14 year old student killed in North Pattaya Road Crash

[seedy]

One Abusive post removed

[HomeinThailand]

It is sad to see a 14 yo get killed this way. I am surprised that this type of headline is not seen more often. I watch motorbikes give no second thought to crossing the center line and head against the flow of traffic. My wife tells me that when a car and a motorbike have an altercation, the car driver is wrong no matter what the motorbike was doing. It should be who ever is proven wrong to be at fault, not immediatly the car driver. Both car and motorbike drivers are guilty of doing some pretty stupid things. I just observe more motorbikes doing stupid things than cars.

[HomeinThailand]

One Abusive post removed

My bad. I do appologise.

[canthai55]

Begs the question what's a 14 yr old doing on a motorbike.

I started riding on the road at 14 - legally - with a brand new Kawasaki 90 I bought with savings accumulated over 2 years.

Age has nothing to do with it.

[GBW]

In my opinion, sometimes these horrific occurrences happen due to monetary reasons. A lot of Thais struggle to make ends meet. To ferry kids back and forth to school can take time away from the gind to make the baht to survive (and, no, I do not condone this). The same with piling everyone on one vehicle, what average Thai can buy 4 mc's?. To the ones that can afford to provide a safe travel environment, this is just poor parenting skills coupled with a government that is so crippled with corruption that the concept of traffic safety doesn't actually exist (along with enforcement/education ie proper licensing). A damn shame for sure and I'm so glad I live in a town I don't need to drive, but if I did it'd be a hummer with a .50 cal on top.

Agree, but will add, these 'speed racers' that DO NOT WEAR HELMETS!,, BORE THEIR BIKES OUT FROM 125 TO 142-44... REDUCE BAFFLE to create ETC,, extend HP to a much higher level, they compete within their peers to achieve this,,,, I do not know the circumstance of the tragic accident, but when the other young fellow suggested that he had 'left his friend behind' I could imagine! Possibly the 2 vehicles were at fault, but its a no BRAINIER IF YOU DONT WEAR A HELMET....................... 14YO, what a tragedy!

I ride, everyday in Hat Yai, city and rural, I ride a scooted, a bike for fitness and drive,, the lack of police is astonishing,, I know the 3-4 second delay between the change of red to green, but i still count on average 6-8 driver at all intersections, running the red! I might add, with a policeman on the intersection..................What I have learnt in my 24 years hear, is YIELD AND FORGIVE!' because the Thai police I have found to be "local'. 'HWY'. and the 'Heir ache',,, Where and when does this irresponsibility on all parties, Parents, POLICE!, School teachers/officials begin.. ?

I will continue to 'Yield and forgive' as that it is, what keeps me alive in this otherwise beautiful country..........

[Rimmer]

A post in poor taste has been removed

[Alration]

and of course, the pick up truck stayed in his lane and turned his steering wheel to go AROUND the corner......i doubt for 1 minute that he might have just driven right across it and into the boys path..........ive never seen that happen before. well not since around 3 times yesterday, etc.

Try reading the witnesses comments in the report before making unnecessary accusations.

[nichol]

As long as you have children going to school on motorbikes sometimes with 2 or 3 passengers and nobody wearing helmets we are unfortunately going to see this happen again, R.I.P the young lad and condolences to family and friends

[Keesters]

The parents of this young lad should be charged with something like 'accessory to murder' for allowing their under aged child to ride a motorbike.

RIP to the young lad and I hope you get more responsible parents next life.

The parents have lost a child which is punishment enough.

Hopefully, if they have any more offspring, they will have learnt a lesson here and will put more effort into protecting what they have left but sadly it is more realistic that they will be trying to work out which lucky garlands they missed hanging on the motorbike beforehand.

Insufficient punishment for being utterly stupid in allowing their child to ride motorcycle. Absolutely no deterrent for others to do the same. Lock the parents up and throw away the key. There are thousands of helmet-less, unlicensed, under aged motorcycle riders in Thailand. All with brainless parents who may soon lose a child. And nobody does anything about it. That is the sad part. No government action, no police action, no school action. Nobody cares.

[berybert]

In my opinion, sometimes these horrific occurrences happen due to monetary reasons. A lot of Thais struggle to make ends meet. To ferry kids back and forth to school can take time away from the gind to make the baht to survive (and, no, I do not condone this). The same with piling everyone on one vehicle, what average Thai can buy 4 mc's?. To the ones that can afford to provide a safe travel environment, this is just poor parenting skills coupled with a government that is so crippled with corruption that the concept of traffic safety doesn't actually exist (along with enforcement/education ie proper licensing). A damn shame for sure and I'm so glad I live in a town I don't need to drive, but if I did it'd be a hummer with a .50 cal on top.

Agree, but will add, these 'speed racers' that DO NOT WEAR HELMETS!,, BORE THEIR BIKES OUT FROM 125 TO 142-44... REDUCE BAFFLE to create ETC,, extend HP to a much higher level, they compete within their peers to achieve this,,,, I do not know the circumstance of the tragic accident, but when the other young fellow suggested that he had 'left his friend behind' I could imagine! Possibly the 2 vehicles were at fault, but its a no BRAINIER IF YOU DONT WEAR A HELMET....................... 14YO, what a tragedy!

I ride, everyday in Hat Yai, city and rural, I ride a scooted, a bike for fitness and drive,, the lack of police is astonishing,, I know the 3-4 second delay between the change of red to green, but i still count on average 6-8 driver at all intersections, running the red! I might add, with a policeman on the intersection..................What I have learnt in my 24 years hear, is YIELD AND FORGIVE!' because the Thai police I have found to be "local'. 'HWY'. and the 'Heir ache',,, Where and when does this irresponsibility on all parties, Parents, POLICE!, School teachers/officials begin.. ?

I will continue to 'Yield and forgive' as that it is, what keeps me alive in this otherwise beautiful country..........

Will you also CONTINUE TO POST IN CAPITALS FOR NO REASON ? It makes it look like you have TORETTES SYNDROME and keep shouting for NO REASON.

Very STRANGE.

[Bellacissa]

My son is 14 and 6' 3". He's bigger than most of the full grown men here. He's certainly big enough to ride a scooter on his own, but there's no way I would let him. Why? He might be big enough, but he is not mature enough or experienced enough to make the split second decisions required to ride in traffic. Especially here where the traffic laws are nonexistent or not enforced.

His very first question when we moved here was, "Mom, what is the legal driving age here? I just saw a boy that can't be more than 10 and he's FLYING down the road!"

Convenience for the parents is no reason to risk the life of the child. RIP little one.

[Rimmer]

A moderator will normally remove any posts in capital letters, in this respect please see the following extract from the forum rules:

1. Please do not post in all capital letters, bold, unusual fonts, sizes or colors. It can be difficult to read.

[Keesters]

Begs the question what's a 14 yr old doing on a motorbike.

On his way to buy some booze & cigs.

[inzman]

The schools are the ones that can effect change the most, no bikes allowed on campus without helmets. Change would happen overnight. They are the leaders of the children, but they don't lead. Shame on them.

[onemorechang]

The schools are the ones that can effect change the most, no bikes allowed on campus without helmets. Change would happen overnight. They are the leaders of the children, but they don't lead. Shame on them.

Nope

They will park just outside the grounds of the school,

then its not he schools responsibility.

But it would be a start

You need more.

Schools need to teach about road behaviour

before the kids use the road.

[Jip99]

The schools are the ones that can effect change the most, no bikes allowed on campus without helmets. Change would happen overnight. They are the leaders of the children, but they don't lead. Shame on them.

Nope

They will park just outside the grounds of the school,

then its not he schools responsibility.

But it would be a start

You need more.

Schools need to teach about road behaviour

before the kids use the road.

Parents should be a factor in this as well.

(note to self - teach parents first)

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[Stoker58]

In my opinion, sometimes these horrific occurrences happen due to monetary reasons. A lot of Thais struggle to make ends meet. To ferry kids back and forth to school can take time away from the gind to make the baht to survive (and, no, I do not condone this). The same with piling everyone on one vehicle, what average Thai can buy 4 mc's?. To the ones that can afford to provide a safe travel environment, this is just poor parenting skills coupled with a government that is so crippled with corruption that the concept of traffic safety doesn't actually exist (along with enforcement/education ie proper licensing). A damn shame for sure and I'm so glad I live in a town I don't need to drive, but if I did it'd be a hummer with a .50 cal on top.

A motorcycle costs a lot more than a bicycle, so it's not about poverty.

[joepattaya1961]

Used to have some neighbors who had a stunningly beautiful daughter. At 14 she was almost 180cm tall and looked like a model. One day I asked the parents, who both spoke reasonably good English, why they didn't love their daughter. They looked at me in shock and replied that their daughter was the most precious thing in the world to them. I told them: "No she's not. If she was, you wouldn't let her, at 14, drive a motorbike to school, and not even wear a helmet." Of course they protested, saying she was a perfectly good driver, and had already been driving for 2 years. I just shook my head and told them: "Tell me that again when she's dead." Then walked away.

Less than a week later she was killed. Smashed by a pick up truck. Her parents were devastated and wanted to sue the driver of the pick up. Until they read the police report which stated witnesses to the accident had claimed the girl ran a red light, while talking on her cell phone. My wife and I went to pay condolences, and the father became totally irate, blaming me for the accident, saying I had caused it. My wife calmly told him that he and his wife killed their daughter when they let her ride a motorbike before she was legally allowed to do so. Within a month they had sold their house and moved away.

Just 1 Voice, I do understand the fathers' rage at the funeral: talking about someones' death while they're still alive is not done here. As a result they put her death on your back now. Rubbish of course, but its part of the culture