What Is Absolutely Crazy About Riding a Motorcycle in Thailand

A Must-Have Guide for Those Who Would Like to Ride a Motorcycle Safely and Avoid Costly, Painful and Potentially Deadly Road Accidents

De: Albert Elisha Oberdorfer

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Thailand is by far the unsafest country when it comes to road safety in South East Asia.
The statistics, according to the WHO, are scary.
The death toll in Thailand due to road accidents per 100 k is on par with countries like Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Kongo, and Venezuela.
Are you planning to holiday in Thailand? And perhaps ride a motorcycle while you are there?
If yes, make sure you familiarize yourself with what are the most common causes of accidents and what kind of dangers you will be facing.
The author (Albert Elisha) has 17 years of experience living in Thailand, driving cars, and riding motorbikes.
In this book, he shares from his personal experience 17 common dangerous traps every motorist must know about before embarking on a driving adventure in Thailand.
Arm yourself with some vital knowledge that will can safeguard you from potentially costly, painful, and deadly accidents.
Written in a casual, easy-to-read style.
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This book is for all who attempt the adventure of riding a motorcycle in Thailand.
Much safety on the road!

THE STATISTICS LOOK SCARY.
In 2016, Thailand ranked second in the list of most dangerous countries in the world when it comes to road safety. 1
Just behind Libya.
Since then, the situation has improved a little.
But not much.
The statistics still look scary.
According to the latest report from the WHO, Thailand ranks 9th in the list of countries with the worst track record in regards to road safety. 2
It is on par with driving in countries in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and some countries in Africa like Mozambique, Madagascar, Kongo, and Venezuela in South America (see map on the left).
Thailand is also by far unsafest country when it comes to road safety in South East Asia.
On average, 32.7 people per 100 k people die as a result of road accidents (see map on the left).
This is 2.5 to 3 times higher than places like India or Myanmar, for example.
In the region, only Vietnam is coming close with a slightly lower death rate by 15 %.
So driving or riding a motorcycle in Thailand is definitely not safe.

MY BROKEN CLAVICLE.
Here’s my own share of driving experience in Thailand.
Having an accident is no fun.
Believe me.
It can be painful.
And can cost a lot of money.
I’ve had my own taste of it in 2017.
On the 15th of January.
I was trying to get to the office on campus to pick up a paycheck before it closed for lunch.
I was trying to overtake a car in a left downhill corner.
I felt that I wasn’t going too fast.
Maybe around 20-30 kilometers an hour.
But the sand on the road didn’t help with the grip.
I still remember when suddenly my perception switched into slow motion.
It was like I was watching myself being in a movie.
Almost as a spectator.
I saw my bike slipping from under me and myself making a head dive unto the road.
My head hit the floor.
Luckily, I was wearing a helmet at that time.
As I always do.
But somehow, the left brake handle broke in the process, and the remains pierced my side.
And also, my clavicle fractured into 3 pieces.
I somehow managed to make it to the side of the road.
By crawling.
But the first thing that I experienced after braking the clavicle was that breathing was tough.
I couldn’t inhale properly anymore.
And it was painful.
To cut the story short, I received surgery at a private hospital on the same day, and was discharged after 4 days in the hospital.
The surgeon told me later that it wasn’t too easy for him to screw the parts of my clavicle to the titanium plate.
Because it had broken into three parts.
The hospital stay cost 150,000 Thai Baht, which is around 5,000 USD.
They did a great job.
Today, if I touch my clavicle, I can feel the six screws and the titanium plate.
A reminder to drive safely and to go slow.

ETC.