Comments on: Thailand’s Deadliest Killer: Vehicle & Motorcycle Accidents and Fatalities

By: baz

baz — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:46:39 +0000

Why on earth were you speeding at 100kph on a dark road with no helmet or hand protection? I hate to say i told you so but that was very very stupid and entirely predictable. I have been riding for 30 years and i NEVER EVER ride without my QUALITY full-face helmet and riding gloves, the kind that protect your hands and wrists because when a person falls, they ALWAYS stick their hands out front to protect their face and body and those without gloves either tear apart their hands or break bones or both – and those without a full face helmet usually smash up their face.
But the speeding is the worst offense. I don’t see a lot of it in Chiang Mai and surrounding area but it is usually stupid Farangs who have rented a powerful Japanese bike so they can show off to girlfriends and in photos and videos, to friends back home. These fools usually have little riding experience because if they did, they’d be smart enough to realize they are in very unfamiliar conditions and don’t know local rules and customs.
I’m staying in Thailand for the longer term and i have bought a Kawasaki BJ250 Enduro. It’s a retro style on/off road bike (more on than off road). The Big K designed it to look like their 1970′s bike, the F175. But mine is a 2006 with just 8,000kms on the clock and runs beautiful. It even has fuel injection disguised as a carb to look more authentic! Don’t you just love Japanese designers? When they do something, they go all the way but also build in serious reliability for robust everyday use.
Back in Canada i have a 2002 Suzuki GSXR750 with a 1000cc engine stuffed into it but the big freeways and open roads in that country allow one to have such a powerful machine. In Thailand, a 250 enduro is all you need – unless of course you are some foolish tourist who wants to show off and thinks motorcycles are toys. Many of these people have gone home in a box. So THINK before you ride because there are two kinds of riders – those who have been in an accident and those who will BE in an accident. The goal is to be vigilant and serious about your riding safety and be prepared to minimize the damage. Know how to fall, how to let go of the bike in a fall, how to perform emergency avoidance skids. Most of all, go to a riding school and learn how to protect yourself.

By: CT

CT — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:56:51 +0000

I am very lucky to have survived and not be paralyzed from a terrible motorcycle crash I had in Thailand. I was speeding without a helmet about 100 kph late one night on a dark road and I braked too hard and swerved to avoid a stray dog that appeared suddenly in front of my bike. I broke my leg and arm/wrist horribly, as well as took a very hard hit to the head and lost my front teeth. I’m glad the Thai docs were able to save my life, but I had to return to US to get the medical care to properly fix my shattered wrist. I have a new outlook on life now and I will never speed on a motorcycle – in Thailand or anywhere else – again. Thailand is a beautiful country and it’s easy to have too much of a good time there only to wake up in a second rate hospital barely alive. Scary stuff. Slow down, please. And wear the helmet. Don’t be like the idiot I was the night I wrecked. Thank God I am still alive.

By: Jalonen

Jalonen — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:33:16 +0000

Vehicles and motorcycles are convenient but they are also very dangerous. If people realize and respect this, there will be less accidents.

By: Theerawood

Theerawood — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 07:19:26 +0000

It was well known that doctors could not save life from motorcycle head injury and helmet minimize head injury. But most people still neglect this.
80% of road accident dead in thatland still among no helmet rider. Motorcylcle makers always guilt for the 10000 Thai young men dead every year helplessly.

By: How to Survive Thailand Roads & Traffic: Thai Motorcycle and Car driving safety

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:24:23 +0000

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