Usefull tips for Staying Alive On The Road In Thailand
Obviously posted for all the right reasons but those photos are X-rated. I feel physically sick which is obviously the intended physiological response.
Maybe a more explicit warning wouldn't go amiss if there is going to be a next time. Please don't post any of children - I thought one in there might be of a kid but didn't want to examine it for too long.
I think the pics will shock us farang into safer driving habits but not so sure about the locals - they seem used to this type of gore. If you have an accident it is simply your karma.
Seen a few others that looked really nasty - no helmets and lots of blood - but nothing like Dave's pics. Everyone I have seen in accidents has at least been conscious. The worst was an old guy on Petchkasem right at the main crossroads running through Cha Am. He was driving one of those mopeds with a flat sidecar & awning attachment for selling pineapples and it was snagged by a passing bus. This time it wasn't the motorcyclists fault. I was driving the car behind and saw the whole thing go up in the air and his body was thrown around like a crash test dummy. I saw his head smacked into the ground like a rag doll and was sure he must be dead. The feeling in the aftermath is quite surreal. I pulled over in front of the accident and looked into my rear view to see if he was still alive as I had just done a first aid refresher course. Amazingly he was moving and I could hear him groaning. My wife just did not want me to get involved but I ran over to him, where a group of Thais had gathered. They had obviously seen it all before as the shopkeepers pulled on surgical gloves. A Thai guy and I carefully pulled the mangled bike & awning off him when I noticed that one of his legs was virtually severed at the shin. The whole depth of skin right down to the muscle had peeled of one of his feet just like orange peel. Very little blood this time though, which surprised me. Then to my amazement the locals tried to move him into the pavement by taking an arm and a leg each. The old fella was screaming! I got them to leave him there and just tried to comfort him as best I could. He was complaining of a headache but did have a helmet on. It was only one of those plastic, styrofoam lined things like an old skateboard helmet from the 70's, if anyone remembers them, but it must have saved his life. Everyone just stood around looking dopey and going 'uurrr'. I noticed that a local copper had turned up - positioning his bike and himself safely on the down-traffic side of the accident instead of setting up his bike in front of the accident to warn oncoming traffic - prick! When I tried to speak to him about what had happened (in Thai) he just ignored me! I felt really bad leaving the old guy but I realised there was nothing I could do so I left the scene. The bus that had hit the guy had stopped, to the driver's credit, and it was parked in front of my car. As I approached my car I saw all the passengers crammed against the back window of the bus, grinning and laughing. As I got closer they gave me a round of applause and loads of 'thumbs up!' I didn't know whether to be angry with them or appreciative. I drove off but after about 5 minutes I had to stop as I was in a right state. Christ knows how I would have been if the accident had been like Dave's pictures. I think I would be in the looney bin. I felt a bit better when I saw the ambulance heading in the direction of the accident.
Well that was very cathartic as seeing Dave's pics made me think back to that poor old bugger.
Maybe a more explicit warning wouldn't go amiss if there is going to be a next time. Please don't post any of children - I thought one in there might be of a kid but didn't want to examine it for too long.
I think the pics will shock us farang into safer driving habits but not so sure about the locals - they seem used to this type of gore. If you have an accident it is simply your karma.
Not so sure about this in Thailand where pavements are used, traffic signals, lane and even direction protocols etc. are routinely ignored. I hit a motorcyclist side on whilst I was driving a pick up truck in November. He was waiting to pull out from a side street right on a particularly sharp bend. As I slowed down to take the bend he pulled out right in front of me. Luckily I was driving slowly and had also spotted him early and my car skidded to a halt just as it hit his bike. He was shunted over a couple of feet but was OK. I don't think he was wearing a helmet. He said he had pulled out in front of me because he assumed I was turning left (into the soi he pulled out of) because I was driving slower than all the other cars!Dr Dave wrote:it is so easy to end up like this usualy not the mo cyclists fault
Seen a few others that looked really nasty - no helmets and lots of blood - but nothing like Dave's pics. Everyone I have seen in accidents has at least been conscious. The worst was an old guy on Petchkasem right at the main crossroads running through Cha Am. He was driving one of those mopeds with a flat sidecar & awning attachment for selling pineapples and it was snagged by a passing bus. This time it wasn't the motorcyclists fault. I was driving the car behind and saw the whole thing go up in the air and his body was thrown around like a crash test dummy. I saw his head smacked into the ground like a rag doll and was sure he must be dead. The feeling in the aftermath is quite surreal. I pulled over in front of the accident and looked into my rear view to see if he was still alive as I had just done a first aid refresher course. Amazingly he was moving and I could hear him groaning. My wife just did not want me to get involved but I ran over to him, where a group of Thais had gathered. They had obviously seen it all before as the shopkeepers pulled on surgical gloves. A Thai guy and I carefully pulled the mangled bike & awning off him when I noticed that one of his legs was virtually severed at the shin. The whole depth of skin right down to the muscle had peeled of one of his feet just like orange peel. Very little blood this time though, which surprised me. Then to my amazement the locals tried to move him into the pavement by taking an arm and a leg each. The old fella was screaming! I got them to leave him there and just tried to comfort him as best I could. He was complaining of a headache but did have a helmet on. It was only one of those plastic, styrofoam lined things like an old skateboard helmet from the 70's, if anyone remembers them, but it must have saved his life. Everyone just stood around looking dopey and going 'uurrr'. I noticed that a local copper had turned up - positioning his bike and himself safely on the down-traffic side of the accident instead of setting up his bike in front of the accident to warn oncoming traffic - prick! When I tried to speak to him about what had happened (in Thai) he just ignored me! I felt really bad leaving the old guy but I realised there was nothing I could do so I left the scene. The bus that had hit the guy had stopped, to the driver's credit, and it was parked in front of my car. As I approached my car I saw all the passengers crammed against the back window of the bus, grinning and laughing. As I got closer they gave me a round of applause and loads of 'thumbs up!' I didn't know whether to be angry with them or appreciative. I drove off but after about 5 minutes I had to stop as I was in a right state. Christ knows how I would have been if the accident had been like Dave's pictures. I think I would be in the looney bin. I felt a bit better when I saw the ambulance heading in the direction of the accident.
Well that was very cathartic as seeing Dave's pics made me think back to that poor old bugger.
Absolutely agree with Ricardo's post - when I explained what I had seen last night my wife just said - don't worry we have to wear helmets in our village because of the police. I just showed my wife the photos and she wasn't shocked at all. She had seen it all for real and it seemed run of the mill to her.
We never get on bikes in HH but we do up-country. Usually our kids are off to the market with the grandparents (no helmets) before I have even got up. Is it even possible to buy proper childrens' motorcycle helmets? Obviously the best policy is to keep them off the bikes full stop.
We never get on bikes in HH but we do up-country. Usually our kids are off to the market with the grandparents (no helmets) before I have even got up. Is it even possible to buy proper childrens' motorcycle helmets? Obviously the best policy is to keep them off the bikes full stop.
Let me add my reinforcement to the original theme of this thread. What you folks see in HH you can multiply by 3 or more over on this side and I am sure in Phuket as well. We have local news channels on cable that report nothing but Pattaya news and events. They do not hesitate to film the carnage on the highways. Two personal experiences over the past year.
1) Tourist in his 20's rents a 750 cc bike, goes over a blind rise by the entrance of the Royal Cliff Hotel, hits a large size truck turning right, broadside. I was 2 cars behind as he passed me seconds before it happened. Head/shoulders/chest hit the bottom frame of the truck. Motorcycle and body then went under it, shredding all as it/him made it's way through the drive shaft and other undercarriage truck apparatus. What came out was a body with a head attached by strings. They left the 1x1 meter blood stain on the pavement for weeks until it was washed away naturally by the elements. I found out this was done on purpose as a deterent. Good idea as that stain was sure a talking point for everyone who passed that way afterwards.
2) Lovely,sexy,educated girl who never saw a bar in her life. Early 20's and working as a receptionist at a serviced apartment complex here. Marriage material for sure and I believe her first job out of university. Fell for an Italian guest in his 20's. Went out one night to the disco, both drank and then headed home at about 0200 hours on his rented 750cc (again!). No traffic at that hour and he let it rip. He ripped head on into a concrete telephone pole on 3rd road. He remains in a vegative(sp) state at a hospital in Milan or Genoa and his family must make the decision to "unplug" him or not. The girl, all ribs on the left side broken, pelvis broken, left cheek and jaw broken. Update: skin grafts to the entire left side of her body, ankle to armpit, 3 face reconstruction operations to date. Her close friends go to see her often and some days she knows who they are and some days she does not....6 months later. Probably will never regain total mental capability. She was lucky (I guess), as pylon rider the body of the man cushioned her from direct pole impact, she slid for about 30 yards down the concrete road.
This ain't no joke. If you're a tourist, rent a "reasonable" bike, not a 750cc monster thinking you're in never-never land and can fly. You just may...all the way to the ever after. If you're an expat, you should already know what to do. Pete
PS: I forgot something therefore the edit: If you choose to ignore the advice given in this thread, please be sure to kill yourself outright, therefore not becomming a burden on the family and friends who will need to care for you.
1) Tourist in his 20's rents a 750 cc bike, goes over a blind rise by the entrance of the Royal Cliff Hotel, hits a large size truck turning right, broadside. I was 2 cars behind as he passed me seconds before it happened. Head/shoulders/chest hit the bottom frame of the truck. Motorcycle and body then went under it, shredding all as it/him made it's way through the drive shaft and other undercarriage truck apparatus. What came out was a body with a head attached by strings. They left the 1x1 meter blood stain on the pavement for weeks until it was washed away naturally by the elements. I found out this was done on purpose as a deterent. Good idea as that stain was sure a talking point for everyone who passed that way afterwards.
2) Lovely,sexy,educated girl who never saw a bar in her life. Early 20's and working as a receptionist at a serviced apartment complex here. Marriage material for sure and I believe her first job out of university. Fell for an Italian guest in his 20's. Went out one night to the disco, both drank and then headed home at about 0200 hours on his rented 750cc (again!). No traffic at that hour and he let it rip. He ripped head on into a concrete telephone pole on 3rd road. He remains in a vegative(sp) state at a hospital in Milan or Genoa and his family must make the decision to "unplug" him or not. The girl, all ribs on the left side broken, pelvis broken, left cheek and jaw broken. Update: skin grafts to the entire left side of her body, ankle to armpit, 3 face reconstruction operations to date. Her close friends go to see her often and some days she knows who they are and some days she does not....6 months later. Probably will never regain total mental capability. She was lucky (I guess), as pylon rider the body of the man cushioned her from direct pole impact, she slid for about 30 yards down the concrete road.
This ain't no joke. If you're a tourist, rent a "reasonable" bike, not a 750cc monster thinking you're in never-never land and can fly. You just may...all the way to the ever after. If you're an expat, you should already know what to do. Pete
PS: I forgot something therefore the edit: If you choose to ignore the advice given in this thread, please be sure to kill yourself outright, therefore not becomming a burden on the family and friends who will need to care for you.
Last edited by PeteC on Wed Jan 18, 2006 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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dr dave soul monsta
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bj.blackowitz
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please do, and make sure you have well preserved organs, the brain will remain unused, but the rest can serve a better purpose ...prcscct wrote:PS: I forgot something therefore the edit: If you choose to ignore the advice given in this thread, please be sure to kill yourself outright, therefore not becomming a burden on the family and friends who will need to care for you.
Know what a Doctor calls a Mid 20 guy with a motorcycle: Living Donor Tissue
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ajarnfrank
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I'm a very serious motorcyclist (not a Harley 'biker'), so when I came to Thailand, I wasn't going to walk, ride the bus all the time, etc. I also was NOT going to settle for a step-through motor scooter like the ones that introduced Honda to the USA in the 1960's. Kids would say, "But Mom, it's not a motorcycle; it's a Honda." They were right.
99% of the bikes you see in Thailand are 1960's or 1980's technology step-through, underpowered, poorly geared, pieces of junk. Drum brakes, 8 horsepower if they're even a year old, no controls. I rented one in Chiang Mai from a place I trusted and they gave me a Honda Dream 125 - look ma, no brakes! They replaced it with a Yamaha 125 that was much more responsive.
It doesn't help that you've got the deck stacked against you in the first place, riding in Thailand. But when you step into the typical Wave or Dream, you've just lost control.
For the record, I ride a 2003 Thai-assembled Honda CBR150R which now has 34,600 km. And even that didn't keep me from hitting a dog and ruining my shoulder in July 2005. I hit the ground wearing an Italian Nolan full face helmet that usually costs US$195, that I bought new for 1,500 baht in Chiang Mai.
Riding across the street without a helmet is suicidal.
99% of the bikes you see in Thailand are 1960's or 1980's technology step-through, underpowered, poorly geared, pieces of junk. Drum brakes, 8 horsepower if they're even a year old, no controls. I rented one in Chiang Mai from a place I trusted and they gave me a Honda Dream 125 - look ma, no brakes! They replaced it with a Yamaha 125 that was much more responsive.
It doesn't help that you've got the deck stacked against you in the first place, riding in Thailand. But when you step into the typical Wave or Dream, you've just lost control.
For the record, I ride a 2003 Thai-assembled Honda CBR150R which now has 34,600 km. And even that didn't keep me from hitting a dog and ruining my shoulder in July 2005. I hit the ground wearing an Italian Nolan full face helmet that usually costs US$195, that I bought new for 1,500 baht in Chiang Mai.
Riding across the street without a helmet is suicidal.
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dr dave soul monsta
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ajarnfrank
and
I really hope you are not including the Fine Italian Vespa and Lambretta scooters in the comment above !
and still every day i still see other farrangs steaming about without suitable headgear ,,,,obviously they dont read HHAD and are imune to injury and accident the most amussing (tounge in cheek) thing is i drive past somtawain school almost every day at throwing out time , they have a group of police there controling traffic and they dont pay a blind bit of attention to the fact there are kids leaving the school in front of their very eyes not only without crash helmets but also under age for driving on the highway as well as parents driving off with their off spring 5 a stride not a helmet between them ..
So who is at fault The police for not giving a toss untill near the end of the month when funds for the whiskey are low ,,The school for not implementing some sort of education to the dangers or saftey or control on who is riding to school ilegaly ,or The parents for not using the common sence they should have but dont use ???
I think all have a resposabilty in all cases
and songkran is on the way !!
what happened to the 7T'S sure we all want to forget them, the fact of the matter the honda plastic bucket has sold over 3 fold more of these piles of junk than most other manufacturers have made machines put to gether which is very sad , as you say they are death traps99% of the bikes you see in Thailand are 1960's or 1980's technology step-through, underpowered, poorly geared, pieces of junk. Drum brakes, 8 horsepower
and
I really hope you are not including the Fine Italian Vespa and Lambretta scooters in the comment above !
and still every day i still see other farrangs steaming about without suitable headgear ,,,,obviously they dont read HHAD and are imune to injury and accident the most amussing (tounge in cheek) thing is i drive past somtawain school almost every day at throwing out time , they have a group of police there controling traffic and they dont pay a blind bit of attention to the fact there are kids leaving the school in front of their very eyes not only without crash helmets but also under age for driving on the highway as well as parents driving off with their off spring 5 a stride not a helmet between them ..
So who is at fault The police for not giving a toss untill near the end of the month when funds for the whiskey are low ,,The school for not implementing some sort of education to the dangers or saftey or control on who is riding to school ilegaly ,or The parents for not using the common sence they should have but dont use ???
I think all have a resposabilty in all cases
and songkran is on the way !!
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
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ajarnfrank
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Well, maybe 99% was a bit severe. Maybe only 95% are underpowered junk with 1960's technology. Honda had the first front disk brake on a bike: the 1969 CB750. That's 37 years ago!! Look at the drum front brakes here - designed for nothing more than 50 pounds total loaded vehicle weight. Tires: cheap, narrow, tube type, universal tread - no wonder they sell tires for 200 baht! Controls: four speed transmission that upshifts by downshifting. Automatic clutch, which tempts you to start off in second gear, with four horsepower. There are a few exceptions, like the Honda Sonic and Phantom, the Kawasaki 175 chopper, etc., but they don't have 5% of the market here.
Okay, being more positive about riding safety. Ride defensively; assume everybody's a psycho killer out to kill YOU. Predict what could go wrong. Keep your machine safe and your body sober. Know how to ride well. Watch for dogs, children, potholes, debris. If the street is slippery, go at least 25kph slower. Don't wear headphones; don't think about anything besides staying alive and upright.
The price you pay for a helmet tells what you think your brain and face are worth. What's that you say - you're only worth 200 baht?
Okay, being more positive about riding safety. Ride defensively; assume everybody's a psycho killer out to kill YOU. Predict what could go wrong. Keep your machine safe and your body sober. Know how to ride well. Watch for dogs, children, potholes, debris. If the street is slippery, go at least 25kph slower. Don't wear headphones; don't think about anything besides staying alive and upright.
The price you pay for a helmet tells what you think your brain and face are worth. What's that you say - you're only worth 200 baht?
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dr dave soul monsta
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ajarnfrank
That’s over 40 years ago!
Lambretta also produced the first Shaft drive two wheelers way back in October 1947 way before Bmw had recovered from getting their ass kicked in the air by the spitfire
And just to embarrass the bikers even more Lambretta had in the 50S a scooter that went over 200kmh
A Lambretta scooter over 200 km/h what!!!!
Take a look
http://www.lambretta.it/200kmhing.html
Sorry Aj but the first mass produced two wheeler fitted with a disc brake was in March 62 on the series 3 TV 175 and 200 models of lambretta scooter way before Honda had dragged its socks out of the paddy fieldwell, maybe 99% was a bit severe. Maybe only 95% are underpowered junk with 1960's technology. Honda had the first front disk brake on a bike: the 1969 CB750. That's 37 years ago!!
That’s over 40 years ago!
Lambretta also produced the first Shaft drive two wheelers way back in October 1947 way before Bmw had recovered from getting their ass kicked in the air by the spitfire
And just to embarrass the bikers even more Lambretta had in the 50S a scooter that went over 200kmh
A Lambretta scooter over 200 km/h what!!!!
Take a look
http://www.lambretta.it/200kmhing.html
stopping straying off the thread _This I could not agree more with!!!The price you pay for a helmet tells what you think your brain and face are worth. What's that you say - you're only worth 200 baht?
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
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dr dave soul monsta
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Lmabretta still kick ass over Big cc bikes
Stuart Day ...He also holds the record for the fastest lap time of any two wheeled machine at cadwell parks wooded section on the same scooter .
http://www.scooter-scene.co.uk/racetec/
but no mention of the new Cadwell park all time lap record here
http://www.motorsportvision.co.uk/snett ... NewsID=266
Bit much to take in for our bike engined freinds
Sorry Aj just had to pop that one in
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
Traffic safety
OK I am chicken. I flipped through those photos VERY fast and have no intenton of going back to see them. I drive a scooter. ALWAYS wear my decent helmet and only drive across Petchkasem to get to work ( from one side road with no traffic to speak of to another. I wont drive it into town. (Take the car when I have to go in)
But this thread defines the problem rather precisely and I was thinking that the other day as I had lunch on that corner by the reservoir and saw I dont know how many helmetless babies, small children barely able to stand, either in the motorcycle driver's lap or cradled in the "free" arm. I know it is culturally insensitive to even think this, but what kind of love do they have for these babies to put them at such great risk? I can not help thinking this everytime I see it.
I was thinking they should produce something like the crash-test dummies. .filming what happens to the baby when the motorcycle hits something. ( I have seen these with car crashes. Can you rig a motorcycle up to do this I wonder?) ) But would that change anything even if broadcast during the prime time soaps?
The other problem I see is tourists coming from countries where pedestrians have the right of way. I have been in and out of several big hotels here. I have not seen a big warning sign saying," There IS no right of way for pedestrians here. In fact be very careful even when you are on the sidewalk" I nearly took out a bunch of Swedes just last night. The guy steps out and puts up his hand like a traffic cop as I screech to a halt. . .lucky nothing was behind me.
But this thread defines the problem rather precisely and I was thinking that the other day as I had lunch on that corner by the reservoir and saw I dont know how many helmetless babies, small children barely able to stand, either in the motorcycle driver's lap or cradled in the "free" arm. I know it is culturally insensitive to even think this, but what kind of love do they have for these babies to put them at such great risk? I can not help thinking this everytime I see it.
I was thinking they should produce something like the crash-test dummies. .filming what happens to the baby when the motorcycle hits something. ( I have seen these with car crashes. Can you rig a motorcycle up to do this I wonder?) ) But would that change anything even if broadcast during the prime time soaps?
The other problem I see is tourists coming from countries where pedestrians have the right of way. I have been in and out of several big hotels here. I have not seen a big warning sign saying," There IS no right of way for pedestrians here. In fact be very careful even when you are on the sidewalk" I nearly took out a bunch of Swedes just last night. The guy steps out and puts up his hand like a traffic cop as I screech to a halt. . .lucky nothing was behind me.
