The freedom and fun of driving around on a moped in Thailand is awesome. In most places there are no helmet laws and no enforced laws against drinking and driving. Dangerous? Maybe. But a hell of a lot of fun, especially when you’re drunk and racing a beautiful Thai woman to her house at 100 km/h.
However, the longer you stay, the more likely you will be involved in a moped accident. I’ve been in many and all included a bit of alcohol in my system. Luckily, none of them have been major, just scratches and a few stitches.
Most foreigners go directly to the hospital and are charged an expensive rate from the hospital. If you have insurance, this doesn’t bother you. If you don’t have insurance, the hospital bills stack up.
This is where we introduce you to free moped accident insurance offered by Siam Bank (aka the purple bank).
If you have a tourist visa or better, you can sign up for a standard checking account with Siam Bank. When you do this, make sure you get the debit card that comes with the account. The debit card will cost 2,000 baht, but it will come with free moped accident insurance for 1 year.
When you get in an accident, simply show the debit card to the hospital. You will then be covered up to 20,000 baht each visit.
Posted on Gods of Thailand March 21, 2011 in Tips & Advice