I successfully failed to run over a scooter today

[Freddy]

The above is scary stuff. I must get cameras in the truck.
Just for arguments sake.......should the worst happen I.e. Serious injury/death of let's say, under aged and in-insured rider. If you have camera footage showing not your fault and get a lawyer to represent you.......would it help or would you still end up bending over and taking the blame and cost purely by virtue of being a Farang and having a bigger vehicle?
The assumption of Thais may well be that all Farang are filthy rich with millions just waited to be paid out. For many though, we know that isn't the case and what are they meant to do if they simply cannot pay what is being demanded?

[Starman]

Simple.......follow the law. Don't move your car when you have an accident. Call your insurance company and they will come to the scene. You will only be blamed if it is your fault. Speaking from experience.

[davureborn]

In most countries, pedestrians have the right of way; that is not true in Thailand;  motorcycles seem to always have the right of way; TiT.
Also, in most countries the size of the vehicle has nothing to do with who has the right of way; not in Thailand. TiT.

The easy answer is that many motorbike riders are under age, so don't have a license OR insurance. The adults don't necessarily have insurance either. If one of these drives into the back of your truck the police will decide that it is your fault because you have 1st class insurance to cover, plus, obviously, millions in the bank to cover any 'extra costs' involved. I look on them as being more dangerous than a rampaging bull elephant.

What about installing a driving recorder / dash cam in your car, would that help in case of an accident?

Up to  a point. My cheap one (can't read number plates) has a rear view and a front view. No side view.

[urleft]

Wow, when will I learn?  Very close one today.  I was making a right turn into the back gate of the Catholic School about 4 pm, as the car in front of me turned right I started but I caught a flash of red to my right just a scooter going about 40 kph passed me on the right.  They swerved or else they would have been road kill.  And to top it off they looked back at me like they had right of way. 

Duplicate note to Self.  Always check to your right mirror for passing scooters before starting a right turn.  BTW, it seems that all the scooters doing that are being driven by school kids in uniform. 

[pablo]

Wow, when will I learn?  Very close one today.  I was making a right turn into the back gate of the Catholic School about 4 pm, as the car in front of me turned right I started but I caught a flash of red to my right just a scooter going about 40 kph passed me on the right.  They swerved or else they would have been road kill.  And to top it off they looked back at me like they had right of way. 

Duplicate note to Self.  Always check to your right mirror for passing scooters before starting a right turn.  BTW, it seems that all the scooters doing that are being driven by school kids in uniform. 

Once, driving down the single lane dirt road (village) to my GF's house, I collided with a motor-biker who was overtaking me on the right.

I was just poodling along at a crawl, because of all the kids around, and I even turned my signal on prior to starting the turn into our driveway.

Everyone around knew who I was and where I was going (home), and the guy on the motorbike was her uncle...lives next door!  Surely, he knew that I'd be turning in!

Anyway, just as I began the slow right turn into the driveway, he tries overtaking me on the right side?  (He HAD to know that I was turning in) 

Being that we were going so slow, there was no injury or damage, but he did a short slide to a stop after dumping his bike.

He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, as if to say "Why did you run me down?" 

Got him picked up and his bike "righted", two packs of American ciggies and a tall cold beer for him, all was well. 

Unreal?

[davureborn]

If you drive every day, things aren't too bad. Myself I would have expected this guy to overtake me on the right, I hope so anyway.
People that drive once or twice a week will have more problems, when I went back to Switzerland a few weeks ago I decided not to drive at all for the same reasons, 
A car cam only shows the view in front of your car, most problems seem to be caused by motorbikes crossing your path coming at you from the rear on the right, less often from the left and occasionally both at once.
In Switzerland, people will risk their lives in order to insist on their right of way... not sure how that applies to learning again to drive in Thailand.

[urleft]

Todays theme would be "I successfully avoided getting run over by a truck while on my scooter this morning". 

Wow, I was in the left "scooter lane" headed towards the Catholic School when a truck decided to pass cars on the left by using the scooter lane, he missed me by a good 3 inches.  Even the passangers in the bed looked in shock as the driver just missed me.  Luckily I had room on my left to turn away from the truck and my hands we on the brake. 

It was just lucky I was not roadkill.  Plus I had slowed because there was a bicycle in the lane and I was not sure what they were going do as they were slowing. 

[davureborn]

I overtake, about twice a week, the same girl on her motor bike. I recognise her and keep away, she's seems determined to visit an ER as soon as possible. Not comparing you with her of course but I am dreading the day when our brat wants to ride a bike on the roads.
Buy a black jacket, pants and visored helmet, put a bulky holster on your hip (phone) and get a jacket with 'Police' on the back. Works wonders I'm told.

[urleft]

What continues to amaze me is that the majority of Thai Scooter drivers to not seem to realize that in an accident with a car/truck, they are going to lose.  They seem to drive like there are no other vehicles on the road.  Me, I will gladly give way even if they are in the wrong when I'm on a scooter, there used to be a safety saying in USA, "You can be right.  Dead right!"

In addition I was talking to my Brit Bud today and we agreed that in the last 6 years car/truck traffice has probably quadupled making it even more dangerous. 

But even my TW is suspect.  I kept noticing that every time I got on a scooter after her the left mirror was really at an odd angle.  I finally figured out is that she believes that it's a vanity mirror to check her face rather check for traffic.  Also next time you are out, take a look at how many scooters do not have mirrors, a lot of Thais think they make the scooter look bad so they remove them.  So it's just not the old scooters without mirrors, it is new ones also. 

[3legdog]

You're Dead right urleft!

My brother in law to be got himself a Honda Cub a while ago. Classy ride for a rough dude slaving mechanic on tractors I must add. He got the (hello kitty pink) machine kitted out with a stick-it-on lamp-pole exhaust, marie biscuit wheels, anodized bits and tricks and a rear shock that can handle a baby elephant. Yes, of course he removed the mirrors, when I asked him about that modification...He recon it will make the bike go much faster on the straightaway and more stable around corners.

I always thought a red bikes goes faster, even with their mirrors on - guess you are never to daft to learn from a Thai!

[Freddy]

Keith, glad you survived.

Never ceases to amaze me the silly crap that many Thais buy into. Lights off saves fuel and electric and truck/car/bike goes faster. Mirrors off makes bike faster and handle better. Don't get insurance because it means you think your going to have an accident and are more likely to. Don't service car/truck/bike because it means you think it will break down and therefore more likely to.
And yet, 30,000 die on the roads every year with very few Thais connecting the dots. Mind boggling!!

[rufusredtail]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released its Global Road Safety report 2015, and named Libya as the nation with the highest rate of road traffic deaths ? some 73.4 deaths per 100,000 people every year.
The following charts show the countries with the highest and lowest road traffic death rates, according to 2015 WHO estimates. 

Following Libya in second place is Thailand, with a rate of 36.2 ? more than half Libya?s. The top three is completed by Malawi, with a rate of 35 deaths per 100,000.
African nations dominate the list, with the WHO highlighting the gap between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries. Of all road traffic deaths, 90% occur in developing countries, despite them having just 54% of the world?s vehicles.
.

[Starman]

What continues to amaze me is that the majority of Thai Scooter drivers to not seem to realize that in an accident with a car/truck, they are going to lose.  They seem to drive like there are no other vehicles on the road.  Me, I will gladly give way even if they are in the wrong when I'm on a scooter, there used to be a safety saying in USA, "You can be right.  Dead right!"

In addition I was talking to my Brit Bud today and we agreed that in the last 6 years car/truck traffice has probably quadupled making it even more dangerous. 

But even my TW is suspect.  I kept noticing that every time I got on a scooter after her the left mirror was really at an odd angle.  I finally figured out is that she believes that it's a vanity mirror to check her face rather check for traffic.  Also next time you are out, take a look at how many scooters do not have mirrors, a lot of Thais think they make the scooter look bad so they remove them.  So it's just not the old scooters without mirrors, it is new ones also. 

The number of cars, pick ups and trucks registered in 2009 was approx 9,400,000.

That has risen to approx 15,450,000 today.

An increase of about 60%.

[davureborn]

Count the number of students on motor bikes waiting at the lights at a busy intersection and work out how many cars will be bought when these guys get a job. Car possession goes up exponentially up to a certain saturation point. 

[DeputyDavid]

So there I was, driving through Korat.  Stalled cement truck in the left lane, I was in the lane to the right of it, doing about 12KPH with the flow of traffic.  Copper steps out to stop traffic, car in front of me takes no mind, but I slow down only to be hit by the rather large lory carrying several tons of cement block.  Now he had signaled to change lanes and was in the process of doing so when he hit me.  He was nearly in the next lane and I guess he thought he hit something on his right so he turned towards me making matters only worse.  So guess who did the runner........THE COPPER!!!!!  But not before I got a photo of him and his name tag.  Thank goodness for front and rear cameras!  Gave it all to the insurance company to deal with.