Motorcyclist killed, two badly injured after pickup ploughs into suspected racers

By The Nation

 

AYUTTHAYA: -- One motorcyclist was killed and two others severely injured when a pickup truck crashed into a group of 20 suspected road racers in Ayutthaya province early Tuesday.

 

Police said the accident happened on Nakhon Sawan-bound Asia Road in Moo 4 village in tambon Klong Jik in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district at about 2.30am.

 

Police took the truck driver, who has yet to be identified, to Bang Pa-in Police Station for questioning and out of fear that the motorcyclists would attack him. The man refused to say anything at the scene.

 

Sornram Phakhitham, 20, died at the scene while Anupong Noipithak, 18, and Supattharas Thonglor, 17, were injured and taken to Karunvej Hospital.

 

Police said the pickup was apparently speeding out a petrol station to make a U-turn on the furthest right lane and the motorcyclists came down the elevated Bang Pa-in Road and cut into the front of him.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30316030

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-05-23

Headline from a previous article.

"Thailand is World’s Deadliest Country for Motorcyclists"

 

Gee, I wonder how that can be, with all those new safety statutes being enforced?

 

If they want to race, they should do it someplace where they only put their own lives in danger. Of course, it doesn't help when drivers of other vehicles don't know how to safely make U-turns  or right hand turns. Walking doesn't increase the chance of being safe either, when one can fall into an open drainage hole, trip on  uneven "sidewalks", have part of buildings fall on you, etc. 

 

Agoraphobia is starting to look really good. 

 

Edited May 23, 20179 yr by jaltsc

I get the impression that there are a lot of pickup drivers out there who just haven,t a clue how to drive, scary !

3 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

I get the impression that there are a lot of pickup drivers out there who just haven,t a clue how to drive, scary !

Let´s just say that 97 percent of the population doesn´t know how to drive. Then you are coming much closer to the real and ugly truth that is svept under the rug of statistics every year.

3 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Let´s just say that 97 percent of the population doesn´t know how to drive. Then you are coming much closer to the real and ugly truth that is svept under the rug of statistics every year.

Thats  wall to wall carpeting not a rug

9 minutes ago, kannot said:

Thats  wall to wall carpeting not a rug

Thanks! Just didn´t know how to put it. 

standard road rage

9 hours ago, jaltsc said:

Headline from a previous article.

"Thailand is World’s Deadliest Country for Motorcyclists"

 

Gee, I wonder how that can be, with all those new safety statutes being enforced?

 

If they want to race, they should do it someplace where they only put their own lives in danger. Of course, it doesn't help when drivers of other vehicles don't know how to safely make U-turns  or right hand turns. Walking doesn't increase the chance of being safe either, when one can fall into an open drainage hole, trip on  uneven "sidewalks", have part of buildings fall on you, etc. 

 

Agoraphobia is starting to look really good. 

 

 

Gee, I wonder how that can be, with all those new safety statutes being enforced?

 

i think you mean introduced, the problem is very little enforcement happens. you'd like to think someone would learn something from these continuing tragedies and actually do something other than make noise...

Am I the only one struggling to feel sympathetic for the racing kids?

40 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Am I the only one struggling to feel sympathetic for the racing kids?

You are correct but I am not blind to the probable " I  am bigger you will stop" scenario either. 

12 hours ago, Get Real said:

Let´s just say that 97 percent of the population doesn´t know how to drive. Then you are coming much closer to the real and ugly truth that is svept under the rug of statistics every year.

It`s not that. The unwritten rules of driving in Thailand is that the bigger vehicles have right of way and it`s the duty of drivers of smaller vehicles to give way and avoid them.

 

 

17 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

It`s not that. The unwritten rules of driving in Thailand is that the bigger vehicles have right of way and it`s the duty of drivers of smaller vehicles to give way and avoid them.

 

 

That's an urban myth. I've found there's no real pattern to who thinks they have right of way, most people give way to everyone they can and some people think they have right of way over everyone.

Road users (and some animals) generally have safety margins to allow for other vehicles travelling at regular speeds. They don't expect people to be travelling at a much higher speed than usual so they don't allow for this. You are taking your life in your and someone else's hands if you race in such an environment. 

not to see one  maybe,but not 20 on a road and  you can  see or hear them.i can imagine how upset they are

1 hour ago, cyberfarang said:

It`s not that. The unwritten rules of driving in Thailand is that the bigger vehicles have right of way and it`s the duty of drivers of smaller vehicles to give way and avoid them.

 

 

Unwritten rules? Don´t come with that crap. Unwritten rules are no rules, and therefore they don´t exist.
Also what you just based your comment on is all included in the saying not know how to drive.
If you don´t get that, I just only can feel sorry.

Its not how many there were it may have been their speed, I'm not defending the driver. I have been a motorcyclist for over 40 years, 30 years on road, 17 years as a profession. All I am saying is other road users make mistakes and I allow for this. If you are racing you are not leaving any allowance for their miscalculations in judgement.

 

I raced motocross for several years and quite confident in my own abilities, but not someone else's. I rarely ride in Thailand let alone race.

Cultural differences extend to the road too. Being in the "right" wont save your skin.

1 hour ago, cyberfarang said:

It`s not that. The unwritten rules of driving in Thailand is that the bigger vehicles have right of way and it`s the duty of drivers of smaller vehicles to give way and avoid them.

have heard that often; in practice, it is different ; thais practice the 'me first,me only' driving mentality; there is no real right of way; here in the country where i live it really stands out

Bike racing occurs at night when all Thai police are cowering under the covers lest they meet any bad people.  I see & try to avoid at least 30 racers EVERY Wednesday near Nong Nooch at turned midnight.  A camera would collar most tho' many have no lights.

16 hours ago, kannot said:

Thats  wall to wall carpeting not a rug

This is a rug...No walls here. Truth is ALWAYS, swept under the rug...

23 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

I get the impression that there are a lot of pickup drivers out there who just haven,t a clue how to drive, scary !

You've only just realised? 

On ‎23‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 6:22 PM, phantomfiddler said:

I get the impression that there are a lot of pickup drivers out there who just haven,t a clue how to drive, scary !

From my understanding many Thais have never sat a driving test, just look at the age of some riders. Police don't care much coz there's no money in it. Then they progress to driving cars.

We have a saying about Volvos (i.e. crash-proof cars) in Australia - "They are not the victim of road accidents, but they see a lot of them". Its for a reason.