Motorcycles are very dangerous.

I rode a Yamaha Nouvo 135cc two-up (with a passenger) from Phuket, Thailand, up to Hua Hin, back down to Chaiya in Surat Thani, then over to Donsak. Then we took the bike on a ferry to Ko Samui and Ko Phangan. Then I drove all the way back from Donsak to Phuket.

Bikers in the Southern Thailand region had told me this type of trip was impossible, or at least very dangerous. Well, I didn’t even get a scratch on my bike! I thought I was invincible.

It was all fun and games until one day we got hit by a truck coming around a curve in Phang-nga province. Boom! Life changes (or ends) in an instant.

Riding a motorcycle is a lot of fun, but beware of the risks. If you make one wrong move, you’re dead. I broke my neck, my passenger broker her leg. I’ll be in a neck-brace for 3 months, she’ll be on crutches for 6. The driver of the truck was completely unharmed, yet WE the motorcyclists were considered the lucky ones. In Thailand, dozens of people die every day in motorcycle accidents. I was this close to being a statistic.

Be careful. If you’re going to ride a motorcycle, ride slowly, and know your limits.