.
Last night at the U-turn on Phetskasem Road at Soi 94 two young lives were losts. A 16 year old boy
and her 15 year old girlfriend lost their lives on a hit-and-run accident. The perpertartor fled the
scene - naturally - never stopping to help or face the consequence. Luckily he left behind his lisence
plate that fell off the car. It is anybodys guess what's going to happen to him.
Toss of a coin.
.
Another hit-and-run accident
Any unnecessary loss of life is sad indeed.
But you cannot put the blame squarely on the police; the level of vehicle maintenance leaves a lot to be desired, as I have almost run down some motorcyclist who was riding without lights on the wrong side and almost in the middle of a major provincial (but unlighted) road. Idiots with full headlights coming the other way do not help night vision either, and I will only drive as fast (at night) as what the headlights allow me. I don't like bugs on the glass.
Young kids on borrowed motorcycles also don't help the issue. Couple this with most people's general disdain of the law (read: right-of-way) and no concepts of their surroundings (think of a moped going thirty kph trying to overtake the trucks doing twenty-eight in the right lane of a 110 kph dual carriageway) and you'll understand.
I remember new year's eve a couple of years ago; a couple of young racers whizzed by, no silencers, etc. On one run, the sound ended abruptly. Unfortunately, so did one life.
It's no joy for the police either, they've got to pick up the carnage.
But you cannot put the blame squarely on the police; the level of vehicle maintenance leaves a lot to be desired, as I have almost run down some motorcyclist who was riding without lights on the wrong side and almost in the middle of a major provincial (but unlighted) road. Idiots with full headlights coming the other way do not help night vision either, and I will only drive as fast (at night) as what the headlights allow me. I don't like bugs on the glass.
Young kids on borrowed motorcycles also don't help the issue. Couple this with most people's general disdain of the law (read: right-of-way) and no concepts of their surroundings (think of a moped going thirty kph trying to overtake the trucks doing twenty-eight in the right lane of a 110 kph dual carriageway) and you'll understand.
I remember new year's eve a couple of years ago; a couple of young racers whizzed by, no silencers, etc. On one run, the sound ended abruptly. Unfortunately, so did one life.
It's no joy for the police either, they've got to pick up the carnage.
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SHADOW
- Specialist
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Biking in the Los
Sad but a fact of life people on motor cycles die every hour of every day. The problems start with people thinking that driving is a right and not that it is a luxury. Wizzing round the streets wearing a plastic bowl on your head, flip flops, Tshirt and shorts is not a good way to start, gravel rash is not only very painful it's the least you can expect. I'm amazed every day that people have 50,000 Baht for a bike and 20 baht for a lid. Driving at night only makes things worse peoples depth perception changes at night one of the draw backs of colour vision. Being pissed also makes it a little tougher to stay upright. Two accidents spring to mind the first, guy driving past the Kings Palace pissed, at night clear road, well lite, as most of you know the police sign with it's flashing light on top in the left hand lane as if drawn by some kind of magical force this guy drove straight into it at about 50 kmh. One new sign one new light and one broken arm later he was lucky to have lived. The second guy driving home on the highway no lights hits a pot hole falls off he goes left into the ditch the bike goes right into the middle of the road. Man gets up no injures being a little worst for wear he staggers into the road to retrive his bike only to be hit by a 25 ton truck. He sadly he was not so lucky. The number one thing to remeber when riding is that the only real protection you have is you, don't ride beyond your abilaty and have eyes in the back of your head. My old man used to say bikes are not dangerous people in cars are the problem they have no idea what it is like to drive with only two wheels. More people die doing U turns than anywhere else fact.
It might be Jap crap but it's fing good crap
It might be Jap crap but it's fing good crap
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dr dave soul monsta
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Ok every body seems to be forgetting this is Thailand!!! and no its not an excuse
un like the Uk and many other countries Thailand does not have compulsory basic training for motorcycles or cars before you can even drive on the open road, Nor specific standards for protective headwear, and basic vehicle maintenance
A plastic bowl will suffice or in some cases nothing at all, the plastic bowl for around 120 Thb will avoid only the 200 Thb fine for not wearing a crash helmet and not give any protection .This purely down to lack of education by the Thai government and road agencies, the driving standards fit the level of driver education which basically is none existent here, and this includes the drivers of cars, trucks and motorcycles. but you have to think about a helmet which would offer some reasonable amount of protection would cost in the region of 1000 Thb this to us is a pittance but to a average Thai this is a large amount of cash to out lay for something that would more than likely sit in the basket on the front of the bike
Car drivers in Thailand have to under go little training to obtain a driving license if any, usually none
This is quite obvious from the fashion many drivers exit of side roads onto main roads without stopping or looking for other road users, and of course the fantastic u turn system in Thailand where you can exit from and u turn into what would in any other country be the fast lane of a highway???
Every body who has ridden a motorcycle from a young age knows the exhilaration of twisting back the grip until it won’t go any further and the felling of speed and totally forgetting the dangers that surround you on the open road, But how can you know about these dangers if you haven’t been educated about these, unless you unfortunately have a accident, which here seem to be over 70% fatal so there would be little or no chance of learning from your mistakes
Also the comment that the police are not to blame, in a way they aren’t they have the same road sense and training as every body else how can they know any better
But I agree there should be more patrols during the hours of darkness rather than frequenting the local karaoke bars and breaching the laws they stand for by indulging in the pleasures of alcohol whilst they should be doing the job they are paid to do
At the end of the day .Any loss of life due to road fatality is unnecessary and deeply saddening but will continue to occur until road awareness is brought to the people using the roads
This goes for Thais and farrangs, yes you know who you are WEAR A GOOD HELMET AND BE OBSERVANT YOUR ONLY HERE ONCE
un like the Uk and many other countries Thailand does not have compulsory basic training for motorcycles or cars before you can even drive on the open road, Nor specific standards for protective headwear, and basic vehicle maintenance
A plastic bowl will suffice or in some cases nothing at all, the plastic bowl for around 120 Thb will avoid only the 200 Thb fine for not wearing a crash helmet and not give any protection .This purely down to lack of education by the Thai government and road agencies, the driving standards fit the level of driver education which basically is none existent here, and this includes the drivers of cars, trucks and motorcycles. but you have to think about a helmet which would offer some reasonable amount of protection would cost in the region of 1000 Thb this to us is a pittance but to a average Thai this is a large amount of cash to out lay for something that would more than likely sit in the basket on the front of the bike
Car drivers in Thailand have to under go little training to obtain a driving license if any, usually none
This is quite obvious from the fashion many drivers exit of side roads onto main roads without stopping or looking for other road users, and of course the fantastic u turn system in Thailand where you can exit from and u turn into what would in any other country be the fast lane of a highway???
Every body who has ridden a motorcycle from a young age knows the exhilaration of twisting back the grip until it won’t go any further and the felling of speed and totally forgetting the dangers that surround you on the open road, But how can you know about these dangers if you haven’t been educated about these, unless you unfortunately have a accident, which here seem to be over 70% fatal so there would be little or no chance of learning from your mistakes
Also the comment that the police are not to blame, in a way they aren’t they have the same road sense and training as every body else how can they know any better
But I agree there should be more patrols during the hours of darkness rather than frequenting the local karaoke bars and breaching the laws they stand for by indulging in the pleasures of alcohol whilst they should be doing the job they are paid to do
At the end of the day .Any loss of life due to road fatality is unnecessary and deeply saddening but will continue to occur until road awareness is brought to the people using the roads
This goes for Thais and farrangs, yes you know who you are WEAR A GOOD HELMET AND BE OBSERVANT YOUR ONLY HERE ONCE
Last edited by dr dave soul monsta on Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"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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Please note i dont drive like the avatar image on the open road .
the photo was taken on a race track just outside dover ,whist holding a full ACU race license and wearing full protection cornering around 90 mph
on a fully tuned 225 cc lambretta scooter
Just a point for vincent d the maximum speed limit in Thailnd is 90kmh
on any highway if you have been driving above this you are as bad as
the uneducated .the speed limits on the express ways are diferent to the highway!!
the photo was taken on a race track just outside dover ,whist holding a full ACU race license and wearing full protection cornering around 90 mph
on a fully tuned 225 cc lambretta scooter
Just a point for vincent d the maximum speed limit in Thailnd is 90kmh
on any highway if you have been driving above this you are as bad as
the uneducated .the speed limits on the express ways are diferent to the highway!!
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
Wow! I didn't know those things went that fast! My uncle used to have a Lambretta when I was a kid, I used to love sitting in the second seat behind him.
I'm aware of the speed limits; it's 90 kmh on typical two-way traffic roads, but on the divided highways you are now allowed to do 120, up from 110. This was pointed out to me by one of the workshop supervisors, it was an article in the recent Thai newspapers.
Driving on Thai roads, just go with the flow. It's usually lower than the speed limit anyway, due to traffic. If others want to drive at excessive speed on the road shoulder on in the wrong lane, it's up to them. It's easy to spot a Bangkok driver upcountry.
I adopt what I term 'double-defensive' driving; assume every other driver is going to do something wrong, and prepare for it. It's not so much the speed that kills, it's the stupidity. It's something you see a lot of around the new year and Songkran, the usual culprits being pickup trucks with red dealership plates. It pisses me off, but I avoid participation. It pisses my wife off too, that I don't participate. I just tell her to look out the window and enjoy the scenery.
And I also make it a point not to drive if I have anything to drink. In Bangkok, I take a taxi if I'm going out with friends. If upcountry, I just put my feet up (it's usually her mother's place anyway). My wife and the kids will go off with her sister, they have their own transport and so don't bother me.
The last time I was in HH, I stayed at the Grand, so I could walk to the bars and back. I won't use those motosai taxis or a tuk-tuk; besides, my wife needs the exercise.
I'm sure everyone could write a book on this subject - I know I could, with just my pet peeves. But the point of the matter really is in getting from point A to point B with the least amount of hassles and stress, in the safest manner possible. I bought my car based on it's safety features, not it's top speed.
I'm aware of the speed limits; it's 90 kmh on typical two-way traffic roads, but on the divided highways you are now allowed to do 120, up from 110. This was pointed out to me by one of the workshop supervisors, it was an article in the recent Thai newspapers.
Driving on Thai roads, just go with the flow. It's usually lower than the speed limit anyway, due to traffic. If others want to drive at excessive speed on the road shoulder on in the wrong lane, it's up to them. It's easy to spot a Bangkok driver upcountry.
I adopt what I term 'double-defensive' driving; assume every other driver is going to do something wrong, and prepare for it. It's not so much the speed that kills, it's the stupidity. It's something you see a lot of around the new year and Songkran, the usual culprits being pickup trucks with red dealership plates. It pisses me off, but I avoid participation. It pisses my wife off too, that I don't participate. I just tell her to look out the window and enjoy the scenery.
And I also make it a point not to drive if I have anything to drink. In Bangkok, I take a taxi if I'm going out with friends. If upcountry, I just put my feet up (it's usually her mother's place anyway). My wife and the kids will go off with her sister, they have their own transport and so don't bother me.
The last time I was in HH, I stayed at the Grand, so I could walk to the bars and back. I won't use those motosai taxis or a tuk-tuk; besides, my wife needs the exercise.
I'm sure everyone could write a book on this subject - I know I could, with just my pet peeves. But the point of the matter really is in getting from point A to point B with the least amount of hassles and stress, in the safest manner possible. I bought my car based on it's safety features, not it's top speed.
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dr dave soul monsta
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Vincent D dont let the wife read your reply you may suffer the roth of a woman around the back of the head or between the legs 
we actually got stopped on the way to ranong last week,
we got zapped by radar just out side chumphon
i wasnt driving but 147 kmh was the highway sharks words
and comments about 90 kmh being the limit so again the education seems to rear up again the thai police dont know their own highway speed limits
he didnt want to write a ticket instead he recieved the usual 200 thb donation to the whiskey fund
whilst commenting about how good drivers from the uk were ??
we actually got stopped on the way to ranong last week,
we got zapped by radar just out side chumphon
i wasnt driving but 147 kmh was the highway sharks words
and comments about 90 kmh being the limit so again the education seems to rear up again the thai police dont know their own highway speed limits
he didnt want to write a ticket instead he recieved the usual 200 thb donation to the whiskey fund
whilst commenting about how good drivers from the uk were ??
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
Haha... The wife is always complaining that she needs the exercise, but will wait ten minutes AND pay the motorsai seven baht for the 200 meter walk to the end of my soi instead of walking. Go figure. She used to be a good badminton player, just that work and family caught up with both of us over the last few years.
I'm driving up to Khampeng Phet province tomorrow, guess I'll find out. They're usually out in force around the beginning of the month as they figure people have just received their salaries...
Re the donations, yesterday was a classic example...
I had to pick up some castings from a foundry near Samut Sakorn, so I got the driver and another helper to go with me in a pickup truck. The helper guy was driving as the driver had a few errands to run in Chinatown before continuing down the road. As we pass by a police post, we see a MIB (man-in-brown) jump on his motosai. The Thais look at each other and say, 'He's hungry..'
Going down the Petkasem highway, we go through an amber. The MIB jumps out and waves us down. We know what's about to happen, plus... The helper guy (who's driving) says, 'Shit. My licence has expired.' (Now this is not usually a problem, as the current licence has to expire before you can renew it. You go figure). The MIB sticks his head in, 'Licence please.' In the meantime, the driver slips him a hundred and says very clearly, 'Let's not waste any time, OK?' MIB returns said licence, and tells the helper guy to go for a retest to renew it, and we drive off. One Thai asks the other how long the licence has expired. Three years. Okay, no insurance company is going to cover anything in that case. Time for a change in places, guys.
Amazing place, innit?
I'm driving up to Khampeng Phet province tomorrow, guess I'll find out. They're usually out in force around the beginning of the month as they figure people have just received their salaries...
Re the donations, yesterday was a classic example...
I had to pick up some castings from a foundry near Samut Sakorn, so I got the driver and another helper to go with me in a pickup truck. The helper guy was driving as the driver had a few errands to run in Chinatown before continuing down the road. As we pass by a police post, we see a MIB (man-in-brown) jump on his motosai. The Thais look at each other and say, 'He's hungry..'
Going down the Petkasem highway, we go through an amber. The MIB jumps out and waves us down. We know what's about to happen, plus... The helper guy (who's driving) says, 'Shit. My licence has expired.' (Now this is not usually a problem, as the current licence has to expire before you can renew it. You go figure). The MIB sticks his head in, 'Licence please.' In the meantime, the driver slips him a hundred and says very clearly, 'Let's not waste any time, OK?' MIB returns said licence, and tells the helper guy to go for a retest to renew it, and we drive off. One Thai asks the other how long the licence has expired. Three years. Okay, no insurance company is going to cover anything in that case. Time for a change in places, guys.
Amazing place, innit?
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dr dave soul monsta
- Deceased
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Saturday night around 8pm yet another motocycle accident 100 yards from the rockestra ,the man looked very still and seeemed to have hes head in a very strange position
just goes to show it doesnt have to be in the late hours ,light or dark
keep you wits about on two wheels !
just goes to show it doesnt have to be in the late hours ,light or dark
keep you wits about on two wheels !
"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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captsensible
- Banned
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scooters are cool
No! hes not crazy......maybe MAD......heh heh cos he LOVE IT!
But yeh for sure you can drive 90mph if you good and wearing full protection, i love to drive too but im never drive thats fast after i has big accident when i was 15, but i still drive and its always ok as i take it easy, and Scooter always cool to drive, i always put my helmet on even night time, so i can says 80% of scooters people are wearing a helmet most times, and i am sure thats you will believes cos that what we do, and no chance for police man to get 100 or 200 thb fine from us
and we are like to be cool and nice to people cos we got a big scooter club in hua hin and we got to wearing full potection so many people will do the same, PUT THE HELMET ON YER HEAD, ITS GOOD!! 1. POTECT YOUR HEAD 2. GET AWAY FROM POLICE STOP! you do not want to pay for that DONT YOU?
By the way, please do not complain about my English as i am Thai person, if your guys will do so, please show me your Thai first...than! HERE YOU GO
Take it easy
Oe huahin classic scooter girl
But yeh for sure you can drive 90mph if you good and wearing full protection, i love to drive too but im never drive thats fast after i has big accident when i was 15, but i still drive and its always ok as i take it easy, and Scooter always cool to drive, i always put my helmet on even night time, so i can says 80% of scooters people are wearing a helmet most times, and i am sure thats you will believes cos that what we do, and no chance for police man to get 100 or 200 thb fine from us
and we are like to be cool and nice to people cos we got a big scooter club in hua hin and we got to wearing full potection so many people will do the same, PUT THE HELMET ON YER HEAD, ITS GOOD!! 1. POTECT YOUR HEAD 2. GET AWAY FROM POLICE STOP! you do not want to pay for that DONT YOU?By the way, please do not complain about my English as i am Thai person, if your guys will do so, please show me your Thai first...than! HERE YOU GO
Take it easy
Oe huahin classic scooter girl
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Bamboo Grove
- Moderator
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It's great that you're writing in English as well Oe, good job. If you sometimes have free time go and visit another web site (I'm an admin there) www.thaimaa-info.com/forum. We also have thai and english language forums there and some thai people are also writing there.
Cheers for now
Cheers for now
Back in Bamboo Grove
http://bamboogrovestories.blogspot.com/
http://bamboogrovestories.blogspot.com/
