Dangers of Cycling in Thailand

[Thunderbirds20]

I live in Jomtien Beach and use a bicycle to get around during daylight hours. This morning I was nearing my condo complex and needed to change from curbside to the right hand lane to make a right turn. I checked my mirror, saw it was clear and signaled my intention to change lanes. I was about to cross the line in to the right lane, when a car roared passed me, missing me by centimeters. He could easily have gone behind me but chose to cut in front of me. Why do Thai drivers seem to ignore cyclists? It is like we are not there. They nose out of a side street, see me coming then nose out further, cutting me off and forcing me to stop while they wait for a a chance to pull out. Several times, people whiz by within inches of me when there is lots of room to spare. Every vehicle does this, trucks, buses, cars, motorbikes, ..... every time I go out I have 3 or 4 instances like these, but today was especially scary as this guy was doing way over 100 kms an hour and almost knocked me off my bike by the blowback.

[Familyonthemove]

Thai Highway Code.  Size sets priority.   Cars give way to buses.  Small cars give way to big cars.  Motorcycle give way to cars.  Bicycles give way to everything. 

 

 

[tifino]

 

some parts of your Post have answered yourself for you

 

 

big fish get eaten by bigger fish, and...

 

[robertthebruce]

Cycling in Thailand is a big No No......

 

Too dangerous....

 

today was your warning....

 

 

[Ulysses G.]

3 hours ago, Familyonthemove said:

Thai Highway Code.  Size sets priority.   Cars give way to buses.  Small cars give way to big cars.  Motorcycle give way to cars.  Bicycles give way to everything. 

 

 

 

Thailand is pretty bad, but Vietnam is FAR worse. I was frightened to ride a bicycle here until I lived in Hanoi for a while and had no other choice. When I returned to Thailand, it was no biggie anymore.

[kannot]

4 hours ago, Familyonthemove said:

Thai Highway Code.  Size sets priority.   Cars give way to buses.  Small cars give way to big cars.  Motorcycle give way to cars.  Bicycles give way to everything. 

 

 

you forgot the word "unofficial" in the "Thai highway code"

Stupidity rules, how about two same sized vehicles?

[nottocus]

Don't cycle. Easiest way to stay alive

[GuestHouse]

I'm a keen cyclist and have ridden tens of thousands of KMs in Thailand, I've only a couple of times had near misses, nothing that was outrageously dangerous but could have knocked me off my bike for sure.

 

My advice is do not ride in towns. I take my bike out in the car to non urban areas, park up and ride a circuit.

 

There are some fabulous quiet country roads to be enjoyed in Thailand, I frequently ride miles without seeing a car, no need to ride in towns.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Not rely on your mirror , look over your shoulder.

Not wear a helmet , cars will make a wider loop around you when they see you are not protected.

8 years on a bike here and never had any problem.

You can find more info on the web :

 

How helmets HELP Absorb some of the impact of collisions Protect against scrapes and scratches

How helmets HURT Drivers pass more closely, since helmeted cyclists seem less vulnerable Head size is increased, making potential impacts with pavement more likely Cyclists are encouraged to take more risks, since they feel protected

[n210mp]

Been riding in the SSCC road area of Pattaya three times a week, up around  Mabrachan and beyond for the last 5 years or so, anything from 30 to 60K a session

Found 95% of Thai drivers to be really courteous, obviously there are the minority who don't either have the brains training or  licenses who give all the others a bad name.

 

Especially courteous are the drivers on the notorious Pattaya  railway byepass road  who give way for this aged biker even when it is obviously their right of way.

 

I have had one bad accident, broke my right leg in 5 places but it was my fault, had nothing to do with any other road use, I simply fell off not observing the cyclist golden rule that when turning left for instance make sure the left pedal is not at the bottom of the arc, otherwise like me you will find that raised Cat's eye and go arse over tit

 

Getting out of bed on the wrong side is dangerous, riding a motorcycle in your twilight years unless you road on all your life is dangerous, so it's horses for courses but to make a statement that cycling is any more dangerous than sitting at a bar drinking and smoking yourself to death is preposterous.

[bitcoinforever]

DO not ride bicycles on the roads of Thailand just because nothing has happened your chances increase. extremely dangerous. professional cyclist got hit riding the rode to Pai SUV sideswiped him never stopped very common, broke his hip was left on the road for hours everyone afraid to pick him up because they did not want to be blamed, 8 months to regain mobility. The roads are dangerous to begin with for cars and motorcycles and you want to go out there with a bicycle how insane is that.  good luck i would not risk my life on a bicycle in thailand, other things better to risk it on,

[gandalf12]

Would love to ride a bike as I did elsewhere but I value my life too much to do it in Thailand. Road users here act stupid and the police as we all know do nothing to ensure safety

[johnnybgood]

Maybe think "off road"... is the solution here in Thailand.

...not just being prepared and the crossing of one's fingers.

 

 

[kwak250]

There was a chilean cyclist killed last year after 5 years of cycling around 5 continents only to be run over by a pick-up.

There was also a British couple killed on a rtw trip in Bangkok run over and killed by a truck.

I feel vunrable even in a car with the level of driving skills here and would not risk riding a bicycle as they are to slow in the flow of traffic

[cyberfarang]

The dangers of cycling in Thailand are obvious. If you have a death wish, then on ya bike sunshine.

[pauleddy]

Agree with Gandalf.

 

I rode high-end Specialized and Trek (MTB) bikes in the UK and Spain for 20 years. It's a fantastic hobby, and I made many friends (other devotees). I was a good and skilled MTB-er, but not Olympics material.

 

I have been in the BKK bike shops 6-7 times, with my Visa card burning a hole in my pocket--but I keep coming to the same conclusion. No BIKe in BKK. Too risky. Broke my shoulder here just by walking a greasy vendor's patch of sidewalk.

 

I've been in a friend's big 4by4 many times, but I don't know how it does it.  Despite driving for 46 years, which included driving Jags and also a fearless Mazda Rx8 which can reach 140 mph and still have throttle to spare, I am shocked by the driving standards here. So, I guess that the head must rule the heart. No Bike. So sad!

 

Do I need to see a trick-cyclist?

 

Eddy

 

 

[n210mp]

Here I go again, bait taken!

 

What a load of Pansies! At least the Nay sayers!

 

To mention bike (cycle)  accidents as some silly kind of  absolute proof that cycling in Thailand is dangerous is just as daft as saying that life  itself is dangerous.

 

Where there are mice and men there will be accidents, unforeseen circumstances etc etc etc.

 

Lets try not to panic chaps, let's keep things in perspective here.

 

You pick the right equipment for yourself, you pick the right environment to ride in and you dont mix it with the motorway or the inner city traffic for a start.

 

To take advantage of the oxygen laden night  air you go just before dawn in my case on roads that you know very well  and you finish before the mainstream traffic has taken over.

 

Friend of mine lives in downtown Pattaya, leaves his bike at another mates house near Mabrachan  and sets off in his car early doors, thus avoiding city traffic.

 

There will always be accidents in any event no matter how you try to avoid them but not to take part in any activity because of the uninformed and  hysterical fears, like the ones described in this thread is just pure Bulox, Yes, better for you to  just turn over and go back to sleep, better you die in bed from Fattyrop syndrome , enlarged liver and  lungs crusted with bitumen tar from the many ciggies that you consume that are of course not dangerous at all, are they?

 

Yes I know I purposely went over the top with this reply just to show that the pendulum if swung the other way is just as daft as some of the Pussy replies

[rapom]

I have a mountain bike I ride. No mountains near my farm NE of Surin, but plenty of blacktop and rice field roads. Don'tworry much about other vehicles, just dogs and bovine 

[n210mp]

1 hour ago, bitcoinforever said:

DO not ride bicycles on the roads of Thailand just because nothing has happened your chances increase. extremely dangerous. professional cyclist got hit riding the rode to Pai SUV sideswiped him never stopped very common, broke his hip was left on the road for hours everyone afraid to pick him up because they did not want to be blamed, 8 months to regain mobility. The roads are dangerous to begin with for cars and motorcycles and you want to go out there with a bicycle how insane is that.  good luck i would not risk my life on a bicycle in thailand, other things better to risk it on,

 

Please could you supply a link that substantiates   your assertion that the risk increase because you have not had an accident yet?

[jak2002003]

I can't drive, so I cycle everyday... been doing this for nearly 10 years.  Never had an accident.

 

Most Thai drivers do not purposely ignore people on bikes... they ignore everything! 

 

Expect the unexpected and be aware of whats going on around you.... stay out of the busy narrow city streets... and don't go racing fast through the city... go a normal speed.

 

 

 

[skatewash]

1 hour ago, terminatorchiangmai said:

Not rely on your mirror , look over your shoulder.

Not wear a helmet , cars will make a wider loop around you when they see you are not protected.

8 years on a bike here and never had any problem.

You can find more info on the web :

 

How helmets HELP Absorb some of the impact of collisions Protect against scrapes and scratches

How helmets HURT Drivers pass more closely, since helmeted cyclists seem less vulnerable Head size is increased, making potential impacts with pavement more likely Cyclists are encouraged to take more risks, since they feel protected

 

"Head size is increased, making potential impacts with pavement more likely."  You slipped that one in there just to see if anyone was actually reading it, right?  The logic of that statement escapes me, but perhaps I'm underestimating the size of the helmet being worn ;-)

[rogeroc]

I cycle a lot around town in Chiang Mai. Generally most drivers are sensible, courteous and patient to cyclists. 

[Ace of Pop]

[n210mp]

1 hour ago, terminatorchiangmai said:

Not rely on your mirror , look over your shoulder.

Not wear a helmet , cars will make a wider loop around you when they see you are not protected.

8 years on a bike here and never had any problem.

You can find more info on the web :

 

How helmets HELP Absorb some of the impact of collisions Protect against scrapes and scratches

How helmets HURT Drivers pass more closely, since helmeted cyclists seem less vulnerable Head size is increased, making potential impacts with pavement more likely Cyclists are encouraged to take more risks, since they feel protected

 

Not sure where you got this information, sounds credible at first glance but from my experience it is not right and possibly giving some real bad advice.

 

When  I broke my leg in my bike accident there were no others involved at all, my own inadvertent stupidity.

 

Some months later when getting better and checking  my biking equipment for the first ride since the accident  I examined my crash helmet,  there was a big crack all the way down the right hand side with graze marks  and bits of tarmac embedded .

 

This illustrates for me  that the wearing of the helmet  at the time saved me from possibly a very serious head injury as well as the 5 breaks to my leg.

I dont like helmets don't get me wrong but in any sport you must do whatever minimises the risk, biking without an helmet seems to me to be talking one  risk too many

[Stevemercer]

I cycle in rural Thailand and generally find Thai drivers much more tolerant and courteous than in my home country (Australia). People in villages and farm workers are friendly, smiling and wave enthusiastically like you are a visiting rock star. The roads vary in quality, but are usually good. The main hazards are sleeping dogs, crabs and fish crawling over the road after rain, and the sun and heat.

 

 

[dotpoom]

My two biggest gripes dealing with traffic here whether , driving my car, riding my motorbike, cycling my bicycle or simply walking...is the way cars/ motorbikes pull right out in front of me from small side roads when I have the right of way on the main road. My second is when they pass me by going around me and then slam on the brakes (causing me to do same) to pull into a service station or side road , like you say, why not just pull in behind me.

[little mary sunshine]

To many dangers to list....most deadly!!

[villagefarang]

Okay, I am lucky to have access to really great riding roads and can time my rides to avoid most traffic.  Still it is up to me to avoid accidents not someone else.  You can’t rely on the rules, regulations and expectations of another country.  You have to deal with the realities of living in Thailand.

If you can’t handle that, then I agree you shouldn’t be on a bike.  If you do ride, then take responsibility for your own safety and ride defensively.

 

 

[mcfish]

Back to Jomtien..the safest bet would be up and down the beach rd maybe on the footpath beachside where Ive seen lots of people riding bikes but not sure if its legall

[AlQaholic]

Remember also that Thai drivers do not have any fear of running someone down and killing them, seriously. They do not think like us in the west, I would be devastated to the point of suicide if I ran someone down with my car, but for Thai it is not such a big deal if you kill someone, just happens. Not my fault, their fault for being in the way. I have personally seen Thai drivers deliberately driving close to motorcyclists to show who is the boss on the road.

 

I stay off road with my bike as much as possible, sidewalk, Jungle, trek anything but the road.