Canadian tourist charged for killer Phuket U-turn

[chickenslegs]

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

I NEVER make u-turns. One time before I became familiar with the area, I ended up on Highway 7 and had to go all the way to Pattaya before I could come back. I was very late for dinner too.

I will have to remember that one next time I am home late after an unscheduled visit to Pattaya.

[LannaGuy]

Meanwhile under a 'Blue Notice'...  anyway very dangerous driving and, I'm afraid, he's got a real problem now. 

[LannaGuy]

6 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

This is quite exactly the location where the accident happened (in front of that motorcycle shop).

https://goo.gl/maps/JHNtNEW3Adz

("look around")

He drove on the left side and then tried to turn (around) at this spot.

Even if his turn was slow an oncoming motorbike should have enough time to break except it was excessively speeding.

 

Yes but as it was a Thai that died the dangerous speed will be ignored and the farang is toast.

[Maestro]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

“He was driving from Phuket Town toward Chalong (southbound), then made a U-turn in front of Siriyanyon motorbike dealership

 

Comparing the photo in the OP with the Street View image to which KhunBENQ linked here, it looks to me like the Canadian was driving north, not south, unless I got my directions wrong.

[chickenslegs]

15 minutes ago, Maestro said:

A Google Street View image of the "two solid lines" mentioned in post #8

Looking at that road layout with excellent visibility ahead for 100's of metres, it is very hard to see how there could be any excuse for turning across the path of two oncoming motorcycles.

 

(The posted image shows the road from the opposite direction in which the car was travelling)

 

Possibly, the bikes were travelling behind a larger vehicle which hid them from his view until the last moment - but I think it's fairly obvious that the car driver was careless/reckless.

[Maestro]

23 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

(The posted image shows the road from the opposite direction in which the car was travelling)

 

 

You are right. The car was going north. The text in the OP said south and that was wrong.

 

Correct Street View image (I think):

 

[Maestro]

25 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

Yes but as it was a Thai that died the dangerous speed will be ignored and the farang is toast.

 

The Street View photos of July 2016 show the posted speed limit as 50 km/h

 

[sabian]

Won't they have to translate the paperwork first? That could take several years...lol.

[LivinginKata]

8 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

The Street View photos of July 2016 show the posted speed limit as 50 km/h

 

 

Yes but those speed signs are only 'advisory', The legal limit on that road would be maybe 60 but I think 90 kph.

[Scott]

Post removed.   Continued with inflammatory trolling and you will receive a suspension.

 

[Maestro]

9 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Yes but those speed signs are only 'advisory', The legal limit on that road would be maybe 60 but I think 90 kph.

 

What would a traffic sign indicating the legal speed limit look like in Thailand?

[Kieran00001]

10 hours ago, Psimbo said:

How much does that tinfoil hat weigh as a matter of interest?

 

So you have no idea how things work here then, keep your name out of the press and you keep your chance to pay your way out without going to court, plenty of people who kill people through what would normally be a reckless driving charge manage to make a payment and avoid prosecution, it is perfectly normal.

[Old Croc]

I live about 1km or so from the accident scene and know the area well.

 

A few thoughts:

For those who don't know the road, this is part of the main north-south highway on Phuket and is always very busy. When exiting Tesco, just north of the accident scene, I often turn left, despite wanting to go  right, and make a turn into a safer road or area further up the road to turn around.

This tourist may have missed the Big Buddha turnoff and, with a paved forecourt area,  the Canadian driver no doubt saw the Bike shop as a good place to do a U turn.  He never got that far before being hit by the speeding bikes.

Some have stated the road is straight for hundreds of meters. Not so, there is a bend less than 80 meters from the accident site preventing a view of oncoming traffic beyond that. (measured on GE)  A speeding bike will appear very quickly from around that bend. 

 

Perusing ThaiLaws.com I can't see anything barring people from driving across double dividing lanes to make a right turn (or U turn).  It is only forbidden to cross these lines when passing another vehicle going in the same direction. Obviously anyone from the far lane turning into that bike shop (or any premises anywhere along a duel highway)  will cross lines to do so. 

 

Not the first time a tourist has come to grief there. A couple of years ago a German visitor on a bike was turning into the Honda shop when he lost control and went through one of their plate glass windows. He had a nasty glass cut on his thigh and was lucky he didn't cut an artery. Perhaps he also got caught out by oncoming traffic suddenly appearing.

 

After midnight this road turns into a racetrack for the local bike boys.  Some helmetless fools on bikes think they can go flat out during peak hours.

 

 

[mdmayes]

In Canada we call someone who does that traffic move a Dumb Ass. Unfortunately people were killed & injured. Lock the Dumb Ass up for long time...please. We Canadians don't need his Dumb Ass back in Canada.  

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

Perusing ThaiLaws.com I can't see anything barring people from driving across double dividing lanes to make a right turn (or U turn).  It is only forbidden to cross these lines when passing another vehicle going in the same direction.

 

That's interesting. I didn't know that.

[KhunBENQ]

7 hours ago, Old Croc said:

Perusing ThaiLaws.com I can't see anything barring people from driving across double dividing lanes to make a right turn (or U turn).  It is only forbidden to cross these lines when passing another vehicle going in the same direction.

That makes sense, otherwise you couldn't do a right turn over miles in many areas.

 

 

[Stargeezr]

A terrible oops moment for that Canuck.

[KhunBENQ]

12 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

The Street View photos of July 2016 show the posted speed limit as 50 km/h

 

 

12 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Yes but those speed signs are only 'advisory', The legal limit on that road would be maybe 60 but I think 90 kph.

Of course a speed limit is a speed limit and not "advisory".

It overrules general speed limits.

Not any different from signs in Europe.

It's so trivial that it is not even included in the English language q. for the DL test.

Only in Thai language.

Did you forget the emoticon for an ironical post?

 

Without the sign the limit would likely by 60 for "within city limits".

(depends whether there is a respective "CITY LIMITS" sign on the path).

Speed limit for an undivided road outside the cities is 80.

[taipan1949]

22 hours ago, worgeordie said:

" declined to reveal the Canadian man’s name.", wonder how much they charge for that.

regards Worgeordie

Can hardly wait to see the name of the "canadian" LOL

[taipan1949]

7 hours ago, mdmayes said:

In Canada we call someone who does that traffic move a Dumb Ass. Unfortunately people were killed & injured. Lock the Dumb Ass up for long time...please. We Canadians don't need his Dumb Ass back in Canada.  

Lets just wait and see who this "canadian" is. In Vancouver there are a top two kinds of cars on the road, one is a Mercedes Benz and the second is a "loaner" from an auto repair shop. One main race is behind this phenomenon.

[maddox41]

20 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

Looking at the photo he must have been making a 3 point turn. No way he could have completed that u-turn.

Correct you can see it he's doing the classic thai 6 point turn 

[Old Croc]

45 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

Of course a speed limit is a speed limit and not "advisory".

It overrules general speed limits.

Not any different from signs in Europe.

It's so trivial that it is not even included in the English language q. for the DL test.

Only in Thai language.

Did you forget the emoticon for an ironical post?

 

Without the sign the limit would likely by 60 for "within city limits".

(depends whether there is a respective "CITY LIMITS" sign on the path).

Speed limit for an undivided road outside the cities is 80.

You would be quite correct almost anywhere other than in Thailand.

However.....

https://www.thephuketnews.com/mandatory-speed-limit-on-main-phuket-road-is-not-mandatory-51547.php

[KhunBENQ]

2 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

You would be quite correct almost anywhere other than in Thailand.

However.....

https://www.thephuketnews.com/mandatory-speed-limit-on-main-phuket-road-is-not-mandatory-51547.php

Maybe anywhere other than Phuket

An official speed limit sign accompanied by the "camera warning" is advisory.

Speechless.

 

[mikiea]

2 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

A terrible oops moment for that Canuck.

oop's ? dude  ...... you do know someone died .....do you not  ?  

[madmax2]

When i drive i expect people to speed, weave, tailgate and jump red lights etc

and i drive defensively at all times and let the idiots have right of way

Coming out of the tesco lotus store on Chaofa west road i end up turning left and making a U turn to go back south to Chalong/ Rawai about 80% of the time, its the only safe way to turn to the right out of the shopping centre

[LivinginKata]

3 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

Of course a speed limit is a speed limit and not "advisory".

It overrules general speed limits.

Not any different from signs in Europe.

It's so trivial that it is not even included in the English language q. for the DL test.

Only in Thai language.

Did you forget the emoticon for an ironical post?

 

Without the sign the limit would likely by 60 for "within city limits".

(depends whether there is a respective "CITY LIMITS" sign on the path).

Speed limit for an undivided road outside the cities is 80.

 

Old Croc saved me the time to pull up that news article ...

 

No .. I did not forget the ironical emotical as I was deadly serious. And quite honestly I dislike the tone of your post .. sad 

[Blue Muton]

20 hours ago, Grusa said:

The only safe driver n Thailand.

How can a car with no roof and no seatbelt be safe?

[ALFREDO]

9 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Maybe anywhere other than Phuket

An official speed limit sign accompanied by the "camera warning" is advisory.

Speechless.

 

I hate driving in Phuket now with a car - coming there since 1990, it is crazy how the traffic evolved,

similar to Penang in and  around the capital George Town. 

[dick dasterdly]

On 8/23/2017 at 0:18 PM, mikiea said:

oop's ? dude  ...... you do know someone died .....do you not  ?  

Quite. I feel sorry for the Canadian (to a certain extent) - but he was at fault in making a badly misjudged U turn that resulted in deaths.

[dick dasterdly]

23 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Old Croc saved me the time to pull up that news article ...

 

No .. I did not forget the ironical emotical as I was deadly serious. And quite honestly I dislike the tone of your post .. sad 

Even so, I gather speed signs are 'advisory', not compulsory - and normal traffic speed rules apply regardless of speed signs?