Why you shouldn't play Pokémon Go on a motorbike

[Cuchulainn]

Som nam naa, you moronic imbecile.   

[Thian]

5 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

Yes, but you are the sort of good driver that is paying attention to where you are going.

If something is in your way ahead of you, go around it but try not to go through it. The most left lane is not a lane designed for moving vehicles, it serves as a place where vehicles, when necessary can stop.  It is your responsibility as a driver to ensure that the road ahead of you is clear. Anything less is irresponsible on your part. Krap.

 

The most left lane is not a parkingplace nor a place to open a shop and start selling fruit. Customers will park right next to the vendor on the 2nd left lane and that's dangerous.

 

Yes i concentrate vely much to see where i'm going, far too much...i even don't see newly built condominums who are 300 metre from my house, that's how much i focus on the roads. 

 

And when i have to stop for something i always check who's behind me and if he also stops, that allready has saved my life..i see loads of cardrivers using phones/laptops while driving. This guy only killed himself, a cardriver who's on the phone can kill many others as well. Hence why you won't see (many) people on the phone in my homecountry, there's a huge fine for it which is great.

 

 

 

[ratcatcher]

10 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

Maybe because he parked right on the motocycle lane???

You are obviously a motorbike rider from your posts. There is no such lane as a "motorcycle lane"  on the majority of Thai highways. That area alongside the traveled portion of the road is for a vehicle to stop when necessary. 90% of the time motorcyclists use it because it is out of the way of larger vehicles and there are usually no obstructions in their way. If there are, they go around them. 

Over to you.   

[HooHaa]

3 hours ago, Rykbanlor said:

Sorry to be the language pedant chaps, but it takes 2 to Tango, not tangle.

 

why not just let it go?

 

like water under the fridge.

[Thian]

3 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

You are obviously a motorbike rider from your posts. There is no such lane as a "motorcycle lane"  on the majority of Thai highways. That area alongside the traveled portion of the road is for a vehicle to stop when necessary. 90% of the time motorcyclists use it because it is out of the way of larger vehicles and there are usually no obstructions in their way. If there are, they go around them. 

Over to you.   

 

So where do motocycles have to drive according to you?

 

Stopping to go eating is not necessary, so the truckdriver was wrong, simple as that.

 

And if he had problems with his truck he should have used hazard lights (if they work of course).

 

In BKK motocycles don't use the lept lane much because it's the most dangerous lane of all. Also there's a lot of sand/nails/glass laying there and there are plenty of cars who drive 50-60km/hr so we just use every lane.

I also drive car but it drives me crazy in BKK, on a motocy i can easy go around all the idiots who don't know how to drive.

 

 

[alocacoc]

better stick with Candy Crash. Much safer while driving a bike.

[Winniedapu]

5 hours ago, Pdaz said:

Most amazing part of this is that he was wearing a helmet ! What chance of that ?

 

 

Oddly, I notice that a lot more people are wearing helmets these days. It's possible that the police are getting something right - though that's goes directly agains history and tradition in Thailand.

 

Mind you, there are more 8-12 year-olds riding motorbikes as well. Swings and roundabouts  I suppose...

 

Winnie

[dieseldave1951]

5 hours ago, The stuttering parrot said:

Or maybe he was watching a football replay.

For the headlines to scream Pokemon is just ridiculous . The plain fact is that he was using a mobile whilst in charge of a vehicle a fact that is somewhat lost in this Pokemon frenzy.

And where is the Pokemon posse police with their yellow balloons ?

Great finger pointing opportunity !

they have not screamed pokemon and they have said maybe ??? 

[Thian]

Just now, dieseldave1951 said:

they have not screamed pokemon and they have said maybe ??? 

 

Maybe he used Google maps to find his way? 

[Radar501]

30 minutes ago, Thian said:

.........I've been told many times to keep lept and even had to pay 200 baht bribes when i didn't do it....... 

 

For every bent cop who takes a bribe at a traffic stop, there must be a bent motorist who willingly hands the bribe over.

 

As far as police corruption is concerned, you are not part of the solution, you are part of the cause.

[dieseldave1951]

4 hours ago, Thian said:

Did the truck use his hazardlights when parking along the road?

 

And why do they park big trucks like that along a road? They do it everywhere and it's very dangerous.

 

Also taxidrivers drive very slow when they are searching for customers, they cause a lot of congestion/frustration among other drivers.

 

Thailand needs parkingplaces along the roads where vendors can sell and drivers can rest..

 

Also it needs police who keep the roads safe.....oh well, keep on dreaming...

does not matter if they were on or off, the motorcyclist would not have seen them anyway with his head buried in the phone. now his head is buried in the truck stupidity at is best 

[dieseldave1951]

35 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

The most left lane is not a parkingplace nor a place to open a shop and start selling fruit. Customers will park right next to the vendor on the 2nd left lane and that's dangerous.

 

Yes i concentrate vely much to see where i'm going, far too much...i even don't see newly built condominums who are 300 metre from my house, that's how much i focus on the roads. 

 

And when i have to stop for something i always check who's behind me and if he also stops, that allready has saved my life..i see loads of cardrivers using phones/laptops while driving. This guy only killed himself, a cardriver who's on the phone can kill many others as well. Hence why you won't see (many) people on the phone in my homecountry, there's a huge fine for it which is great.

 

 

 

aha how do you know their there  i mean the condominiums 

[dieseldave1951]

28 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

So where do motocycles have to drive according to you?

 

Stopping to go eating is not necessary, so the truckdriver was wrong, simple as that.

 

And if he had problems with his truck he should have used hazard lights (if they work of course).

 

In BKK motocycles don't use the lept lane much because it's the most dangerous lane of all. Also there's a lot of sand/nails/glass laying there and there are plenty of cars who drive 50-60km/hr so we just use every lane.

I also drive car but it drives me crazy in BKK, on a motocy i can easy go around all the idiots who don't know how to drive.

 

 

Stopping to go eating is not necessary, so the truck driver was wrong, simple as that

not if the truck driver selected a long straight section of road  if this moron had'nt hit this truck he surly would have hit something  else, maybe someone trying to cross the road with a family, just think of that as an issue,

this idiot had no consideration for other road users so luckly he killed only him self

[connda]

We'll need to make a special award division of the Darwin Awards specifically for motorcycle riding Pokemon Go players.    Natural selection in action.

RIP. 

 

[Thian]

8 minutes ago, dieseldave1951 said:

aha how do you know their there  i mean the condominiums 

 

Because i also use taxi's or let my wife drive the car so i can see what shops are near us...

 

Serious last week i discovered 2 huge condo's very close to our home, one finished and the other one still being built.

 

My wife also likes to sit in a taxi so we can see where we live. Traffic is so dangerous/busy here we have no time to look around.

[Fookhaht]

3 hours ago, chrissables said:

Actually, that white line defines the motorbike lane. Totally wrong in my opinion, but motorbike must always keep left.

There is a long, long discussion about this elsewhere on ThaiVisa.  The general consensus on that thread was that the white line defines THE SHOULDER of the road.  

The only official motorbike lanes in Thailand are marked with signage (in addition to road lines).  This particular stretch of Hiway 2 does not have a motorcycle lane, only a shoulder.

When motorbikes drive in the car lane, they are risking their lives due to faster-moving traffic and inattentive/aggressive drivers.   When they drive on the shoulder, they are equally (or more) at risk from potholes, stationary vehicles (like this one), and other vehicles coming at them from the opposite direction (and I've seen motorbikes, portable kitchens, farm equipment, cars and pickups all doing this).  

Either way, they're screwed.   To compound the danger, it obviously doesn't help to be glued to your phone.   Not surprising that 70% of all traffic fatalities in this country are motorbike riders.  

[Ceruhe]

49 minutes ago, Thian said:

So where do motocycles have to drive according to you?

Well, on the road. Most 2+ lane roads (as seen on the picture) got their 2+ lanes travelling in the same direction and on either side being the shoulder, which is a no park/no drive lane. If you run into trouble, say your tire just blew off, that's bloody where you are trying to go, into the emergency lane out of the way from the regular traffic, otherwise said shoulder is to be kept clear for emergency vehicles to be used in cases of accidents/congestions/what have you.

 

I'm a car driver and understand that driving on the road is dangerous for them as well as the shoulder often being littered with pot holes and other magic. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. This isn't a single case issue however, this is how society here has adopted and runs with it. People also have no care in the world for their own or anybody elses safety, so the issue starts way earlier than what we are currently wasting out time with discussion.

 

49 minutes ago, Thian said:

Stopping to go eating is not necessary, so the truckdriver was wrong, simple as that.

And that's where debates could take place. This can be all of the "police needs to enforce the laws" or "there are no parking spots for large trucks" or "people need to be conscious of what they are doing" or "Education, Education, Education" or "That's why you focus on driving and not on the phone/etc" or "This is Thailand" or whatever else. While I agree (despite knowing the whole picture) with you that he shouldn't have stopped to eat of all things, blaming the truck driver over the motorsai guy, who was not paying attention whatsoever, is where I will stand to oppose you.
Especially since parking, or rather stopping to drive wherever, is very much the common norm in Thailand and one of the prime reasons traffic is as hideous as it is.

 

28 minutes ago, dieseldave1951 said:

does not matter if they were on or off, the motorcyclist would not have seen them anyway with his head buried in the phone.

Wouldn't have mattered in this case alright, but in general you should make yourself as visible as you can if being somewhere that you shouldn't be, like the emergency lane.

[JayBeeee]

3 hours ago, chrissables said:

motorbike must always keep left.

 

Is there a rule that says that?

I avoid that lane wherever possible when I'm riding my bike, as I'm usually going faster than the cars in my lane. My greatest concern is the drivers of oncoming vehicles, who obviously think they have right of way over any bike coming the other way, no matter where they are on the road.

[Thian]

33 minutes ago, Ceruhe said:

I'm a car driver and understand that driving on the road is dangerous for them as well as the shoulder often being littered with pot holes and other magic. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. This isn't a single case issue however, this is how society here has adopted and runs with it. People also have no care in the world for their own or anybody elses safety, so the issue starts way earlier than what we are currently wasting out time with discussion.

 

 

Motocycles have to keep lept as much as they can, that's the rule which is maintained by the BKK police.

 

I don't want to drive into a motocy taxi who drives against traffic so i don't keep lept all the time, simple as that. Also if i drive on the fast lane 100km/hr there's no policeman who dares to go there to stop me, they do try it sometimes but it doesn't work.

 

One of the reasons Thailand has such a high deathrate from trafficaccidents is because nobody knows or follows any rules.  That will never change without police and people obeying rules.

 

I agree it's a waste of time writing all this, guess it has to be a hi-so rich kid who drives into a big truck like that before the Thai start with a crackdown on trafficrules.

[sometimewoodworker]

6 hours ago, Thian said:

Did the truck use his hazardlights when parking along the road?

 

Full daylight makes hazardlights pointless and not very invisible. If it were night time it would be a different story, but it wasn't. 

Quote

 

And why do they park big trucks like that along a road? They do it everywhere and it's very dangerous.

 

Clearly parked as far to the left as possible with only a few cm in the left hand lane. So how does that make it very dangerous?

 

The extreme left area (to the left of the solid line) is more like the hard shoulder of a motorway. It will be blocked from time to time. 

 

It is sad that a young man died because he didn't bother to look where he was going and from reports was also possibly driving too fast. But he was the cause of his own death.

Quote

 

Also taxidrivers drive very slow when they are searching for customers, they cause a lot of congestion/frustration among other drivers.

Agree on that.

Quote

 

Thailand needs parkingplaces along the roads where vendors can sell and drivers can rest..

 

 

They have some places.

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by sometimewoodworker

[Thian]

2 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

 

Full daylight makes hazardlights pointless and not very invisible. If it were night time it would be a different story, but it wasn't. 

 

Clearly parked as far to the left as possible with only a few cm in the left hand lane. So how does that make it very dangerous?

 

The extreme left area (to the left of the solid line) is more like the hard shoulder of a motorway. It will be blocked from time to time. 

 

It is sad that a young man died because he didn't bother to look where he was going and from reports was also possibly driving too fast. But he was the cause of his own death.

Agree on that.

 

 

If a parked truck uses hazardlights in daytime other drivers know he is in an abnormal situation so should pay extra attention.

 

He shouldn't park there because other drivers who are behind a big truck or so don't expect him to be there, so it's dangerous again. For Thai it's hard enough to drive between the lines, even in BKK they won't do it.

 

A 30 ton truck like that should not be parked on the edge of the low quality concrete roads of Thailand, it will cause the concrete to crack. It's only for emergency situations or for motorbikes to drive safe.

 

In BKK there are loads of cars/trucks parked on the most left lanes, so if i drive into one of them it's always my own fault?? Maybe i just got sand in me eye or a mozzy. Or maybe i had tears in my eyes or dirty sunglasses full of birdshit.

 

A while ago there was a Ducatidriver who passed a truck on the left side, BANG and he was dead...there was another truck parked on the most left lane of the highway....He had a puncture though so a good reason to park there.

 

 

 

 

[chrissables]

2 hours ago, JayBeeee said:

 

Is there a rule that says that?

I avoid that lane wherever possible when I'm riding my bike, as I'm usually going faster than the cars in my lane. My greatest concern is the drivers of oncoming vehicles, who obviously think they have right of way over any bike coming the other way, no matter where they are on the road.

I have been pulled by the police for not being in the left lane. Stupid because they were pulling in traffic ahead of me, so i passed and was stopped.

[ratcatcher]

5 hours ago, Thian said:

In BKK there are loads of cars/trucks parked on the most left lanes, so if i drive into one of them it's always my own fault??

 If you run into the rear of another vehicle, regardless of where they are parked. It is your fault.

It is your responsibility to be aware of what is ahead , behind and beside you when driving.  You obviously live in Bangkok and I agree there are more hazrds on the roads than upcountry anywhere, but it is still your problem otherwise you die like this kid did.

[dcnx]

When I was a kid they blamed everything bad on heavy metal music. Then it was gangsta rap for a while. Now it's Pokemon.

 

I guess humans always need to place blame somewhere else instead of admitting that some people are simply imbiciles.

[Happy Grumpy]

Is the paramedic playing Pokemon Go?

[CarolJadzia]

6 hours ago, Winniedapu said:

 

 

Oddly, I notice that a lot more people are wearing helmets these days. It's possible that the police are getting something right - though that's goes directly agains history and tradition in Thailand.

 

Mind you, there are more 8-12 year-olds riding motorbikes as well. Swings and roundabouts  I suppose...

 

Winnie

 

Regarding your observation, look closer. It is the "big bike" riders who are generally the ones wearing helmets, along with many of them buying the right kit to match their bikes. Predominantly it is the small bike riders who do not wear helmets, they see their bikes as like people in other countries see push bikes, just as a means of transport. 

 

Safety helmets are great for a certain amount of expected impacts, they can absorb some of the shock to protect the brain and will also give some protection from sliding. However they have limitations as well. Their shock absorbing abilities are limited and any helmet will deteriorate with age. Also the quality of helmets can vary greatly across makes and the protection can degrade for many reasons such as stickers or painting the shell which is common. 

 

Just check out the UK Governments "Sharp helmet scheme" to get an idea of different standards. 

 

Just discussing if he was wearing a helmet or not does not allow for the vast varences in if the helmet would have saved his head or not, it is far from being that simple.  

[adhd]

all songkran road deaths can now be blamed on pokemon

 

yeah....

[tukkytuktuk]

Cause you look like a big kid! Grow up and get laid.

[CarolJadzia]

4 hours ago, chrissables said:

I have been pulled by the police for not being in the left lane. Stupid because they were pulling in traffic ahead of me, so i passed and was stopped.

 

This is one of the hyper compliance rules in Thailand that has come from the knee jerk reaction to road safety, built on the wrong assumptions that all motorcycles are the same and that by separating motorcycles into their own left lane will make them safer. It is misguided,  dangerous and often leads to accidents.

 

I experienced this first hand especially on Phuket Island where the main island road has a dedicated motorcycle only lane. It encourages riders to pass vehicles on the left, this can be dangerous anywhere, but with vehicles emerging without looking, or vehicles slowing to turn without indicating or looking, it often leads to accidents. But of course the situation is compacted by the U-turns that also lead vehicles to suddenly slow and stop in the outside lane as well. This leads to a free-for-all. 

 

You can see these motorcycle only lanes in my video. Starts from about 1 min 50.

  

To understand why they are so dangerous we need to understand the limitations of the human brain and eyes.

See:-

The roles of motorcyclists and car drivers in conspicuity-related motorcycle crashes  (PDF)

 

Visual factors in driving (PDF)

 

They never saw it coming

 

Or many other papers on the subject, some of which are also listed on the No Surprise / No Accident resources page in the vision section. 

 

Also some issues discussed here:

 

 

[Pdaz]

18 hours ago, HooHaa said:

 

Nah most amazing thing about this is a man I dead and all you could see fit to do is make a cheap helmet comment.

 

Even with a helmet you can't fix stupid... Accidents like this just improve the gene pool.