The Top 5 Tips on Riding a Motorcycle in Bangkok

The Top 5 Tips on Riding a Motorcycle in Bangkok

Many people head to Thailand intent on enjoying the lifestyle that a warmer climate provides.

For some this may mean more outdoor pursuits than they can’t usually get to experience back home, or just indulging a bit more in those things that may be difficult back home due to colder weather.

So it’s not uncommon for people travelling to warmer countries to jump on a scooter or some other form of 2-wheeled method of transportation. They may feel that this is an ideal way to explore the local vicinity and embody some feelings of sense of freedom.

And it becomes obvious almost immediately to anyone when travelling in Thailand, or in pretty much any other SE Asian country, that there seem to be a lot of people riding scooters and motorbikes.

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Which means many visitors may be inclined towards renting, borrowing, or even buying a motorcycle of some variety while visiting the SE Asian tropics of the country.

And this is understandable (although still highly dangerous) if they happen to be staying in some kind of beach resort on a holiday island with few cars and not that much by way of roads. It might even then be something of a necessity for the more adventurous holiday- maker.

But when it comes to the Thai capital city of Bangkok, the roads and transportation are a whole different matter.

With notoriously congested, built-up traffic during particular times of the day — or some days just all day – it might seem like no wonder that so mean people opt for 2 wheels.

This method of transportation around the city certainly seems to provide more access to whatever destination one may be heading — a fact made apparent by the large number of motorcycle taxis on every street corner.

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But one of the things that visitors to the city who witness this and feel like getting some of that sense of ‘anything goes’ freedom that many Thais seem to consider the norm, is that riding a motorcycle in Thailand – let alone in Bangkok – is in fact EXTREMELY dangerous, on a number of levels.

And although it may look like fun to those with a sense of adventure who think they can handle it, there are high numbers of daily motorcycle casualties on the roads in Bangkok.

So if you were considering that exploring the city on 2 wheels during a visit to Bangkok, then read on with our Top 5 Tips on Riding a Motorcycle in Bangkok.

1. First Tip — DON’T ride a motorcycle in Bangkok!

You are the adventurous type who doesn’t care for restrictions of any kind.

You have your own bike back home and you’ve been on the road for years. In fact, you’ve even hired bikes out when you went to Spain and other European holiday destinations.

And you like to find your own way around a new place, and feel that 2 wheels is definitely the way to do it.

Which is all great. But unfortunately, none of that could possibly prepare you for the experience of riding a motorcycle in Bangkok.

Thailand is one thing when it comes to a complete lack of anything resembling safety, on anything resembling a road – but Bangkok is on a whole different level.

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Too many cars. Too many bikes. Way too much traffic – and nothing close to an adherence to any laws of the Highway Code in evidence.

People visiting Thailand often mistakenly assume that there are ‘no rules’, when in fact there are. It’s just that no-one observes them.

This means it is not entirely unheard of to encounter people on the roads of Bangkok who are talking or texting when driving, along with drunken drivers, drivers with no insurance, drivers with no license – or maybe even all of those things rolled into one!

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We are talking from experience when we say that no matter how competent you have already proven yourself to be in terms of handling 2 wheels, none of it will count for anything on a road in a country where the driving test is child-easy (and the examiner is always open to bribery), and it involves no ‘on-the-road experience to speak of.

Needless to say many drivers already on the road have never even taken a test (a least not in person) and wouldn’t know a copy of the Highway Code if it fell into their lap.

That means, for the layman, that for the most part road signs hold no meaning for the majority of drivers (including speed limits), nor do traffic lights. Or indicators. Or right of way, or giving way. Need we say more…?

2. Make sure to wear a helmet

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So if not of that is enough to dissuade an intrepid adrenaline junkie from getting themselves on 2 wheels in the Thai capital, then at least be sure to wear a helmet.

But most Thais don’t bother, you may be thinking. Which is largely true. And a large proportion of Thais have accidents.

In fact the road death toll for motorbikes in Thailand is reported to be the highest in SE Asia, and apparently only second in the world (after Libya)!

You could literally be taking your own life into your hands every time you venture out, let alone making yourself an easy target to get pulled over — so expect the unexpected and take the relevant safety precautions by way of a half-decent helmet.

3. Carry any relevant documentation with you

Anyone not native to Thailand, and especially a non-Asian, sticks out like a sore thumb and can usually be spotted at 200 paces.

So again – yes, we know that most locals don’t have the necessary documentation but the locals (and the Thai Police) have 2 ways of looking at, categorising, and dealing with the vehicle owners on the roads in Bangkok.

1. One type is on extremely low income. Hence, they cannot afford insurances, licenses, etc., so if one of them hits you (and there is a high likelihood of this) – you pay! This type is largely ignored even by Thai Police who are aware that they won’t be able to pay any kind of penalties.
2. The other type is extremely rich, usually driving 4 wheels, and able to pay their way out of anything. Unless they know someone ‘big’, in which case the Police will leave them alone.
3. You, however, are something of a special case, and are open to a wide range of possible misfortunes should you be found to be breaking the ‘law’ in any way, or not following the ‘rules’ of the road.

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It’s true that many Thai Police are likely to bypass foreigners due to their lack of language skills but don’t discount the possibility. This could mean a trip down to your local station to pay a ‘regular’ fine, unless you know the ‘local way’ of dealing with such matters.

Either way the safest bet is to have everything in order before taking to the road, at least in terms of license and insurance.

You can acquire a Thai driving license relatively easily if you already possess one from your own country – you simply go to the Department of Land Transport, near Chatuchak Park (1032 Phaholyothin Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok).

4. Have eyes in the back of your head

So we kind of covered this one to some degree in the first tip, but it simply cannot be over-emphasised.

If you are from a Western country, you won’t realise just how little attention people on the roads in Bangkok pay to other drivers. This may come from a distinct lack of training, although much of it is down to both education and culture.

This means that you WILL encounter drivers who don’t look before pulling out in front of you.

Image by nakhon 100 from creativecommons.org

You will also find many who don’t indicate before turning or changing lanes, along with a fairly large proportion who are indicating when they have no intention of turning in that direction at all (they don’t know the indicator is still on) – and they may even turn the opposite way!

You will meet vehicles (particularly other bikes) driving along the road in the wrong direction, along with others who randomly stop where ever they see fit. Look out!

5. Understand that the rules of the road are not the same as back home

So many of the previous points have already touched on this in some way, but it pays to be clear.

A red light does not always mean stop in Bangkok. There is no sense of ‘courtesy’ on the road in Thailand, like there tends to be in countries where some form of Highway Code or etiquette is followed.

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People do not give way. They do not know, and they do not care, so if you are the one slowing down at a pedestrian crossing to let a mother with her child cross, you will either be the target of beeping horns behind you, or you may get run into from the back. Or both.

So if all of that sounds like your idea of fun, or perhaps you feel that it couldn’t possibly be as bad as they say – then go ahead and try riding a motorcycle in Bangkok.

But don’t say we didn’t warn you!