So, this happened to me yesterday: I got off work at 5, went home, dropped my stuff and got on my way to pick up me missus from the old market. So, I came to the Wat Phnom round about, got off it in the direction of Norodom Blvd. and took the first left. My fellow Phnom Phenians know the cornor. So, in the lane with the oncoming traffic there was a silver SUV, it was approaching me, but it was far enough away and moving slow enough for me to take a left turn...
...or that's what I thought. All of a sudden some wanker on a black & grey Honda Wave shot out from behind the SUV in an attempt to overtake it. I just saw him coming my way and braced for the impact. The next thing I know I was picking myself up from the ground. The guy already was in the middle of picking up his scooter when I stopped him. I took his key out of the ignition and told him to stop until the police comes. He wasn't too happy about this and started to explain to me (in pretty good English) that I was wrong because I wasn't wearing a helmet of the time of the accident. I shit you not. Sure, had I put on my helmet at home it might have delayed my journey for 2 or three seconds and then I might not have been there. But that's going into chaos theory. As it stood, he was riding like a complete moron and attempted to fuck off before there was any resolution to this situation. So we spent arguing for about 10 minutes.
As so often a crowd gathered around us and started to get involved in the argument. So, this fucking asshole just continued to tell me how I am wrong etc. etc. but that he wants to go home now.
The crowd also insisted that we just pack it up and go home now. But I wasn't willing to go until a policeman had shown up. I was lucky enough to have one white guy pass the scene of the accident. He lent me his phone so I could call my wife. Unfortunately she didn't pick up the phone. Another couple of minutes passed, the guy now tried to claim that I was a thief because I took his key. And after all of that noise, a cop finally showed up...
...to tell me that I should just fuck off (well he didn't use these exact words).

That's when I gave up. I left with my fucked up moto and my scratched up arm, knowing what just happened. This guy knew that he was wrong. He fucking knew it. Had he actually thought that he was in the right, he would have wanted money off of me. But he didn't. He just said again and again that he wanted to go home now. I asked the Khmer crowd to lend me a phone (I even offered them money) for a short phonecall and 6 guys in a row assured me how they didn't have any credit on their phone. Nobody helped me. Not the guy (obviously). Not the crowd. And also not the cop. If you're in a tight spot in Cambodia and you're a foreigner, you're completely on your own.

So, long story short: These people are fucking dicks!

Right or wrong, it was ridiculous for you to expect any sort of recompense, potentially dangerous to your well-being to escalate a scene like you did, and worst case scenario, a pointless attempt to improve your situation.

General Mackevili wrote:

Jacket wrote: So, in the lane with the oncoming traffic there was a silver SUV, it was approaching me, but it was far enough away and moving slow enough for me to take a left turn...
...or that's what I thought. All of a sudden some wanker on a black & grey Honda Wave shot out from behind the SUV in an attempt to overtake it. I just saw him coming my way and braced for the impact. The next thing I know I was picking myself up from the ground. The guy already was in the middle of picking up his scooter when I stopped him. I took his key out of the ignition and told him to stop until the police comes. He wasn't too happy about this and started to explain to me (in pretty good English) that I was wrong because I wasn't wearing a helmet of the time of the accident.

Call me crazy (or worse), but this sounds like your fault from beginning to end.

You cut across traffic, had no helmet, probably no licence and failed to see a vehicle in the lane that you cut over across while making a left hand turn when they were going STRAIGHT?

You are lucky you got outta there without paying.

I always have a hard time blaming this scenario on the guy going straight and not the guy making a left hand turn across traffic.

I don't care if he was going 100 miles per hour, YOU cut across HIS traffic. It is up to you to YIELD and make damn sure everything is clear before cutting across traffic to make a left turn.

The lesson you should learn here is YOU need to be more careful when cutting across traffic like you did. There will almost ALWAYS be some twit driving too fast. You should expect them.

Bottom line: I believe it's always up to the person cutting across traffic like you did to make a left hand turn who needs to make absolutely sure it's done safely.

Glad you're both OK!

What abou obeying the speed limit? No way that this fucker was going forty Ks. But besides, it is his responsibility to make sure whether it's safe to overtake a vehicle in front of him. You know how fucked up the traffic here can be. Had it been a four year old child instead of a fat Austrian there'd be an outcry over how the Cambodians are just shit drivers/riders.

At worst the fault can be divided 50/50 because we both forgott about the #1 rule of the streets of Cambodia
"Expect the irrational!"

Also, the fact that he didn't want any money and that he and the onlookers just wanted us all to go home, is a clear indicator that he didn't think that he was in the right.

renton555 wrote:Right or wrong, it was ridiculous for you to expect any sort of recompense, potentially dangerous to your well-being to escalate a scene like you did, and worst case scenario, a pointless attempt to improve your situation.

I'm sick of this shit! Do you suppose we should always just take it lying down and not even try to stand our ground? That sort of mentality is why Khmer people can get away with abusing us. We're lesser people to them. If I was Khmer I would've gotten at least fifty bucks or so, but because I'm a white european I've got to take it up the ass and hope that they don't add insult to injury by fining me as well? Fuck that noise!

Jacket wrote:So, this happened to me yesterday: I got off work at 5, went home, dropped my stuff and got on my way to pick up me missus from the old market. So, I came to the Wat Phnom round about, got off it in the direction of Norodom Blvd. and took the first left. My fellow Phnom Phenians know the cornor. So, in the lane with the oncoming traffic there was a silver SUV, it was approaching me, but it was far enough away and moving slow enough for me to take a left turn...
...or that's what I thought. All of a sudden some wanker on a black & grey Honda Wave shot out from behind the SUV in an attempt to overtake it. I just saw him coming my way and braced for the impact. The next thing I know I was picking myself up from the ground. The guy already was in the middle of picking up his scooter when I stopped him. I took his key out of the ignition and told him to stop until the police comes. He wasn't too happy about this and started to explain to me (in pretty good English) that I was wrong because I wasn't wearing a helmet of the time of the accident. I shit you not. Sure, had I put on my helmet at home it might have delayed my journey for 2 or three seconds and then I might not have been there. But that's going into chaos theory. As it stood, he was riding like a complete moron and attempted to fuck off before there was any resolution to this situation. So we spent arguing for about 10 minutes.
As so often a crowd gathered around us and started to get involved in the argument. So, this fucking asshole just continued to tell me how I am wrong etc. etc. but that he wants to go home now.
The crowd also insisted that we just pack it up and go home now. But I wasn't willing to go until a policeman had shown up. I was lucky enough to have one white guy pass the scene of the accident. He lent me his phone so I could call my wife. Unfortunately she didn't pick up the phone. Another couple of minutes passed, the guy now tried to claim that I was a thief because I took his key. And after all of that noise, a cop finally showed up...
...to tell me that I should just fuck off (well he didn't use these exact words).

That's when I gave up. I left with my fucked up moto and my scratched up arm, knowing what just happened. This guy knew that he was wrong. He fucking knew it. Had he actually thought that he was in the right, he would have wanted money off of me. But he didn't. He just said again and again that he wanted to go home now. I asked the Khmer crowd to lend me a phone (I even offered them money) for a short phonecall and 6 guys in a row assured me how they didn't have any credit on their phone. Nobody helped me. Not the guy (obviously). Not the crowd. And also not the cop. If you're in a tight spot in Cambodia and you're a foreigner, you're completely on your own.

So, long story short: These people are fucking dicks!

Man, that's just awful...






... she didn't answer the phone? That's just wrong.

Yeah, unless that guy was on the wrong side of the street when passing, the accident is your fault. You failed to yield to oncoming traffic.

And renton555 is absolutely correct. His fault or yours, that is the sort of thing you pick your bike up and ride away from if possible.

Jacket wrote:I'm sick of this shit! Do you suppose we should always just take it lying down and not even try to stand our ground? That sort of mentality is why Khmer people can get away with abusing us. We're lesser people to them. If I was Khmer I would've gotten at least fifty bucks or so, but because I'm a white european I've got to take it up the ass and hope that they don't add insult to injury by fining me as well? Fuck that noise!

You won't last long here with that attitude.

And always wear a helmet you fool. There is no reason not to.

...but his avatar...

btw: du warst schuld. dem gegenverkehr die vorfahrt genommen.