BY MICHAEL COLE
Thailand has many road safety laws. However, Thailand is the land of the free and Thai people give their full creative expression to interpretation of those laws.
Take wearing a motorcycle helmet for example; one of the changes I have noticed in recent years is the appearance of helmets on motorbikes though not necessarily motorbike helmets or appearing on the motorbike riders.
In the true spirit of Thai freedom of expression helmets come in great variety and can be just about anything from the full-face racing helmet with sun visor to a baseball helmet, construction site hardhats or fireman’s helmet.
Some riders look like they have walked straight off the set of a WW2 movie wearing British and French or German infantry helmets. But by far the most popular, is the colourful thin plastic half-helmets which seem to be made of the same material as those plastic ice-cream containers you get at the supermarket.
They will keep the rain off but you would probably get more protection by applying a handful of very stiff hair gel.
If you go to the trouble of buying a new helmet it is obviously important not to dirty or damage it and they are treated with great care. Riders will often carry their helmet gently in front of them where it won’t get scratched and passengers will tuck them tenderly, like a baby, between themselves and the back of the driver. Many bikes have a carry basket in front which is an ideal place to put your helmet while riding. This is especially useful at night because it stops the headlight from distracting the driver by showing what is on the road ahead and instead, shines directly on the helmet, bathing it in bright light like a prized exhibit in a gallery.
There are two occasions when passengers and riders are sure to put on their helmets, when the police set up a road block and when it rains, the latter being more urgent. While there are obvious concerns about a helmet messing up the ‘motorbike blow-wave’, rain is a bigger hair problem.
A helmet is the ideal protection from rain, if you don’t have a plastic bag to put on your head while riding.
Fastening the chin strap however slows you down from taking the helmet off again when the rain suddenly stops. It also gets in the way if you still want to talk on your mobile phone while you have your helmet on so most people just let their straps dangle free in the wind. This can be a bit of a problem if you are wearing one of the ice cream bucket helmets because they are so light that people often have to hold on to the strap or the helmet with one hand to stop them blowing off. This is easy if you are a passenger but can get a bit more difficult when you are the driver and are already using your other hand to hold the shopping, smoke and send a text message to a friend.
Thailand averages about 13,500 road deaths per year, with about 80% of these on motorcycles. I have no idea how many other people are injured or disabled but I am sure of one thing. When their helmets are found nearby they will still be in excellent condition.
Kruz On (20 Aug 2010 14:48:18) 
cynthia456 (16 Aug 2010 18:19:46) 
visa.asiainterlaw (27 May 2010 11:19:42) 
carsanook (15 Feb 2010 09:52:01)