PATTAYA, Thailand — Another tourist on a rented motorcycle hit a pedestrian in Jomtien this week. No one was surprised. In Pattaya, these accidents are as common as motorbikes on sidewalks, red lights being ignored, or police checkpoints conveniently disappearing after dark.
Every few months, officials talk about “cracking down” on unlicensed drivers and reckless riders. But behind the slogans, little changes. The same pattern repeats: a driver without a valid license pays a token fine, the rental shop pays a small fee to get its bike back, and everyone goes home — until the next crash.
Locals remember a law introduced a few years ago meant to fix the problem. It required renters to show a valid Thai or international motorcycle license. Violators could face confiscation of vehicles and fines. It worked briefly, until enforcement quietly faded — like so many other well-intentioned regulations in Thailand.
The truth is simple: money matters more than safety. Rental companies keep handing out bikes to anyone with a passport and cash, regardless of experience. Tourists, many of whom have never ridden anything faster than a bicycle, climb aboard, convinced that “everyone drives like this.” Meanwhile, Thai riders — including food delivery drivers and locals without insurance — set daily examples of chaos. As one long-term resident said, “They don’t come to Thailand and suddenly behave like maniacs — they copy what they see.”
Police could stop it overnight by seizing bikes from rental offices that ignore the law. But they don’t. Why? Because fines and fees generate quick money, and there’s no incentive to end a system that keeps cash flowing. As a result, pedestrian crossings remain bowling alleys, traffic lights are decorations, and tourists continue to learn the hard way that Pattaya’s streets are not playgrounds.
In the end, the city’s road safety problem isn’t about foreigners or locals — it’s about culture, complacency, and corruption. And until someone decides that lives are worth more than the next rental fee, Pattaya’s roads will remain the same: fast, lawless, and lethal.
