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Local roads vs. superhighways

Here I'll give my opinions that aren't backed by any statistics. I know what I've seen and that's good enough for me. Most accidents occur on local roads with motorbikes for sure. Firstly Thai people rarely walk. Nor do they wear helmets. I suppose although its the law here its a matter of choice. As well for less wealthy people motorbikes are a cheap form of transport. So regardless of their condition (drunk, sleepy or whatever) they will drive their motorbikes to the local shop. The roads are in good condition but normally don't have a shoulder. When I was first cycle touring and camping at the police station (yes they are very friendly to cyclists here), one of the policemen told me cycling on the main highway was much safer. He should know after all. From then on I used the highways for the most part. The road is wide with so much space and there are many shops along the way for stopping.

But sometimes crazy things happen. If you look on the internet you'll find so many pictures of Thai cars upside down, leaning against poles and so on. People sometimes drive way too fast and then can't control the vehicle. Here's an example.

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Apparently the driver thought this was a drive thru 7-11. Well it is now... Luckily no one was killed although 5 people were injured. This was a rather lucky incident that no one died. The police said it was unclear if the driver was drunk or not... Ok then.

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When I lived in USA I was a bicycle messenger. We ran red lights constantly and were basically the "outlaws" of the road. No one else operated like us. Over here almost everyone drives like that. Especially the motorbikes. Want to run red lights here? You can but look out not only for those with the green light but other people from every direction.

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The positive side of driving in Thailand.

Yes there is a positive side. I've never seen any road rage here. People may drive crazy from every direction on any side of the road (motorbikes) but they really don't want to hurt you. I've had much worse situations many times in USA and Europe. If you give the finger to someone in Poland for instance they will literally try to kill you with their car. They just go balistic. That said, if something does happen here (someone cuts you off) you can not reason with the driver. But I'd say that goes in the "West" as well. If no damage just suck it up and keep going. There is a good chance they will react violently if you try to talk with them. The concept of face and intention are difficult to grasp from a "western perspective".

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My conclusion

They say statistics don't lie. Well I suppose that's true in most cases but here the situation is probably worse. However, I reckon most of the accidents are motorbikes without helmets hence the high fatality rate. If you drive, here just drive conservatively, be alert and wear a helmet. A motorbike that is. Probably don't need a helmet in your car but feel free haha. Don't make sudden movements and don't every assume that you can make any movement without looking. People pass you on every side imaginable. If the light is yellow just stop rather than go fast to try to make it. Not only do they run red they go early as well. All of this said... I think Vietnam was much worse in my opinion but everyone wears helmets there.

Thanks for reading!

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