300 for a blinking light?

I am a cyclist (6000+ km last year), and live near the scene of the recent incident. I avoid those big divided highways, mainly because of the speed that everything is moving, and the size of the big trucks. I know lots of little roads, and I'm often amazed at the folks on bikes out there on the big highways. I was going out to dinner last night, and my friend who was driving had to move right to avoid a cyclist (no lights after dark) on the middle ring road who swerved around a car parked in the left lane. You're right; it happens all the time.

On the little country roads, especially with curves, I can keep up with much of the traffic. Drivers are not in such a hurry, and the narrowness of the roads makes drivers cautious to begin with. There are lots of little villages where people have to slow down, and the mix of traffic - market carts, grannies on bikes, tractors and cattle - slows traffic as well. I rarely feel in danger, and drivers seem to pass patiently when they know there's room. At 25 to 30 kph, I'm not slowing them down much. It took some doing, some wrong turns, when I first moved here four years ago to find the backroads to, say Sankhampaeng Hot Springs. But now that's one of my favorite rides, far more pleasant than the noise and danger of major highways. Sad to say, but many cyclists have not overcome the mindset that says, "the way from point A to point B is on this six-lane highway." Cyclists need to get out there and get lost a few times on country roads for their own safety.

[stevenl]

Three points:

1. What happened to the Red Bull heir? Until universal accountability is the law, these atrocities will continue in Thailand.

2. I teach Emergency/First Responder, and we tell our students if you come across an accident in Thailand, run, don't walk, in the other direction. I stopped once to help at the scene of an accident (two cute girls in a minor motorbike accident, I couldn't say no). When police arrived, they did their damndest to try and implicate me. Thank goodness there were too many witnesses that sided with me. The BiB looked quite angry but had to let me go. Yes, Good Samaritan Law needed!

3. In the U.S., it is a greater crime to hit-and-run than driving under the influence. The police really should do their job, but we know how THAT'S going.

Still a developing country, but developing into WHAT defies logic.

I also teach efr but try to give morals to my students, not nonsense and urban.myths.

[kingalfred]

Being a cyclist in a country with the worst drivers in the world and the least willingness to enforce traffic laws is surely a death signature

[kingalfred]

Just an observation, and most certainly not an excuse or absolute reason for these terrible accidents, but in either case did the bikes have lights?

I say this because I don't think I have ever seen a bike with lights on after dark in Thailand.

Sad to say, but many cyclists have not overcome the mindset that says, "the way from point A to point B is on this six-lane highway." Cyclists need to get out there and get lost a few times on country roads for their own safety.

tell that to the many cyclists killed on"country roads" in Thailand, oh they are dead now. http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/feb/18/british-cyclists-killed-thailand