WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT RIDING A MOTORCYCLE IN THAILAND - ALBERT ELISHA OBERDORFER

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
1
ALBERT ELISHA OBERDORFER

2

This book is for all who attempt the
adventure of riding a motorcycle in
Thailand.
Much safety on the road!
3

4

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.
5

6

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.
7

8
My clavicle—all in pieces.

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.
9

10
In one piece again—with some extra titanium and six crews.

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.
11

12
Some friends come to visit me. Time to laugh again!

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.
13

An accident is temporary. Death is permanent. At least in this
part of the visible world.
14

ENCOUNTERING DEATH.
SINCE COMING to Thailand 17 years
ago, I have seen multiple times people die
in front of my eyes.
Motorbike accidents.
I remember the first time; it was not long
after my wife and I had moved to Thailand
in 2013.
In Chiang Mai.
We were walking along a road near the
Warorot market when we heard a bang.
It was right ahead of us, maybe a few
hundred meters.
When we came closer, we saw a woman
on the floor—they had moved her unto the
footpath —with head injuries.
She was bleeding profusely.
So she must not have worn a helmet.
She had collided head-on with a large truck
that had exited from a soi (a small side
road).
I think the truck had reversed back from
the soi.
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16

So, the driver had no way of seeing what
was going on on the main road.
And she must have gone to fast.
And not worn a helmet.
So, when we saw her, we tried to help.
I tried to flag down a taxi or a red minibus
(in Chiang Mai, they have those red
minibusses that can carry up to 10 people).
Because about 5-7 minutes from the place
was a private hospital (called McCormick
hospital) and I thought that if I stop a taxi,
maybe we could get her to the hospital.
I tried for about 10-15 minutes.
But nobody would stop.
Maybe they thought (and probably they
were right) that is the job of the emergency
ambulance.
I was new to Thailand at that time.
In the meantime, my wife, who is a
medical doctor, tried her best to help stop
the bleeding.
But shortly after, the lady started to
hyperventilate (as she could not breathe
properly anymore).
Due to her head injuries.
And shortly after (in about 15 minutes) she
passed away.
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Wearing a helmet can save your life.

Right in front of our eyes.
When the emergency ambulance finally
arrived, she was already dead.
She would have probably survived the
accident, easily, had she worn a helmet.
I sometimes tell my students this story.
When I see them riding their motorbikes
without wearing helmets.
Wearing a helmet can definitely save your
life.
I remember another story like that.
I was riding home one night.
It was very late, after midnight, because
I had joined a prayer meeting, and we
usually were praying until midnight.
I got to a curve, so I had to slow down.
And right after it, I saw a young man lying
in the middle of the street.
So I stopped my bike.
The young man, he might have been in his
20s, was lying there head down.
Completely motionless.
His face was turned to the ground.
He had collided head-on with a car.
19

20
These people are doing an amazing job!

Maybe he had cut the corner.
Maybe the driver of the car, or he was
drunk.
It was right in front of the parking area of
a pub/restaurant near the Rati Lanna Hotel.
There were already people around.
After a few minutes, the ambulance arrived.
I still remember, there was a young lady—
most likely a medical doctor —who was in
charge.
I was impressed by the way she handled
the whole situation.
While she was examining the body, she
was shouting out commands to the team.
So they quickly got the inflatable mattress
that they use for spinal injuries.
And also they got out the defibrillator.
I saw them put the young man on the
mat and tuck into the ambulance while
at the same time getting ready to do the
defibrillation.
I do hope they could revive him.
But it didn’t look promising.
This boy also hadn’t worn a helmet.
21

22
Roads in Thailand are dangerous.
In many cases, deadly.

I have seen a few more cases like this since
coming to Thailand.
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It’s better to be safe than sorry.

A VISIT TO THE
ORTHOPEDIC WARD
ONE DAY, I COULD visit the orthopedic
department of a hospital in Chiang Mai.
I was part of a team who prayed for people
and offered encouragement to the sick.
We were allowed to visit a part of the
orthopedic ward where they deal with It’s
people with spinal injuries.
What I saw there broke my heart.
We visited about 10 adjacent rooms in this
ward.
And in every room, we saw a similar
picture.
A mother or a relative was sitting next to
a hospital bed, looking extremely sad and
discouraged.
And on the bed, there was a young man
in his 20s (mostly men, I didn’t see any
women) with spine injuries and a body
cast.
Motionless and pinned to the bed.
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A spinal column is quite strong.
But it is not made for heavy
impact.

Dozens of cases like that.
They were all victims of motorbike
accidents.
They all had broken their spine in the
process.
When you look at the bones of a spinal
column, those bones aren’t huge.
Maybe 7-10 or even less centimeters.
On the road, I see so often young men
not wearing helmets going like crazy—
at absolutely crazy speeds—with such
confidence.
I would say, arrogant confidence.
But then, in one split second, the whole
situation can change.
And next, you see them in their hospital
beds—without hope.
Not being able to move and not being able
to feel anymore.
Because they have broken their backs as a
result of their recklessness.
Then your heart breaks for them.
For in one split second, they go from being
a super confident young man to an utterly
hopeless and dependent case.
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28

Rule # 1
Don’t assume
that others
will stick to
the traffic
laws.
29

30

Rule # 2
Always
expect the
unexpected.
31

32

Rule # 3
Never
assume that
you can let
down your
guard and
that you are
safe.
33

CONTENTS
THE STATISTICS LOOK SCARY. 5
MY BROKEN CLAVICLE 9
ENCOUNTERING DEATH. 15
A VISIT TO THE ORTHOPEDIC WARD 25
1 TRAFFIC LIGHTS DON’T MEAN
MUCH. 37
2 GHOST DRIVERS. 41
3 HELMETS—WHAT FOR? 47
4 FAMILIES ON MOTORBIKES. 49
5 OVERTAKING. 53
6 CRAZY SPEEDSTERS. 55
7 TOURISTS ON MOTORBIKES. 59
8 TAXIS AND TUK-TUKS. 63
9 HILL TRIBE DRIVERS AND PEOPLE FROM
OTHER CITIES. 67
10 MOTORBIKE RENTALS. 69
34

11 WEAVING THROUGH THE TRAFFIC. 71
12 DRIVER’S LICENSES. 75
13 DRIVER’S CAN’T READ TRAFFIC
SIGNS. 79
14 UNEXPECTED ROAD TURNS. 81
15 NO LIGHTS. 83
16 DRUNK DRIVING. 85
17 MOBILE PHONES. 89
18 ROAD BLOCKS. 93
19 PANDA AND GRAB DELIVERY
DRIVERS. 95
20 ROUNDABOUTS. 99
CONCLUSION. 101
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36
Green, orange, or red—so what?

1 TRAFFIC LIGHTS
DON’T MEAN MUCH.
NEVER EXPECT that everybody on the
road will respect the traffic lights.
They will not.
This can mean that motorcycles or cars
drive across an intersection even though
the traffic lights are red.
Especially just before they turn red or just
after they have turned red.
Some drivers will drive off and enter the
intersection when the lights are still red.
And some will speed up to get across an
intersection in time.
When they can’t make it—because the
lights have turned red already —they will
not be able to stop anymore.
So they will keep going, at those high
speeds.
And they might collide with others who
drive off too early.
Even the lights at zebra crossings do not
mean much.
37

38
Quick: the lights are turning red!

Motorists will routinely ignore them as
they see fit.
That means motorists will drive off and
ignore the lights at zebra crossings as they
see fit.
If nobody is crossing the road, they will
drive off.
This is very common.
So make sure you do not trust people
following the traffic rules when it comes
to red lights.
Or any other traffic rules, for that matter,
as we shall see.
If you always expect the unexpected, your
chance to stay out of trouble on a Thai
road is much higher.
39

You will meet them!
40
It’s all about the mindset.

2 GHOST DRIVERS.
GHOST DRIVERS ARE common in
Thailand.
So expect to encounter motorcycles driving
on one-way roads where the traffic is only
supposed to go in one direction.
People do that because they are taking
short-cuts.
If they take normal roads, it will usually
take them much longer.
So, for the sake of convenience, you will
see them driving on the side of the road
against the traffic where they are not
supposed to be driving.
These can be motorbikes.
But even bicycles.
Sometimes, you will see teenagers riding
motorcycles.
They usually have no understanding of any
traffic rules and will drive wherever they
can.
Wherever they can.
So again, expect the unexpected.
41

42
Why only one way?

Look out for people driving or riding their
motorcycles where according to the rules,
they should absolutely not be driving.
Then you will be more safe.
Because you do not trust anymore that just
because it is a one-way street that there will
be no-one driving against the traffic.
You will have your guard up.
At all times.
This is especially important when you get
to a curve, and upon entering it because
you cannot see what is happening behind
the curve.
Anything could be happening there.
A motorbike could be driving happily in
the wrong direction, coming towards you.
On the side of the road, or even in the
middle of the road.
Again, the key is: be prepared for something
unusual to happen.
Otherwise, it may catch you off-guard.
Because, in such a case, you have little time
to react.
You may need to slow down (break) quickly
to avert a collision.
43

44
What was that?!

Or you may need to swerve to the side
quickly to avoid an accident.
Or to avoid hitting the other motorist.
Or a cyclist.
Or a pedestrian.
Or a piece of farm machinery.
Etc.
45

46
What are helmets used for?

3 HELMETS—WHAT
FOR?
YOU WILL SEE motorists who carry their
helmet with them.
On the motorbike.
They will only put them on when in danger
of getting caught by the police.
For not wearing a helmet.
Not wearing a helmet is so dangerous.
Because when people have a motorcycle
accident, it can cost them their life.
But you will see whole families on one
motorbike.
And not of them wearing a helmet.
Sometimes you will see people riding on a
motorbike.
One of them will wear a helmet, and the
other one will not.
Sometimes the person who rides will wear
a helmet, and the passenger not.
Sometimes it is the other way around.
47

48
This is a common sight in Thailand.

4 FAMILIES ON
MOTORBIKES.
THIS IS QUITE a frequent occurrence.
Whole families that ride together on one
motorbike.
Maybe it is because people are lacking
resources.
So they make use of what they have.
Sometimes, you will see a group of
teenagers on one motorbike.
Usually 3.
But sometimes also 4.
When families also carry their children,
the number can go up to 5.
All without wearing helmets, mind you.
One thing you need to keep in mind when
encountering such scenarios on the road.
If a motorbike is loaded with people, the
driver can no longer maneuver it safely.
He or she can no longer turn quickly.
Or accelerate and stop quickly.
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50
Normal traffic.

So keep this in mind when you encounter,
or you get close to such motorbikes on the
road.
The best is to stay far away from them.
Avoid them.
To be safe.
51

Left, right, and center.
52

5 OVERTAKING.
EXPECT PEOPLE to overtake you
wherever and whenever they can.
Not when they are allowed to.
Or supposed to.
On highways, for example.
Expect them to overtake you on the left
and on the right lane.
Many people don’t know that there are
rules to overtaking.
They overtake when they can.
53

I am faster than you!
Some people have a need for speed. But on a public road,
this can be dangerous.
54

6 CRAZY SPEEDSTERS.
SOMETIMES, YOU will encounter crazy
car drivers.
Or crazy motorbike riders.
They will overtake you at crazy speeds.
In those cases, it will be tough for you to
spot them before they actually overtake
you.
Because they are so fast.
So, expect that.
Always be on the lookout for those
incidents.
Sometimes, those fast overtakers,
especially motorbikes, will also overtake
when the traffic is quite dense.
They will ruthlessly cut through the traffic
with abrupt maneuvers.
So to keep yourself safe from those, make
sure that you are not making any rash
maneuvers yourself.
Like changing a lane rashly.
55

56
Smooth driving, please!

Because if you do that, then the chance is
higher that those crazy overtakers will not
be able to react in time to avert you.
So keep this in mind.
Change directions and lanes as smoothly
as you can.
Then, those crazy speedsters will be able to
react in time, in case you are in their way.
They will be able to whizz past you safely.
This is important in dense traffic but also
on highways.
57

These people are not Chinese. But
it can look like that. Often, minus
the helmets.
58
____________________________

7 TOURISTS ON
MOTORBIKES.
CHINESE TOURISTS are helping to
contribute to the tourism industry in
Thailand a lot. (That was mainly before
2020.)
The majority of tourists visiting Thailand
today are Chinese.
But they are dangerous on the roads.
They will usually rent motorbikes and then
drive around as they like.
They may stop in the middle of the road.
Or they may swerve to the right or to the
left at any given moment.
Without any regard for traffic laws.
That’s because—I suspect—they have
no, or minimal driving experience before
coming to Thailand.
It may be unclear if they really have a valid
license or not.
This is what I think.
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Get well soon!

Anyhow, you will often see Chinese tourists
walking around all bandaged up because
they just had an accident on the road.
You will see them wear bandages on their
knees and extremities.
In other words, they will look beaten up.
That’s because they’ve just had—
luckily!— a minor accident.
The problem is that when they are riding
around, they don’t know the way.
So, they will use Google Maps.
You will see them even riding around,
holding their mobile phone in one hand,
and riding their bike with the other.
If they are in a team, it is usually the person
on the back that will hold the phone and try
to steer the one who is riding in the right
Google-maps direction.
The best thing to do is to stay away from
them.
Awareness helps.
If you can spot them first, you know that it
is dangerous to come close to them or drive
behind them.
So you can avoid them.
61

By His wounds we are healed.
Tuk-tuks can be a menace.
62

8 TAXIS AND TUK-
TUKS.
BEWARE OF taxis and tuk-tuks!
Taxis and tuk-tuks are on the lookout for
customers.
Or they need to drop off customers.
So they might be stopping in places where
they are not supposed to.
Or they may change direction quickly and
unexpectedly.
And taxis (especially red minibusses) and
tuk-tuks may blow out clouds of black air
behind them.
Especially tuk-tuks.
Because they run on 2-stroke engines.
So, if you are riding your motorcycle right
behind a tuk-tuk, you will be breathing in
tons of toxic exhaust gases.
I suggest you wear a mask when riding
a motorcycle in certain areas, especially
cities.
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64
Try staying away from tuktuks
if you are not wearing a
mask.

And to stay away from tuk-tuks as much as
possible.
65

Country road, take me home ...
66

9 DRIVERS FROM
THE MOUNTAINS AND
DRIVERS FROM OTHER
CITIES.
IN THAILAND, MANY tribal people live
in the mountainous regions of the north.
They are used to driving in mountainous
terrain.
So they may not have a lot of driving
experience in the cities.
You can spot them fairly quickly because
most will own cars that are suited to the
hilly terrain.
Like four-wheel drives, and more often
large pick-ups.
The Toyota brand Hilux is especially
popular.
Also, sometimes people from smaller
villages will travel to larger cities, like
Chiang Mai, especially during holidays or
festive seasons.
A safe bet is to stay away from them.
67

68
Helmets like this are suitable to be worn at a construction
site. But not when riding a motorcycle.

10 MOTORBIKE
RENTALS.
IT IS POPULAR FOR tourists, especially
young Chinese tourists, to rent a motorbike
at one of the many motorbike rentals in
Thailand.
Most of these motorbike rental companies
do not rent out proper motorcycle helmets.
They instead look like the type of helmets
people wear at a construction site.
So look carefully at the type of helmets
people are wearing.
If they are wearing some cheap helmets
that look like helmets from a construction
site, chances are that they have rented a
bike.
Then you can watch out for them and stay
away from them while riding or driving.
69

70
Most motorcycle drivers in
Thailand are expert weavers.

11 WEAVING THROUGH
THE TRAFFIC.
WHO WANTS to wait at the end of a line?
If you are driving a motorcycle, you will
weave through the traffic to get as close to
the front as possible.
When there is a traffic jam, or when you
have to wait at the red lights.
So, in Thailand, this is a common practice.
But sometimes this can be dangerous.
Especially if there are some faster, smaller
motorbikes coming from behind.
These smaller, faster motorbikes may
decide to drive through a gap in a straight
line.
And then there may be others who are in
the process of weaving through the traffic.
This can be problematic.
Because they can collide.
Or sometimes there will be a traffic jam in
one lane, while the opposite is free.
71

Rush hour traffic.
72

Then some riders will move over to the
opposite empty lane and speed up to get to
the front.
Until a car appears on the free lane, and
they cannot any longer do that.
But that’s also very dangerous.
Because these fast-going motorcycles may
collide with other vehicles that also decide
to weave to the free lane.
To use it.
And sometimes, before they do that, they
forget to look to the left.
They forget to look out for faster motorcycles
coming from the left.
So they will crash.
It also happened to me once.
But, thank God, nothing serious happened.
The rider who crashed into me only broke
the back mirror of my motorcycle.
That was all.
So whenever you are weaving through the
traffic, keep watching out for others who
are doing the same.
So that you don’t collide with them.
73

____________
Having a license is no proof that
you can also drive well.
74

12 DRIVER’S LICENSES.
WE ONCE HAD a friend, I will not say
where he was from.
He got his driver’s license without taking
any exams.
And without any driving lessons.
Then he got a scholarship to study in a
different country.
And there he decided to buy a car.
But he didn’t know yet how to drive it.
And he didn’t know anything about the
traffic rules, yet.
He needed to learn all that.
And he finally did, over a period of time.
But the point was that he got a driver’s
license without knowing how to drive.
Some people might be driving a car without
actually having any license.
And in Thailand, you also see many
teenagers on motorbikes.
When you look at them, and when you
talk to them, you will find out that they
actually too young to be allowed to ride a
motorcycle.
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I can drive!

Yet, they are riding a motorcycle anyway.
So, when you are driving or riding a
motorcycle in Thailand, don’t assume that
other drivers or other riders know much
about the traffic laws.
They may not even have a license.
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What is this?

13 DRIVERS CAN’T
READ TRAFFIC SIGNS.
DRIVERS MAY also not be able to read
traffic signs.
It may be all double-Dutch to them.
So, they wouldn’t know what these signs
actually mean (see left).
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80
Watch out!

14 UNEXPECTED ROAD
TURNS.
ROADS IN THAILAND may do take
unexpected turns.
As do roads in other countries.
But that’s where accidents can easily
happen.
At those unexpected turns.
Local drivers may be very familiar with the
road.
But not so visiting drivers.
And drivers new to the area.
Or tourist drivers.
So always be on the lookout.
If you do not know a road well yet, go
slower than you could.
To be on the safe side.
Be on the lookout for those unexpected
road twists and turns.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
81

Who needs lights?
82

15 NO LIGHTS.
YOU SEE THIS quite often.
People on motorbikes that ride around
without lights.
So, just because you can’t see any lights
on a road, it doesn’t mean that there is no
traffic.
There might be someone riding around on
a motorbike without lights.
Or, there may be someone riding around a
bicycle without lights.
Or, in remote areas, there might be farm
animals on the road.
Or dogs.
Or cats.
Or playing children.
83

84
Having a law in place and
enforcing it are two different
things.

16 DRUNK DRIVING.
THE FACT IS that in Thailand, you won’t
see the police doing many alcohol checks
as in other countries.
Like Australia.
Not in Thailand.
Even during certain holidays.
Or festival days.
You may see the police setting up
roadblocks, but on very few occasions, you
will see them actually checking people.
This could mean that there are more drunk
people on the road than you might think.
People who shouldn’t be driving because
they had too much alcohol.
On paper, laws do exist in Thailand.
But how well these laws are enforced is
another issue.
So, always be aware when you are driving
or riding a motorcycle in Thailand that
there might be people on the road who
really shouldn’t be driving.
85

86
One more, please!

If you can recognize any abnormal driving
behaviors of a car or motorcycle, stay away
from these vehicles, and do not attempt to
come close.
Please don’t attempt to overtake them.
87

88
This driver is on-line 24/7.

17 MOBILE PHONES.
I ALSO NEED TO mention this.
You will see lots of people using their
mobile phones while they are driving.
Even while they are riding a motorcycle.
Mostly, when they have to wait at the traffic
lights or in a traffic jam.
They will quickly pull out their mobile
phones and check their social media
accounts (probably).
Sometimes, you will see a line of cars at an
intersection.
When the lights have turned green, some
cars will be slow to move off the line.
Because they were still on-line (pun
intended) when the traffic lights turned
green.
Sometimes you see people riding on the
back of a motorbike.
As they are riding along (at speeds of
perhaps 50 kilometers per hour or more),
you will see them on their phones.
89

When reality and
imagery merge into
one.
90

Hair blowing in the wind (in case they are
not wearing a helmet) and all.
This is unbelievable, but true!
So never expect other drivers to be entirely
focused on their driving.
Don’t put your trust in other drivers to see
you or react correctly, in alignment with
traffic rules, on the road.
They may be busy on-line.
and we know that multitasking doesn’t
bode well.
It is not effective.
Particularly, while people are driving or
riding their motorcycle.
So, always be alert!
Be on the look-out!
Drive in such a way that you can move out
of the way or avert someone, if necessary!
Be more precautious than you think you
need to be!
Then you will be on the safer side!
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92
Stop, please!

18 ROAD BLOCKS.
THIS IS MY LAST point.
In Thailand, if motorists are not physically
prevented from driving somewhere,
chances are they will.
People on motorcycles will take short-cuts
wherever they can.
Unless they are physically prevented from
doing so.
Unless the police have set up a barrier.
Or a road-block.
Sometimes, you will see that people have
tried to move those barriers (often they are
made of concrete) out of the way.
So that they can still keep driving where
they are not allowed to drive.
Signs do not mean much—if anything—on
the road.
So be aware of that.
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Always hungry ...

19 PANDA AND GRAB
DELIVERY DRIVERS.
I NEED TO ADD THIS.
Because this issue has become a real
problem lately.
Food delivery drivers.
Two leading companies in Thailand offer
food delivery services: Grab and Panda.
And these 2 companies are competing
with one another: who can provide a faster
delivery service.
So you will see lots of motorcycle drivers
in their respective outfits.
Panda drivers in pink, and Grab drivers in
green.
On the back of their motorcycles, you will
see the food delivery box.
But the problem is that these delivery
drivers ride too fast.
Because they get paid by how much they
can deliver.
So they will go as fast as they can.
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The gooddies are all
in that red box.
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And this is really dangerous.
But knowing that you can expect a Panda
or Grab motorcycle to whizz past you at
any given moment helps you a lot.
Because at least you can be aware of this
danger.
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Roundabouts remain for many drivers a mystery.

20 ROUNDABOUTS.
NOW, THIS IS my last point.
Roundabouts.
Do not expect anyone to know or follow
the rules.
So even if you have already entered the
roundabout, cars or motorcycle will not
necessarily give you the way.
So, I suggest you go with the flow.
And be always aware of what’s going on
around you.
So that you can react to that.
Either slow down, speed up and evade or
circumvent potential dangers.
That’s a good note to end on.
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Always be on the lookout for potential dangers,
be ready to avoid them, and you will be safe!
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CONCLUSION.
I WISH YOU all the best with your
endeavor to drive a car or ride a motorcycle
on Thailand’s roads.
I hope these tips and scenarios, of what
you could may well encounter, has helped
you to get mentally prepared, and become
aware of possible dangers.
So you can avoid them.
And have a driving experience that is as
safe and as pleasant as possible.
Happy driving!
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Endnotes
1 See WHO. Global status report on road safety
2015 (https://www.who.int/violence_injury_
prevention/road_safety_status/2015/en/).
2 See WHO. Global status report on road safety
2018 (https://www.who.int/violence_injury_
prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/).
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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 Accidents.
Copyright 2020 © Albert L. Oberdorfer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronical, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
written permission of the author.
PICTURE CREDITS
Unless otherwise stated, all images are courtesy
of Pexels.com and Pixabay.com. Any inadvertent
omissions can be rectified in future editions.
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