It's not always safe.

[shibumi]

I wrote the following article after an accident in Thailand. It occurred seven months ago. I recovered quickly and, apart from a lump on my collarbone and the occasional twinge where I damaged ligaments in my left shoulder, I am as good as new. Parts of the story are not relevant to riding in the US, but may be of benefit to anyone considering a trip to Asia where helmet laws are not policed, where many don’t bother with licenses, insurance or the roadworthiness of their machines. The article was written for and distributed by the Tourist Police in Northern Thailand.
“I have sore toes, very sore knees, sore legs, my hips are sore, my back is very painful. My right wrist is sore, both elbows are sore. My stomach muscles are painful, the ribs on my left side prevent me from breathing properly. I thought they may all be broken. They’re not. My right side ribs hurt. My chest is sore, my left shoulder feels as though it should be broken but it is not. My left collarbone is broken. I cannot walk properly, I need help to sit down and to rise again. I have trouble writing my name and dread coughing or the hiccups, yawning, and sneezing. I cannot lie down to sleep. There is not really any part of my body which is not painful. I feel as though I have been viciously beaten-up by a gang of bastards with baseball bats.
I am a very experienced and well trained motorcycle rider. I am an accredited motorcycle riding instructor and I ride at least 60 kilometres (37 miles) through the mountains every day; rain, hail or shine. Even when going to the shops on my motorbike, I wear ‘proper’ boots, Kevlar panelled jeans, an armoured motorcycle jacket, armoured gloves and a high quality, Snell approved helmet.
Friday 5pm, 28th March, I hit a large dog within a pack of seven or eight, which ran across my path whilst I was carving it up through the mountains in Maehongson province in Thailand. I spilt not one drop of blood and have no gravel rash. This was my first motorcycle accident in well over 4 decades of riding.
Medical staff say if I had been wearing flip-flops, tank top, and shorts (the usual Thai motorbike gear), I would be as dead as the dog I hit. My next awareness was of blackness as I awoke from unconsciousness. I awoke in confusion. The only sound was from someone who seemed desperate to try to breathe, but who instead, was making some god-awful guttural grunting noise. I soon realised it was me making the noise and I began to panic when I could not breathe in; in the full and certain knowledge that if I didn’t catch a breath soon, I could die. By the time the ambulance arrived, I had regained my senses. My motorbike was about 40 metres distant on the other side of the road.
While I was being treated at the hospital, several young backpackers arrived, representing three separate motorcycle accidents. All occurred at relatively low speeds. The blood and gravel rash were horrific. Medical staff told me one man lost a part of his kneecap. The bone in one person’s chin was fully exposed where the skin had been ground away as she slid, face first along the concrete. They will survive but they will be permanently scarred and both will be handicapped…for life. And they are good looking young people who should live another 60 years.
I apparently flew, then slid along the road (my helmet looks as though it was vandalised by someone with an angle grinder, my boots, trousers and jacket were partially shredded down to the layers of Kevlar), then rolled through the scrub before ploughing a furrow into the base of a tree which brought me to an abrupt halt. I was unconscious. I will have no scars and no disfigurement and soon, I will be as good as new.
Don’t hire a motorbike or scooter without tuition. Wear at least enclosed shoes, heavy denims, long sleeved natural fibre shirt or jacket, gloves and a good helmet with the chin strap fastened. Scooters (50cc to 125cc) are statistically far more lethal than big (650cc-1200cc) motorbikes.
IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY IN THAILAND TO PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO THEM. An accident will seriously screw up your holiday; if not your life. Behind The Dominican Republic, Thailand is the next most dangerous country in the world, in which to ride a motorbike. I am alive because I care about me and believe it canhappen to me. It did, and I am alive to tell the tale. I wish you can be so ‘lucky’. The key is in your clothing, sober riding, and rider training.
Want to give you and your lover, children or partner the very highest level of surety that you will either die or suffer serious injury during your time in Asia? Hire a scooter and refuse to wear any protection. It’s your choice, but make sure you have ID on your body. Being unidentifiable is an undeserved cruelty to your family at home.
Finally, remember it is not necessary to wear full, high quality protective gear all the time. You only need to be wearing it on the day you hit the bricks”.