It's kind of amazing when you think about it: In the same town where getting really drunk is the second most important activity there is, you can also go off and for $30 per day, rent a motorcycle that is roughly equivalent in performance statistics to a Formula 1 race car, only with half as many wheels and no safety equipment.You can take this motorcycle you've rented and drive it around in heavy traffic... all without ever having driven a motorcycle like this before, and without anybody caring to ask about this fact... or offer training or even insurance. Given the importance of drinking in Pattaya, the likelihood that somebody will chose to drive a motorcycle like this (or any motorcycle, for that matter) while drunk is pretty high.
(I suppose that I should mention as well that the police don't care about drunk driving (or speeding) in Pattaya either, except in the most exceptional cases, which only emboldens people to get really really drunk and drive really really fast.)
Regardless, most tourists are smart enough to either (a) rent a very fast motorcycle, or (b) get very drunk in Pattaya, but not to put (a) and (b) together on the same night. Well, obviously there are exceptions to the rule.
It's kind of strange that most of the exceptions to this rule are French Arabs or Algerians, but there you are.
3 comments:
Hey Jil.
I cannot believe the idiots who rent these bikes. They are just not for the streets of Pattaya or even the highways.
When I was younger I had motorbikes and eventually bought an SP1 which was a production bike that was street legal.
It would do 320 kms an hour and o-100 before you knew it. I was lucky when I owned bikes to not have killed myself or someone else.
I wouldn't even think for a millisecond of riding a bike like that here in Thailand. I am happy woth my 125cc scooter, that in itself can be more than enough power for a Thai road.
All travel insurances you get when travelling to Thailand from Australia actually states in the small print "That all insurance will be null and void if you have or are involved in a motorbike crash. The insurance companies know the dangers here.
I remember another foreigner that died on a 1,300cc bike there in Pattaya about 3 months back as well.
The Pattaya city council won't ban them I bet, but really what purpose do they serve in the beach side community except for small dicked egos trying to show off to Thai bar girls that don't give a rats ass about a big production superbike and a bar girl or Thai person wouldn't think about getting on the back of with a drunk idiotic farang.
Well that's just my 2 cents on the subject.
I'm still terrified of driving my scooter round Phuket. I would never, ever do it while drunk. It's bad enough sober.
what a muppet. He deserved what he got and im just gutted for whoever he crashed into because with him being pissed, his motorbike insurance (if he had any) would not pay out any damages to a third party.
Do the people who rent these bike out even offer bike insurance as part of the package... Im not so sure because to me, they just seem like they are out to make a quick buck from tourists
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