Jet through the rice fields of Asia with a scooter — a fantastic feeling. Or a short cruise to the supermarket for a few snacks for the evening. Driving a scooter is something fine and quite practical. But especially tourists in Asia are advised not to ride a scooter. Not without a reason, of course. Traffic accidents happen here every day and it doesn’t matter whether they are caused by you or by third parties.If you feel like driving scooters in Asia — okay. In some places, you may even need it because there are no other options of transportation. But don’t underestimate the danger of riding a scooter.
In this article I will give you an overview and tips on how to drive a scooter in Asia as safely as possible.

RENT A SCOOTER

If you have decided to rent a scooter, the first step is probably the easiest task. In the major tourist areas, you will find several shops and rentals on every street that offer scooters for different prices. From my experience I can say that in Thailand and Indonesia there is often the possibility to rent a scooter directly at the accommodation.
If you are overwhelmed by the mass of offers, ask for recommendations in your accommodation.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Make sure that you photograph the existing damage (dents, scratches, etc.) beforehand or even keep a record of the rental. Normally it will not be considered. But if you should catch a bad shop owner, you are protected.
• Check that the scooter papers are present. It can happen that you have to show the papers at a police control. Mostly they are under the seat or in the helmet compartment.
• Take a close look at the condition of the scooter: working brakes (!), Mirrors, lights, indicators, horn. Is the tire tread neat? You are particularly grateful for good tires on wet roads. Just test drive to test everything.
• Take a close look at the condition of the scooter: working brakes (!),mirrors, lights, indicators, horn. Is the tire tread neat? You are particularly grateful for good tires on wet roads. Just do a first drive to test everything.

COSTS

Let’s have a look at the very positive part of the rent: the costs. On average, you pay between 3 and 5 euros for a good scooter per day. For most rentals, the longer you rent the scooter, the cheaper the total price will be. For example, if you want to rent the scooter for an entire month and you may need to use a few bargaining skills, but then the price can only be 1 euro per day. Whoop whoop!

INSURANCE

In any case, ask the rental company about insurance against accident and theft. If the rental doesn’t offer one, just hike to the next rental. Normally you do not need a insurance: as soon as your scooter will not work anymore the right way or only the brakes don’t work properly, you can simply change the scooter. The landlords know that it is often just wear and tear.
It is important, however, that if you are involved in an accident, the tourist in Asia usually pays. An Insurance (which also only costs a small amount) may not be so bad.

ROADS, RULES … OH A CHICKEN!

I often hear sentences like: “In Asia there are no rules on the streets!” No. There are. And it is absolutely essential for survival to know and pay attention to them.

• IMPORTANT: Riding a scooter in Asia is not the same as in Europe. Certainly no new information. But on your first scooter rides you will probably have to get used to it: there is left-hand traffic.
  If you set a turn signal to overtake in Thailand you will be ignored. Here is honking the right signal! There is also honking on Bali and the man behind the driver on the scooter is also waving his hand in a certain direction.
  You overtake on the right and left, in the curve, without looking at your shoulder, with your own pet on the handlebar and with three children in the back seat.
• Many roads in Asia, especially in the more non touristic areas or on small islands like Nusa Penida, consist of potholes, rubble and sand. Paved roads are considered a luxury here. The road conditions can change within seconds and are sometimes really narrow.
• Chicken! They are everywhere! And they usually run comfortably their usual way across the street. When driving, pay attention not only to the road, but also to the roadside, where many dogs, cats and chickens are walking around. Especially at night they like to hop in front of your bikes, adventurous.
• Go with the flow! Especially with large, crowded intersections, it is advisable to simply let yourself be carried away by the crowd and not to start daring overtaking maneuvers. Remember that you’re still less protected on a scooter than a car driver.
• Don’t be distracted by strange loaded scooters. In front of us tons of coconuts, live chickens (see photo below :(), whole street food stores or five people appeared at the same time. We have complied with the Asian style once on Nusa Penida and were on a scooter with four pieces of luggage. Hola! My heart!

SAFETY – DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DANGER

In addition to the inspiring feeling of freedom and the sun shining on your face, please do not underestimate the danger of riding a scooter. I’m in Indonesia right now and see a lot of people every day with abrasions, burns or bandages.

• Get a helmet! Not all rentals offer helmets directly. Insist or buy one otherwise. It doesn’t matter that your hairstyle doesn’t fit afterwards. If you have a laceration on your head, you wish you had worn a helmet and your hairstyle would be just chaos. For example, three years ago in Bali I bought a very good helmet in a motorcycle shop and then simply resold it after my stay.
• Definitely don’t drive without driving experience! In my last hostel in Bali, a lot of girls came up with the idea of learning to ride a scooter (when they left the property they almost felt over when turning).
  Sorry, but that’s irresponsible. You not only endanger yourself, but also the others on the street.
  If you have never driven a scooter before and you really want to learn it in Asia (your decision), then practice in parking lots or in side streets before getting into the right traffic.
• Clarify with your health insurance that scooter accidents are covered! Not all foreign health insurance policies cover medical expenses after a scooter accident in Asia. So to be on the safe side, spend a little more money on the complete package.
• The first rule I learned from my ex-boyfriend before my first scooter ride in Bali: “If we have an accident, raise your legs!” Yes. The most common injuries occur in the same way. Even if you tip over with your scooter while standing, but your leg is stuck under the extremely hot exhaust, you can endure very painful, violent burns. It is best to always get off on the left. With my 1.58 meters, I often have difficulty getting off the scooter elegantly. #sometimesI’msexy
  So sometimes the leg brushes the scooter from the side and the exhaust is on the right!

RAIN

The streets are known to be slippery when it rains. And the rain is sometimes really heavy in Asia. Make sure that your braking distance takes longer, do not take the corners too sharply and avoid unnecessary overtaking maneuvers. Warning: deep puddles are often worse than any banana at Mario Kart.

By the way: There are these beautiful, sexy rain ponchos in every supermarket. Be sure to get one during the rainy season! They are usually so huge that they even fit over your backpack and in the end you are happy to stay dry. I can also recommend that you always have a large scarf with you in your backpack. You are very grateful for it after every scooter tour in the rain, dust or cold.

POLICE CONTROLS

Police controls are hated of all scooter riders on the go! In Asia, tourists are particularly fond of being pulled off the road to get a lot of money out of it in a corrupt manner. These can be normal controls where you just have to show your vehicle documents and driver’s license. But it can also just be about the bad mood and boredom of the police officers and they stop you because your helmet seems to be too loose and they would like to have 1,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah (= 60 euros) for it. If they are in a really bad mood, they even threaten you with a few nights at Hotel K (that’s what many Indonesians affectionately call the Kerobokan prison on Bali). Here are some tricks so you don’t end up there:

• Invest in an international driver’s license! Many people smile at this note because no scooter rental company wants to see your driver’s license. But the 18 euros are a very good investment! It’s best to take always a copy with you on the way, if you ever lose it, you still have your original in the accommodation. We were stopped two weeks ago and should pay a fine of 60 euros because we didn’t have a driver’s license with us (we traded the nice gentleman down to 25 euros).
  Attention: In Thailand you need a special international driver’s license. And in Vietnam, the normal international class B driver’s license is often not valid, since the small cross only appears behind the car and not behind the scooter / motorcycle.
• Always put some foreign currency notes in your driver’s license or ID. Yes I know, bribing police officers sounds pretty criminal. But as described above, especially in Indonesia, you are often stopped because your helmet is crooked. When you show the driver’s license to the police, they often take the money without saying a word and you can drive on without having to go to prison. Whey!
• Be brazen! If the cops just pick you out on a busy street and wave you to the side of the road: just keep driving.

That’s it! In the beginning, just take it a little more cautiously despite the feelings of the paradise.

Hati Hati (Indonesian: Drive carefully / take care of yourself!)
Lots of Love ♥