Okay here is the scenario:

There is a brand new toyota land cruiser driving along at a normal speed of let's say 50 km/h and it's about to go through an intersection that has no traffic lights. On the other side of the road, there is a person on a motorcycle/moped wearing no hemlet and is also driving along at a normal speed of let's say 50 km/h.
The motorcycle decides to turn left in front of the toyota land cruiser which puts on it's brakes but ends up hitting the motorcylce who was trying to turn left. The person on the motorcycle suffers a broken leg and the motorcycle is damaged. The toyota land cruiser has a small dent and the occupants are uninjured.

Question: If you were the police in Laos, who would you say is at fault and how would the situation be rectified?

If you are not from Laos, please do not answer this question because I already know the answer that you would tell me, thanks.

First of all, it is against the law to ride a motorcycle without a helmet so the person is already doing something illegal.

It also depends on other factors. Example is a foreigner involved, does any of them have a licence.

If both motorists agree to pay for damages and hospital bills, and also pay the police for their time then the problem can be rectified quickly.

I see about 99% of the people in laos ride motorcycles without helmets and the only ones that do, wear them to keep the dust out of their mouths.

Let's say they both have a license to operate their vehicles. Does it really matter if the person is a foreigner even though they have an international drivers license?

Okay, putting all these possibilities aside, I just want to know who is at fault and who has to pay? They are both Lao nationals that live in Laos, born and raised for simplicity.

There's more people who wear helmets than that in Vientiane. In rural areas, it's another story.

The car is at fault because it's a big vehicle versus a little vehicle.

Thanks, that was the exact answer I was looking for. This was actually a true scenario that my friend told me about in Laos and the outcome was the same as what the admin just answered. I noticed she used the word pay in her sentence twice, I thought that was kind of ironic, hehe...

Okay everyone is free to comment now. Thanks for being part of my experiment.

Another thing people should be aware of is that in Laos, if you're involved in a traffic accident and a person dies, you must serve some jail time even if you are not at fault.

If you caused the accident then expect a lengthy jail term.

Funny thing about traffic in many countries. Absolute chaos compared to the US. Some of the funniest experiences I ever had involved traffic. I am speaking from my experience in China, but I will get the chance to see Lao traffic soon.

Hehe, admin you are funny. If the larger vehicle is always at fault because it is a bigger vehicle, then I will always drive a smaller vehicle, that way, I will never be at fault. If that were true in North America, my small honda would rule the roads. The way it works here, admin, is that there is such a thing called "right of way" which governs the rules of the road. We don't expect a huge truck to come to a complete stop if some bad driver decides to cut them off. No vehicle can defy the laws of physics. Also, the mentality here is that the smaller vehicles should try to avoid the larger vehicles since they will most likely kill you if you get in their way. That is one of the reasons why americans like big cars, lots of metal around you to protect you supposedly. So if you are crazy enough to get in the way of a large moving vehicle, then it's your own fault for being that stoopid, we like to call it contributory negligence.
It shocked me to see a lot of mothers riding motorcycles/mopeds with two small children on the back and one in the front for a total of four people on one small bike, all with no helmets. If we did that here, we would go to jail for sure and it would be all over CNN. Makes me wonder how much freedom we really have in the US/Canada, hehe...

Oh, also for Matt, I would not ever drive in Laos. Many people told me not to as well since if you are from out of the country, you will either have to take out a second mortgage to pay them off or go to jail like the admin said regardless of who's at fault. I guess there is a no win situation for us to drive there. Reminds me of some auto insurance frauds that intentionally create accidents to claim insurance against you.

Buk Hoo Kee wrote on 30^th Jul, 2009 at 10:58pm:

Oh, also for Matt, I would not ever drive in Laos. Many people told me not to as well since if you are from out of the country, you will either have to take out a second mortgage to pay them off or go to jail like the admin said regardless of who's at fault. I guess there is a no win situation for us to drive there. Reminds me of some auto insurance frauds that intentionally create accidents to claim insurance against you.

Haha! Many years ago, I thought it might be fun to drive in Asia. However, 5 minutes after my first arrival I quickly realized that I have don't have the skills. Public transportation is is readily available in many places, and the drivers know the rules.  No worries that way.  ;)

Most Americans drive big cars because the road in their country is good, also they travel long distance. In Laos, it's easier to get from place to place with a motorbike because the roads are narrow and it's more convenient to find parking space. Motorbikes are also cheaper to buy than cars.

I've seen a Lao family of five on a motorbike. The parents and two children were sitting on a motorbike with the mother carrying her infant. They are insane.

Do they have ladies on motorcycles/mopeds that you can pay them to drive you around on the back seat. I saw these in thailand and you basically ride on the back of the bike hanging on to this chick. I thought that was pretty kinky. Hey admin, you want to go for a ride, you drive since I can't.

Buk Hoo Kee wrote on 4^th Aug, 2009 at 10:35pm:

Do they have ladies on motorcycles/mopeds that you can pay them to drive you around on the back seat. I saw these in thailand and you basically ride on the back of the bike hanging on to this chick. I thought that was pretty kinky. Hey admin, you want to go for a ride, you drive since I can't.

Haha! Save it for the bar girls if that's what you're looking for. Transportation is important, and fooling around can result in the lack thereof.

;)

If you asked around some girls in Laos might be happy to give you a ride if they got paid. I'm too busy to do anything these days.

Admin Saovaluck wrote on 29^th Jul, 2009 at 1:45am:

If both motorists agree to pay for damages and hospital bills, and also pay the police for their time then the problem can be rectified quickly.

You have to pay the cops too?

WHY? :-?

Admin Saovaluck wrote on 29^th Jul, 2009 at 1:45am:

First of all, it is against the law to ride a motorcycle without a helmet so the person is already doing something illegal. It also depends on other factors. Example is a foreigner involved, does any of them have a licence. If both motorists agree to pay for damages and hospital bills, and also pay the police for their time then the problem can be rectified quickly.

hahaha pay the police officer? i thought they were on the governments payroll? anyway i would pay the guy on the moped or bike a few hundred and get it over with.

The police officer is on the government's payroll, but they don't earn much money so they try to get anything they can from motorists.

You are not required to pay them on the spot, but most people choose that path to get it over with.

If you don't pay them, they'll ask you to go to the police station and there's paperwork, interviews and things like that to be done, so it's a hassle.

Admin Saovaluck wrote on 15^th Apr, 2011 at 6:47pm:

The police officer is on the government's payroll, but they don't earn much money so they try to get anything they can from motorists. You are not required to pay them on the spot, but most people choose that path to get it over with. If you don't pay them, they'll ask you to go to the police station and there's paperwork, interviews and things like that to be done, so it's a hassle.

Where I'm from this is called extortion/corruption.

By the way, asking you 'to go to the police station and there's paperwork, interviews and things like that to be done, so it's a hassle' is just standard procedure.

But hey, if you can buy your way out it, why not. ;D

Well, the police where you are from, earn hundreds of dollars per week and they are in good stead.

The police in Laos earn less than $100 in a month, so any extra cash they can get on the streets means a lot to them.

Admin Saovaluck wrote on 15^th Apr, 2011 at 11:31pm:

Well, the police where you are from, earn hundreds of dollars per week and they are in good stead. The police in Laos earn less than $100 in a month, so any extra cash they can get on the streets means a lot to them.

Sounds like you support this type of dodgy dealing. Is your old man a cop?

Is that how your kin acquired their riches?

I don't support it, but it's considered normal in this part of the world.

My old man is not a cop, and I'm not rich either.

Maybe Lao government should pay them more. That's why in the U.S they pay government worker, police well so they'll do their best and not corrupt. It's human nature if you don't make enough to feed your family you'll find another way, illegal or legal.

Police in America make $40,000-$60,000 a year or more. I'm estimating.
:o


Admin Saovaluck wrote on 15^th Apr, 2011 at 11:31pm:

Well, the police where you are from, earn hundreds of dollars per week and they are in good stead. The police in Laos earn less than $100 in a month, so any extra cash they can get on the streets means a lot to them.

That's the problem with one party politicals system "corruption." Nobody can challenge the authority or has freedom of speech to speak up. So corruption go on and on.
:o :D


Larb Dip wrote on 15^th Apr, 2011 at 11:00pm:

Admin Saovaluck wrote on 15th Apr, 2011 at 6:47pm: The police officer is on the government's payroll, but they don't earn much money so they try to get anything they can from motorists. You are not required to pay them on the spot, but most people choose that path to get it over with. If you don't pay them, they'll ask you to go to the police station and there's paperwork, interviews and things like that to be done, so it's a hassle. Where I'm from this is called extortion/corruption. By the way, asking you 'to go to the police station and there's paperwork, interviews and things like that to be done, so it's a hassle' is just standard procedure. But hey, if you can buy your way out it, why not. ;D

you pay the kid you just ran over, then you pay the cop. if your lucky you make it home for dinner and some ice cream hahahaha