To Hull And Back
Your free weekly newspaper since 2008
issue 3 16 13 February 2015
Weather Horoscopes Page 3 Hokey Cokey!
biker hell
hua hin roads - the most dangerous in thailand?
hua hin, THAILAND Anyone who has lived in Hua Hin for more than a few months will have become aware that the roads here, and in Thailand as a whole, can be a very dangerous place to be, and particularly for motorcyclists. Here at AWOL we receive regular phone calls informing us that expats and Thais have suffered severe injury or death while travelling by motorbike here, and we learned of two more expat road deaths this week. Sadly it has become such a regular occurrence that these rarely make the headlines any more, but we thought it was time to highlight this very real and present danger to anyone who is on the road here. The number of potential threats to life and limb on a bike are manifold, from badly built or in need of repair roads, to the erratic behaviour of stray dogs, to the higher than average number of bad drivers, poor or no street lighting in places, unmarked and unlit roadworks, very little use by many drivers and riders of the side and rear view mirrors and a general disregard of common sense road rules, such as driving the correct way along a street. The one offence that does get regularly enforced, the wearing of crash helmets, still does not seem to cause many riders to actually don their helmet as soon as they get on their bike, and it does seem to be a common factor in bike accidents ending up as fatal, rather than a stay in hospital. It is quite frankly staggering that so many, both Thais and foreigners, ignore this law, and while helmets can be uncomfortable in the hot weather, a bit of discomfort is better than the angst (for friends and family) of death. We have not been able to get hold of any statistics that break down the accident figures enough to know if there truly is a rising bike death toll on the roads here, but anecdotal evidence is mounting fast. Please be careful out there and don’t take unnecessary risks.
Victor
guesthouse open 24/7
Naresdamri Rd. opposite Brasserie de Paris
Rooms/family suites in heart of Hua Hin a/c, lcd tv, dvd player, fridge, free premium wifi, cable TV www.victorguesthousehuahin.com
GET RACING FROM ONLY 400 BAHT! OPEN EVERYDAY 10.30AM - 7PM, LATE NIGHT BY APPOINTMENT Call 032 547 199 (Office) or 081 817 3000 (Mobile) Soi 2, Phetchkasem Road opposite Hua Hin Airport
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