Thai authorities mull different licences for “big bikes” after three deaths

Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has asked the Department of Land Transport to review how Thailand regulates powerful motorcycles after several deaths in recent days. 

Saksayam has suggested introducing a new category of licence may be necessary. Also he wants existing laws to be implemented fully. 

And he has even suggested that giving bikers a high speed go on a racetrack – like in his home province of Buriram – would reduce road accidents. 

Saksayam said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha is concerned after three deaths in three days concerning what the Thais call big bikes. One involved a relative of a celebrity record label owner in Bangkok and a Thai actress. 

He was decapitated on a BMW 1000 on a Klong Tan flyover. Grisly pictures were spread all over social media.

Saksayam has asked the DLT to look into the matter and make a report on current laws and penalties and ensure that stringent measures are in place. 

He also wants the DLT to look into the possibility of creating a new licence category. 

At the moment anyone can jump on a powerful machine with virtually no training just by getting a regular bike licence which are easy to obtain and very cheap, notes Thaivisa.

Some 70% of Thailand’s road deaths involve motorcycles. 

Saksayam told Daily News that projects in Buriram have seen a marked fall in bike deaths. 

Celebrity “idol” presenters who ride bikes have conducted training seminars where wannabe speedsters get a chance to try out the Chidchob family’s Moto GP track.

The Transport minister thinks rolling out such plans in other provinces would help limit the death from motorcycle accidents on the Thai roads. 

Thai Visa / Daily News

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