"getting mobile and driving"

Hi everyone,

Following my blog yesterday about getting mobile. I thought it my be useful to the readers to see what the range of "Thai sidecars" or Salings are, below are some examples.

These vehicles form an important part of Thai life and in particular in the countryside where they perform most of the tasks that a car or pickup truck would otherwise perform. They are the basic utility vehicle and most families would have one or access to one. This is despite the fact that Thailand has very dangerous roads to drive on. Even more reason you would think for the Thai government to try and ensure the use of these vehicles was as safe as possible. Working brakes on all wheels and working lights on the sidecar would save a lot of injuries.

It is not reasonable to ban all such vehicles off the roads as this would not work and would be ignored. It is however very reasonable to expect a government to do it's best to ensure the safety of it's people wherever possible.
In Thailand as in many Asian countries there is a problem with law enforcement. This is mainly due to the very low salary your average policeman earns in a month. As a result it is common to hear that when stopped by the police for some "minor" traffic offense such as the very common riding a motorbike without a helmet you just pay off the policeman and carry on your merry way.

To the outsider it must seem that the traffic laws are just for guidance only and only in forced when the police feel like it and that Thailand doesn't care about it's children. It is common to see kids so young there feet can hardly touch the floor on a scooter with three of his friends come flying out of a school past the traffic policeman who does nothing. I can only think that this type of thing is down to the very easy going demeanor of the Thai people and not an indication that they don't care about there kids.

Many drivers on Thai roads don't have a driving license of any type. This is quite a shock to the outsider even more so if they come from a country where they have very strict laws on driving without a license and passing driving tests. Driving without a license in Thailand normally results in a small fine. Where as in most western countries this could well end up with a jail term or at the very least a large fine and many hours community service. It must however be noted that it is exactly this lack of rigid rules and law enforcement that makes living in Thailand so enjoyable. I think what I am trying to say is that as dangerous as the Thai roads are the last thing I won't is a state where you are constantly being watched and your every move is recorded. Perhaps just a little better road sense by all drivers and getting the kids of the roads would be more then enough.

And of course we would be allowed to have our motorbike with sidecar in registration book and hence be able to obtain far better insurance cover. (pet rant!!)

Bye for now,

Ruddick

Getting Mobile

Hi everyone,

Today I have been yet again totally stumped by local logic. I have a motor scooter with a sidecar attached to it which has been designed and built to allow me to gain access to the sidecar from my wheelchair. The unit has also been designed to be able to carry my folded wheelchair.
Usually the sidecar unit is driven by my wife or my mate. I could drive it but don't have a motorcycle license (this will be subject to a latter blog).

Up until very recently it was not possible to get any insurance except the very basic third party coverage for a sidecar outfit in Thailand. However recently a large company has started selling what are locally known as salings and because it appears on the registration book as a "motorbike and sidecar" you are able to obtain full insurance.

The sidecar outfit above is an example of the type of outfit which provided it is made in a factory and sold as a unit it can now be registered as a motorbike and sidecar. Units like the above are built in local small workshops and backyards  and used for everything from a taxi to goods carriers by the general public. Quite often these are seen on the road in a very bad state and do not look at all safe and of course are not registered as motorbike with sidecar.

Armed with knowledge of the above we then contacted a local insurance company to try and get some additional insurance cover for our sidecar outfit. We were requested to e-mail pictures of the sidecar outfit and copies of the registration book. A few hours later we had a reply declining to cover. I then asked why cover was declined and was told the bike was fully legal but the papers didn't state it was attached to a sidecar and therefore they could not offer any additional insurance. I asked if it they knew if it was possible to have the registration book changed to show that it was attached to a sidecar and I was told no.

There are in Thailand quite a few disabled riding around on trikes (converted small motorbikes) and salings (sidecars attached to small bike) all must be running around with only basic insurance cover as they will not have registration papers to enable them to get anything except the most basic of cover. This is very sad as they get little government help as it is compared to the type of assistance disable people receive in western countries.
If you have money and are disable it is less of a problem to get mobile in Thailand. You can go and buy an automatic car and have it converted to hand controls. You then have to do a driving test to show you can control your car using hand controls and you get a license to drive a car (with hand controls). Cars both new and old are expensive in Thailand and are therefore out of reach of most disabled (wheelchair users). What a great pity it is that in a modern emerging industrial nation like Thailand there isn't a little bit more flexibility concerning the use and registration of three wheel motorbike/sidecars. The roads in Thailand are dangerous places and any extra insurance is very useful even more so if you are not a Thai national and therefore have no recourse to Thai public funds.
I think what is needed is something like the single vehicle approval scheme used in the UK. This would be of benefit to all in Thailand. The concerned Thai government department could insure the vehicle was built to the correct safety standards and collect duty on the new vehicle. The vast majority of sidecar outfits on the roads in Thailand do not have any lights on the sidecar and do not have any brake on the sidecar either of which missing can lead to a serious accident. With Single Vehicle approval the end user would have a safer vehicle which had been government approved. The end user would then be able to obtain more useful insurance cover, which in turn would also benefit the government as the insurance companies would covering more of the costs involved in motor accidents. Every body wins!!

Below is a photo of my sidecar outfit which does have lights everywhere and a disk brake on the sidecar which is operated in conjunction with the motorbikes rear brake.

Signing out

Ruddick