Opinion Piece – Ride at your Peril When on the Bikes in Southeast Asia

Motorcycle riding in South East Asia is a phenomenon in many of the countries in the region.

The traffic is manic, and even as a pedestrian, you must watch your step as the bikes come out of nowhere without warning. Riding a  bike in Southeast Asia leads to the discussion of whether to ride motorcycles on the busy Southeast Asian streets as a tourist?

It was a substantial discussion between my wife and me on our recent trip to Thailand. She wanted to explore the spontaneous side of her life and hire a scooter.

I wasn’t so keen, and for a couple of reasons, not because I was a chicken, we needed to be innovative.

The first reason was back home in Australia, we had two kids we needed to get home to in one piece, and the second reason was that we had never ridden a scooter in our life, not once.

I found the idea crazy to think we could hire a scooter, have a practice ride in the hotel parking lot and then get out on the manic streets of Koh Samui. I don’t think so.

Now road rules in Koh Samui seem non-existent, whether it is speeding, overtaking at the most dangerous times or plain negligence of other road users. Then there are the standards of the roads which at times are downright disgraceful. Potholes on the street, constant road work with poor delineating and drainage on the side of the road can be pretty terrifying.

Regularly back on the news in Australia, I will hear of tragic accidents involving bikes in the news, particularly in Bali, where a lot of Aussies travel. Disastrous scenarios that at times have ended in severe injury or fatality.

It makes you think of varying reasons why such tragedy does happen, such as inexperience, being unlucky, being negligent, or drinking alcohol before riding. Is it worth riding a bike on experienced roads?

Ultimately, I won the argument; we didn’t hire scooters. Not to say I wouldn’t go for a ride in the future if the situation were different, but the time wasn’t right.

Now my argument would be different for experienced riders, where their control of the bike and overall confidence is much more competent. But even then, the conditions are additional to back home.

Now whatever you choose, as it is a choice when all is said and done. However, Make sure you have the appropriate travel insurance to cover any injuries that could be sustained and also have a motorcycle accident lawyer saved in case of an accident while riding a motorcycle in South East Asia.

Compare travel insurance when you are going abroad and save serious money!

Plenty of motorcycles to ride in Thailand.