Diving and driving

FCDO Travel & News

13 years ago

Dave Covey, British Honorary Consul, Koh Samui, Thailand writes:

Thailand is renowned for its party atmosphere, its great beaches and fresh seafood. As a former diving co-ordinator on Koh Samui I am well versed with the latter, and can see why so many people want to take advantage of seeing friends and family here. When I first arrived in Koh Samui, I had a wake-up call with one of our early dive customers.

A solider from the British army who was nearing the end of his training course slipped on sand and crashed his motorbike into two roadside palm trees. He escaped injury but the bike was badly damaged. This man had been a model student and had sailed through his course and the last thing we wanted was a legal problem three days before he returned home! Fortunately the owner of the bike was known to us and the matter was resolved amicably without police involvement and at a reasonable price.

I realised immediately that this incident could have been much worse as the student didn’t have an international drivers permit (IDP) or adequate medical insurance! lDPs are a legal requirement in Thailand but this rule is widely ignored. Having an IDP significantly reduces the possibility of vehicle insurance being invalidated or blame being levied in the direction of foreigners, unless of course they’ve actually caused an accident. Just goes to show how important researching your destination is – a good place to start is our web page at www.ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk

I ceased riding a motorbike when I realised the extent of the accident and fatality rates of Brits in the archipelago each year. Last year 7 of the 17 deaths that occurred locally were due to bike accidents, while 22 of 44 hospitalisations of 24 hours or longer were bike road traffic accidents. Again – many were uninsured or had invalidated their insurance.

I no longer work in the diving industry but have a steady stream of family, friends, ex-servicemen and young adult children of friends passing through the islands on a regular basis and I continue to encourage them understand the risks. Expats living in desirable parts of the world can expect to be used as safe havens when things go wrong. It is therefore in their interest to ensure visitors are fully prepared. Medical bills can quickly reach the size of a small mortgage for those that fail to “Know Before they Go”. One sobering thought – the biggest medical bill that I can remember since being appointed Honorary Consul in 2004 was £105k!

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