Khun_Kong Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Says Mongatu: Question . . . How dangerous do you think it is it to ride a motor bike in LOS if you are very careful? In Pattaya, I think it is OK, as long as you drive as if you are a player in some kind of wild, live-action video game, where you are not penalized points, only real body parts and there is no "Save Game, Restart" button. Anything and everything can and will come at you from any direction - cars, trucks, other motorbikes, people, dogs, chickens. Especially bad in this season, with water and sand added to the already dangerous mix on the roads. NEVER drink and drive! Always assume that you are totally invisible, yet entirely defenseless. Expect the unexpected and be assured that it will happen anyway. I believe that the odds of death are higher if you follow all the traffic laws! Wear your helmet and keep your headlights on in the daytime. Every Thai points to your lights - stupid farang - but you know that at least they are noticing you Happy motoring! BTW, I just put 3K km on a bike in 3 months in Pty and it was a blast! My biggest fear was that the Thai way of driving would become so ingrained that when I returned home, I'd wreck on the way home from the airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 [color:"blue"] if you are very careful?[/color] About the same as jumping out of plane with no parachute and depending on the guy behind you to bring yours. As most will point out, it's not your driving that will get you in trouble, it's everyone elses. Now at home I'm known as a pretty good driver, logging 10K a month in places so remote that a trivial winter accident may cost you your life. I've driven just about everything just about everywhere, but LOS still makes me very wary. I've know lots of bike guys, the good ones really love it here. Backroads, offroad, no road. One guy made it from Bkk to CM in 4 1/2 hours. So if you are comfortable on a bike, go for it, you'll have a blast. If not, stick to back sois and tourist spots, don't get impaired by anything in your system, drive like it's a mine field and you should be fine. You may even end up enjoying it. Just never relax too much. As Thalenoi points out, the next accident is only just in front of you, so be able to avoid it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharcyde Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Says LaoHuLi: One guy made it from Bkk to CM in 4 1/2 hours. what?!, did he take a hellicopter? seriously, I find that hard to believe. Most of the time it will take you up to 2 hrs just to get out of the bkk traffic jams. Let alone go the what 800kms (?) of bare concrete slap that lies between the two? Sorry, but sounds like bs to me pc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharcyde Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 agree with the previous advice. I have driven a bike for severaly years in and around the big mango you can drive here and it will actually be a lot of fun, because there are virtually no road rules, and it can be quite an adrenalin rush snaking your way through rush hour traffic. You should at all times go with the traffic, and not slower, because that would put you at higher risk to get hit by a stray bus or a mobile-telephoning taxi driver. Be insured, sober...yes... Pc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Hi Mongatu Question . . . How dangerous do you think it is it to ride a motor bike in LOS if you are very careful Let me put it like this: driving a motor bike in Thailand may very well be the most dangerous activity a casual tourist may face. Driving carefully sure helps, but often there are 2 parties involved in accidents and one of those may very well be the cautious driver. Just for the record, I have also been driving a motor bike in Thailand for more than 2 years and only had one accident which was my own fault. But sure did experience a couple of situations out there where it was pretty damned close to total catastrophy. cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straycat Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Says pattaya127: I am sorry, but here, the words cluelessly stupid come to mind. I can understand being 14 and mindless, but at 20, i was in college, and my idea of fun was not, and for a long time back, to speed like a bat out of hell on trafficked roads. grow up, idiots! I concur. Unfortunately, it's not only the kids on the bikes that are part of the problem. Also, the car drivers are for the most part extremely immature & inconsiderate. They go way too fast and give no safety marginals to others: Throw in an 'expected unexpected' (like someone braking hard in front of you, a dog running across the street, a motorbike cut in front of a turning car) and BOOM. Game over or, at best, damaged property. Overall the problem is a lack of basic safety awareness. Just look at the absolutely overloaded trucks, pick-ups and songtaews. I can guarantee you that no engineer ever calculated with 100 sacks of rice or 25 people sitting in the back of these vehicles (that by the way are built with yesterdays technology). Travel across the country (or even the City) and I guarantee you will see several trucks and pickups up-side down along the road for no apparant reason. And for motorcycle safety.... A 200-600 baht piece of plastic on your head isn't going to do you any good when you fly off your bike. Just a few days ago I saw a motorcycle courier crash into a songtaew. No high-speed, motorcycle intact & hardly any damage on his torso, arms and legs. His helmet though broke in two. Instant death. With a real helmet on his head -- no way he could die from that crash and a family wouldn't be sorrow at this moment. I repeat. It's a mobile slaughterhouse out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 CM to Bkk is under 700km With a bike that tops out over 300 kph I don't argue it. But I only go with him down back sois at 120. Went for a little country ride and at 200 kph I decided that the fun was long gone. Never under estimate the madness of speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted September 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 But very common in LOS. Have know many a young men (and a couple of girls) who ended their lives this way. CM used to record 50 a day in MVAs alone. Mom, Dad and the 3 kids on a Honda Dream, as fast as they can....into the side of a garbage truck backing out onto the street. Yes very sad. Very common i know ..but just crazy what you see and hear about. The case you mention would be front page news here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Hi Pharcyde, Cannot see that happening either. I have been on 2 bus rides to CM and that took in excess of 11 hours at NIGHT when the traffic is limited. To be able to make this distance in 4,5 hours would require driving with something like 200 KM/H at night??? During day time there is simply too much traffic to travel at this speed. And he lived to tell the story? Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Cannot see that happening either. I have been on 2 bus rides to CM and that took in excess of 11 hours at NIGHT when the traffic is limited. To be able to make this distance in 4,5 hours would require driving with something like 200 KM/H at night??? I don't believe that either. I drive (by car) twice per annum all the way from BKK to Nan province. That's about 780 kms and it takes approx. 10 to 11 hours. It needs a super freeway to go at high speed of approx. 200 km/h. to bridge the distance btw. BKK and CM. Such highways are not existing in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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