Cyclist dies after being hit, thrown from bridge by 6-wheeler in Bangkok

[Usual Suspect]

No photo of the offending truck here..just the bent cycle.

We all hear of the sensless two-wheel fatalities in this country, most caused by idiots either on the bikes or at the wheel, but I have always thought how the hell in a country swarming with motorbikes the scythe in/out/around slower vehicles can the police here allow trucks to have curtains draped across the lower half of their windscreens..??!!

This has got to make it impossible for the driver to see vunerable people down on his front left corner.

Only this year a cement mixer truck drove right over a lady on a m/cycle here in Hua Hin..but his curtain was indeed a pretty design...TiT.

Rant over.

[PeVee1st]

I am sure his well maintained truck, with a clean windscreen, operating wipers / washer & nothing hanging off the rear vision mirror to distract his view had nothing to do with his incompetence.

He is like all truck drivers & SUV / pickup drivers & van drivers who own the road & force smaller road users off the roadway

[ianf]

Here's an interesting point: Motorcyclists/scooter riders get killed everyday in Thailand. Dozens of 'em. I don't see posts here telling people not to ride those machines. Car drivers get killed everyday here too. I don't see posts here telling people not to ride. Pedestrians get killed almost daily. I don't see posts here telling people not to walk. A few cyclists get killed and we have the anti-cycling nutcases here telling people how dangerous cycling is and that we shouldn't do it. I wonder if they could take the trouble to explain themselves?

I explained it before but for you i 'll do it again.

Cycling is much more dangerous then driving a scooter because of the big speeddifference on the highways.

Cyclists get taken over from behind nonstop while scooters can drive the same speed as the cars which is around 80-90 km/hr.

Then also scooters can brake much better then cyclists on those stupid thin tires, they also don't have discbrakes.

Next is that scooters wear a safetyhelmet, cyclists have a simple version of it.

But you're right that dead cyclists reach the newspapers, dead scooterdrivers not. Scooterdrivers are less than a human in Thailand, even soidogs get more respect. Thai will never drive over a sleeping soidog but love to cut off scooterdrivers.

More nonsense from you. Most of the cheap helmets bought by the Thais are less safe than the average cycle helmet. My wife's friend had a motorcy accident and the worst part was the helmet that collapsed into her head causing serious head injuries. Thin tyres are not stupid and the brakes on cycles are quite efficient - but they are not really a factor in cycle accidents as a rule. Most of the deaths on Thai roads (8000+ a year I believe) are motorcyclists: Many do not wear helmets (including stupid farangs) and many that do don't do up the straps, so they fall off. Many motorcyclists weave in and out of cars not even looking at indicator lights which is why (in combination with drivers not looking in their mirrors) so many get knocked off. I would say that cycling on highways in many countries is not safe but don't disparage cycling - it's healthy and supports the environment and perfectly safe on 90% of the roads around here in Chiang Mai. I have also noticed that there is quite a lot of courtesy extended towards cyclists, especially groups of riders, around here. There is no need for you to be so anti-cyclist - better to be anti-drug and anti-alcohol abuse.