If you ride a motorcycle often, you get used to this question: “Have you ever had to ‘lay it down’”? Invariably the seasoned biker has had at least one occasion where he or she has had to jettison the bike in a crash with resulting road rash to prove it. Once in Central Thailand I failed to negotiate a turn properly and went head-first down the asphalt. There were some construction workers on scaffolding nearby and when they saw I wasn’t badly hurt said in Thai, “Look guys, there’s a farang (white foreigner) taking ROAD MEASUREMENTS!”
In OMF prayer meetings, our requests often revolve around someone who has been on the wrong end of an altercation on the roadway. Last week a motorcyclist had a rear tire blow out in front of me with both the bike and rider going head over heels. I got there first and observed the typical contusions, burns and possible breaks that accompany such a spill. Then at our monthly prayer meeting a co-worker related how she was still shook-up from getting hit on the driver’s side by a speeding motorbike.
Thailand has more than 22 million registered motorcycles on their roads and “ … on average, over 6000 motorcyclists die annually, that is on average 16 deaths daily. Thailand ranks ninth out of 175 WHO member countries for road traffic deaths. In 2021, WHO estimates indicated 18,218 road traffic deaths, an average of 50 per day. The most affected were those aged between 15 and 29; and motorcyclists who accounted for 83.8% of all traffic deaths.
Many OMF missionaries get travel on motorbikes within Thailand. Do pray that God’s hand of protection will be over all of OMF workers and the all who are travelling in this country.
