Thailand is sometimes known as the ‘land of 100 million scooters’. Indeed, according to the Pew Research Institute, 80 percent of Thai households own at least one motorbike, and a huge majority of these bikes are scooters or mopeds. Take a walk around Bangkok, and one of the first things that you’ll notice is the sheer amount of mopeds and scooters. The high-pitched sound of two-stroke engines is a constant presence on the streets of any Thai city. Why, then, has scooter culture become so ingrained in Thai life?

This article takes a look at some of the factors that have contributed to Thailand being named the scooter capital of the world.

The Weather

Thailand is a hot and humid place. Until the popularization of modern air conditioning units in cars, they were immensely unpleasant to drive in the South East Asian weather. Scooters offer the best air conditioning system of all – the open air. Nothing feels better on a hot day than the breeze getting under your shirt on a moped ride through the city.

Overcrowding

The population density in the big cities means that traffic in Thailand can be absolutely dreadful. There are 6718 people per square mile on average in Bangkok. That population density leads to ungodly jams. Having a scooter means you can weave in and out of traffic rather smugly. This is not exclusive to Thailand. Arrange a test drive with your local scooter dealer back home if you want to have the satisfaction of bypassing city traffic. Companies like bmgscooters.com sell all sorts of low-power zippy vehicles.

Price

Cars are expensive commodities. Until recently, a car was well out of the reach of the average Thai person. Scooters, on the other hand, are immensely cheap in the country. This is partially due to a huge influx of scooters built especially for the Asian market in the People’s Republic of China. These scooters don’t perform as well as Japanese and Italian examples, but they come at a fraction of the cost and are just about everywhere you look on the streets of Thai cities.

Scooters are also cheaper to run and maintain than cars and motorbikes. Petrol is not a cheap fuel by any measure, and scooters use far less of it than almost any other combustion-powered vehicle. Scooters regularly manage over 100 Miles Per Gallon: something nearly impossible in a car, especially on crowded streets.

Getting Around the Law

Although there are millions of officially registered mopeds and scooters in Thailand, the law is rarely enforced to stop people from riding unregistered scooters. Police have traditionally turned a blind eye to Thai families going about their business on scooters that may or may not be legal. A word of advice to the traveler: don’t think you can get away with riding an unregistered bike. Thai police can spot a tourist trying their luck from a mile off, and you might have to fork out a ‘fine’ to a policeman on the spot if you want to get away without your bike being seized.