News Forum - Phuket focuses on foreigners causing motorbike accidents

[Thaiger]

As Thailand sees the tail end of the dreaded “Seven Days of Danger” where road accidents and death tend to spike over the New Year holiday, officials in Phuket are focusing on the number of accidents involving foreigners on their roads. At this morning’s daily briefing at the Phuket Provincial Hall, officials said that foreigners on holiday renting motorbikes and driving poorly or dangerously is a serious factor in the number of accidents reported on the island. The briefing was delivered by the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation who went over […]

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[Soidog]

Yes, quiet right too. All these foreigners forcing their way in to Thailand using inflatable boats to land on the beaches and then stealing motorbikes and riding them recklessly. It’s an utter disgrace. You’d think the Thai authorities would insist these nuisances had the same standard of driving tests and education about road safety as the impeccable locals. I do hope they will deport them and not let them sneak their way back in to Thailand in future. 

[Ramanathan.P]

If really wanted to solve this issue permanently it is very simple. Just pass a law stating that the operating license of those bike rental shops which rent out bikes to riders who don't have valid riding permits will be cancelled immediately, if their rented out bike is involved in any accident. And the bike will be confiscated. If it is illegal to ride a bike without valid riding permits, it is also illegal to rent out the motorcycle to those who don't have the valid riding permits 

[Wackamole]

49 minutes ago, Ramanathan.P said:

If really wanted to solve this issue permanently it is very simple. Just pass a law stating that the operating license of those bike rental shops which rent out bikes to riders who don't have valid riding permits will be cancelled immediately, if their rented out bike is involved in any accident. And the bike will be confiscated. If it is illegal to ride a bike without valid riding permits, it is also illegal to rent out the motorcycle to those who don't have the valid riding permits 

That's not the way. This would be a huge revenue drop for rental shops and being able to rent so easily is one of the things that make Thailand so enjoyable.

The correct way to deal with road safety is having police actually care about serious infractions, not just sit somewhere, stop farangs and Thais not wearing a helmet while everybody is running the red light on the other side of the road.

[Soidog]

59 minutes ago, Ramanathan.P said:

If really wanted to solve this issue permanently it is very simple. Just pass a law stating that the operating license of those bike rental shops which rent out bikes to riders who don't have valid riding permits will be cancelled immediately, if their rented out bike is involved in any accident. And the bike will be confiscated. If it is illegal to ride a bike without valid riding permits, it is also illegal to rent out the motorcycle to those who don't have the valid riding permits 

It’s sounds easy enough doesn’t it. In advanced societies, when laws are passed the role of the police is to enforce the law. Sadly for the Thai people, the police see new laws as a new way to make money. Corruption sits at the heart of ALL the problems in Thailand. Writing new laws on their own will fix little I’m afraid. 

[Grumpish]

They can't, or won't enforce the existing laws, so how would introducing more regulations for foreigners renting motorbikes help? On the other hand.... could be a nice little earner for the RTP.

[HolyCowCm]

On this I would be curious to know what nationality are the biggest crash dummies. Co side ring it is Phuket and they are complaining for 2022 I will say Middle East- India and now the Russians. 

[socal]

7 hours ago, Soidog said:

Yes, quiet right too. All these foreigners forcing their way in to Thailand using inflatable boats to land on the beaches and then stealing motorbikes and riding them recklessly. It’s an utter disgrace. You’d think the Thai authorities would insist these nuisances had the same standard of driving tests and education about road safety as the impeccable locals. I do hope they will deport them and not let them sneak their way back in to Thailand in future. 

With freedom comes responsibility. I'm glad you're free to rent a motorbike in Thailand without a bunch of garbage red tape. Which won't eliminate accidents anyway. 

Whenever i see some Indian tourist lay over a big bike that he had no business renting , I'm glad to know that the Thia owners will charge him for every scratch. Because he deserves it. 

[socal]

I'll never understand why ppl who dislike the general vibes of Thailand , which is exemplified by the lack of stringent regulations , ever want to come back after they've taken it in once. 

It is the exact vibes that draw me to it. And if it ever changes in a big way , i won't be back again. 

[Marc26]

9 minutes ago, socal said:

I'll never understand why ppl who dislike the general vibes of Thailand , which is exemplified by the lack of stringent regulations , ever want to come back after they've taken it in once. 

It is the exact vibes that draw me to it. And if it ever changes in a big way , i won't be back again. 

My thoughts exactly 

 

So many people whine and moan about things back home and move or spend time in Thailand because it's still a developing country 

 

But then expect that things should work how they do back home 

 

Thailand can be frustrating at times, for sure

But the things that are frustrating also allow so many other aspects to be appealing 

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, socal said:

I'll never understand why ppl who dislike the general vibes of Thailand , which is exemplified by the lack of stringent regulations , ever want to come back after they've taken it in once. 

It is the exact vibes that draw me to it. And if it ever changes in a big way , i won't be back again. 

I agree about the general vibe thing. It’s certainly one of the things that keeps me coming back. The only thing I would say, is that the longer you spend in Thailand and the more involved you become, those same vibes can become tiresome. It’s fine if you visit and stay in a nice hotel, rent a car or scooter. Eat in restaurants and generally don’t watch the holiday money too closely. It becomes a very different place when you start long term renting or even buying property. Going in to business in Thailand also adds another layer of less enjoyable vibes. 
 

I guess it’s like a great many places in the world. If you stay in holiday mode then it’s fine. If you start to make it more a long term home, it can, for some, lose some of its charm. 

[HolyCowCm]

9 hours ago, Marc26 said:

But then expect that things should work how they do back home 

Naw, that is why I love it here. I actually don't want most of everthing to change at all. Say like when they stopped allowing sales of alcohol on trains, this was upsetting. Just saying that was one thing I did not like, but things are changing here even if in a wacky supposedly pro-active way that still will not be pro-active in the end. One change is being able to buy and smokey the green. Love that.. 

[HolyCowCm]

8 hours ago, Soidog said:

I guess it’s like a great many places in the world. If you stay in holiday mode then it’s fine. If you start to make it more a long term home, it can, for some, lose some of its charm. 

For me is an absolute nope after over 30 years and realistically never really ever bored here. I can honestly say I cherish everyday or most everyday I am hereas have a full family with dogs and a house having everything zeroed out and paid for helps. Never loses its charm especially if compared to the USA or EU, and every year I have old time friends visit me from about and we take motorcylce rides for trips into the mountains. I am fullfilled here as have beaches, mountains, drinking holes if I want them with beautiful gals everywhere you look. And the food is what I fully prefer as it keeps me healthy. Language abilities also offer a lot of fun.

Now my next thing is waiting for the kids to get married and have kids themsleves making me a grandpa. Now that is a scarey thought just right here.

[JamesR]

On 1/3/2023 at 6:19 PM, Soidog said:

Yes, quiet right too. All these foreigners forcing their way in to Thailand using inflatable boats to land on the beaches and then stealing motorbikes and riding them recklessly. It’s an utter disgrace. You’d think the Thai authorities would insist these nuisances had the same standard of driving tests and education about road safety as the impeccable locals. I do hope they will deport them and not let them sneak their way back in to Thailand in future. 

There is some truth to what you are saying.

I am continually surprised how poorly motorbikes are ridden in Phuket by farang tourists, they are either wobbling all over the places at low speeds unable to control the bike causing commotion for other road users or zooming around at speed ignoring the rules.

I have nearly squashed a few of them as I drive my car.

I can see they have never ridden a bike in their own country but as many farangs seem to leave their brains at the airport they think it is safe to ride a bike here.

Some even have their children on the bike Thai style with mum, dad and kid, they would never do that at home. 

Wait until the Chineses are back here in force, they go one step further by wobbling all over the place while riding in a group, all talking to each other and looking sideways at the sights while taking pictures as they go along not looking where they are going.

It does make me laugh though when I am at a shopping centre and I see the numbers farangs with elbow and knee dressings, oh and a limp. 

[Marc26]

11 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

Naw, that is why I love it here. I actually don't want most of everthing to change at all. Say like when they stopped allowing sales of alcohol on trains, this was upsetting. Just saying that was one thing I did not like, but things are changing here even if in a wacky supposedly pro-active way that still will not be pro-active in the end. One change is being able to buy and smokey the green. Love that.. 

Off topic

But in NYC, for the commuter trains( longer rides into the suburbs) they actually have small bars on the platform to buy beers to drink on the train!

[Marc26]

11 hours ago, HolyCowCm said:

 

Now my next thing is waiting for the kids to get married and have kids themsleves making me a grandpa. Now that is a scarey thought just right here.

I have never desired to live in Thailand, always been happy in New York and Vancouver

 

But now, with our son at 22yrs old, I am putting things in place to either fully retire in 6 years or so or spend 4-5 months/yr in Thailand when we have grandkids

 

I'd want to be around them as much as we can

 

And yes, it is bizarre for me to be talking about grandkids!

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, JamesR said:

 

It does make me laugh though when I am at a shopping centre and I see the numbers farangs with elbow and knee dressings, oh and a limp. 

I was waiting for someone to say that just as many Thais have accidents

 

And that could, or likely, is true

 

But it is noticeable in tourists spots how many more farangs are walking around with bandages (that's been me 3x!)

[JamesR]

7 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I was waiting for someone to say that just as many Thais have accidents

And that could, or likely, is true

But it is noticeable in tourists spots how many more farangs are walking around with bandages (that's been me 3x!)

It is true just as many Thais have accidents but taking into account farangs make up only a small percent of the population the proportion of farangs with 'dents' in them is larger.

It was me once in my younger days too in the early 1990's when Walking Street in Pattaya was not just for pedestrians, I forgot to use both brakes, I used only the front brake, the bike went into a slide, my left arm was used as a brake against there ground, the skin was off and it was like a third degree burn, it needed two weeks of hospital visits,  that was the last time I was on a bike. 

I  have hidden behind the safety of a car since then, let that get scratched and dented instead of me. 

[Marc26]

25 minutes ago, JamesR said:

It is true just as many Thais have accidents but taking into account farangs make up only a small percent of the population the proportion of farangs with 'dents' in them is larger.

It was me once in my younger days too in the early 1990's when Walking Street in Pattaya was not just for pedestrians, I forgot to use both brakes, I used only the front brake, the bike went into a slide, my left arm was used as a brake against there ground, the skin was off and it was like a third degree burn, it needed two weeks of hospital visits,  that was the last time I was on a bike. 

I  have hidden behind the safety of a car since then, let that get scratched and dented instead of me. 

1st one was a result of me being inexperienced and wiping out on sand on the road

 

#2-3 were me driving like an idiot

#3 especially so............

 

I can't give up the MB, I love it too much but I no longer drive like a jerk!

[MaiPenRai]

Quote

"officials in Phuket are focusing on the number of accidents involving foreigners on their roads. "

The usual discriminatory Thai double standards. Two weights and two measures: one for the Thai, one for the foreigners. No self-criticism about their own driving standards to begin with. Just blame it on the foreigner.

[HolyCowCm]

10 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Off topic

But in NYC, for the commuter trains( longer rides into the suburbs) they actually have small bars on the platform to buy beers to drink on the train!

Sounds good to me as long as there is a bathroom on the platform and on the train to take a whiz. Might even be 2-3 hours early to catch the train! : )

[HolyCowCm]

10 hours ago, Marc26 said:

I have never desired to live in Thailand, always been happy in New York and Vancouver

But now, with our son at 22yrs old, I am putting things in place to either fully retire in 6 years or so or spend 4-5 months/yr in Thailand when we have grandkids

I'd want to be around them as much as we can

And yes, it is bizarre for me to be talking about grandkids!

Just the opposite for me living and staying here, but still want to visit the US fro travel with the kids showing them places, seeing my old friends, and now as we are getting older, funerals. Other than that no USA for me and travel will be other place too.

Yeah, I know! Even to mention the aging (geriatric) term of having grandkids makes both my hands shake more than a nice smooth bottle of scotch ever would the next day. But ok, let's do the full circle of our lives as we cannot stop father time. Or shall I say Grandfather time.

[Marc26]

27 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

Just the opposite for me living and staying here, but still want to visit the US fro travel with the kids showing them places, seeing my old friends, and now as we are getting older, funerals. Other than that no USA for me and travel will be other place too.

Yeah, I know! Even to mention the aging (geriatric) term of having grandkids makes both my hands shake more than a nice smooth bottle of scotch ever would the next day. But ok, let's do the full circle of our lives as we cannot stop father time. Or shall I say Grandfather time.

I will always spend time back home in Boston and also NYC a bit

 

I have a massive family and still all my best friends in Boston 

 

So once retired I envision at least 3 months in Boston every year 

[HolyCowCm]

20 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I will always spend time back home in Boston and also NYC a bit

I have a massive family and still all my best friends in Boston 

So once retired I envision at least 3 months in Boston every year 

In 23 years I have spent a total of 5 months back in the USA and my plans are to only go every other year or every 3 - 4 years for 2-3 weeks tops. My old best friends are in California, but they also need to visit me as well, and some do already, and some need to get to a retiring point to be able to do so.

[JamesR]

1 hour ago, HolyCowCm said:

In 23 years I have spent a total of 5 months back in the USA and my plans are to only go every other year or every 3 - 4 years for 2-3 weeks tops. My old best friends are in California, but they also need to visit me as well, and some do already, and some need to get to a retiring point to be able to do so.

I don't blame you.

I worked in Arlington Texas for three months as I was sent over by a German company to test and deliver our post office software system, it was like another world to me.

Guys had shotguns in their pickup trucks.

I decided to walk to work once and I was stopped by a police car and asked why I was walking, is walking a suspicious pursuit over there?

I was at a restaurant in Dallas and asked the waiter if I could park my car there and have a wander around the area and asked about the best direction to go in, he told me not to walk, I need to drive to my destination as it was not safe, I realised what he meant after seeing various gangs of guys hanging around on street corners looking not too friendly. 

On another contract I worked in New Jersey for a year as I thought it would be different. On one occasion we  came out of a restaurant onto a small street in a very small town called Morris Town and had turned the wrong way down a  very short one way street. A police car was passing and blocked the road, another policeman on a pushbike arrived and was at side of the car, there were three policeman in total. A policeman approached from the back and told us to show him our hands, the guy driving reached for his wallet to get his driving licence and was screamed at to freeze, I though I was in a Hollywood movie.

I was asked if I wanted to extend my contract for another two years, I thought no way and I was on the next plane back to the UK.

Why would I want to live in such a society where individuals have to protect themselves with guns etc.

On one contract I was working in Amsterdam with a group of Americans, they could not believe how we could wander around at any time of the day or night in a capital city without any worries, they said they could not do that back home.

Every country has its good and bad points including Thailand but here it is a bit like the UK where for most parts you can wander around at anytime of the day without fear.

But on the other hand I know many Thais who have been living and working in the UK for decades, they have permanent residency there and who also only go back to their homeland for two or three weeks at a time as they say it is uncomfortable here with the heat and prefer to work and live in the UK as there are more opportunities for them so really it is all about what suits us as individuals. 

It suits me here as I am retired and so can do as I please, but I would not have liked to have worked here due to the heat etc.

So I keep my assets and money in the UK where they are relatively safe and under my control and spend what I need here.