Those of you who spent some time in Thailand or have read my blog before know that the driving habits here are quite a bit different than back in the states. Motorcycles are the worst offenders; they drive on the wrong side of the road, on sidewalks, and weave in and out of traffic.
I was on Silom road one day when I saw this motorcyclist taking a bit of a shortcut. I think the light was red and you can't expect the guy to wait for the traffic light. I mean, there was a perfectly empty sidewalk in front of him. Heck, even if its not empty, people know to get out of the way, right?
After six years here in Thailand, we moved back to the U.S. Instead of returning to Ohio, we settled into California.
Showing posts with label motorcycles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motorcycles. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, October 27, 2008
Two Wheels to Hell
Yesterday Jacob accompanied me to purchase some sheets for our "new" mattresses. On our way, motorcycles weaved in and out of traffic, sometimes taking some pretty foolish risks to get somewhere a few seconds early. I told Jacob that I was afraid that I would end up hitting a motor cycle here before I left. Ironically, today I saw Tim almost do that very thing.
We were driving from our new house to our old house to pick up some more things. Tim was driving the van, while I was in the sedan a little behind her. There was a motorcycle that had passed me in between us. When we got to our old subdivision, Tim turned left into the entrance. We drive on the left side here, so in the U.S. it would be equivalent to turning right from the right lane. The motorcyclist felt compelled to pass her at that very moment, and decided that the best way to do it was to pass on her left, directly into her turn. When I saw the guy pass inside her while she was turning, my stomach dropped for a second. Somehow the guy managed to swerve and Tim braked enough to avoid a collision.
I don't understand the guys thinking. He could have easily passed her on the right, or even slowed down a bit while she turned. Passing her on the left was just amazingly stupid.
When I picked Aleena up from school today, I was chatting a bit with her teacher and relayed the story to her. She told me that not too long ago, that her sister had done the exact same thing, but unfortunately had struck the cyclist, sending him flying through he air. Even though it was completely the cyclist fault, they paid him money just to avoid getting the police involved. Probably a good choice.
We were driving from our new house to our old house to pick up some more things. Tim was driving the van, while I was in the sedan a little behind her. There was a motorcycle that had passed me in between us. When we got to our old subdivision, Tim turned left into the entrance. We drive on the left side here, so in the U.S. it would be equivalent to turning right from the right lane. The motorcyclist felt compelled to pass her at that very moment, and decided that the best way to do it was to pass on her left, directly into her turn. When I saw the guy pass inside her while she was turning, my stomach dropped for a second. Somehow the guy managed to swerve and Tim braked enough to avoid a collision.
I don't understand the guys thinking. He could have easily passed her on the right, or even slowed down a bit while she turned. Passing her on the left was just amazingly stupid.
When I picked Aleena up from school today, I was chatting a bit with her teacher and relayed the story to her. She told me that not too long ago, that her sister had done the exact same thing, but unfortunately had struck the cyclist, sending him flying through he air. Even though it was completely the cyclist fault, they paid him money just to avoid getting the police involved. Probably a good choice.
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