hobz

As long as airlines are competing for customers and not colluding to fix prices then it's all ok. 

When will more airlines fly to Koh Samui? Flights to Samui are horribly overpriced due to monopoly 

4 hours ago, lvr181 said:

 

Are you preparing yourself to become a future leader of Thailand? 

 

The cessation/minimization of corruption has to start somewhere. Therefore, punish those cops!

 

Corruption may be a "tradition" but always at a cost to society and particularly to the ordinary Thai citizen.

My dream is to become head of traffic police. I would be the richest man alive within months. Also i would get awards and medals for saving so many lives. Great times ahead.

Its not fair to punish these cops because everyone always did like this. Its tradition. 

11 hours ago, siam2007 said:

nobody has mentioned one of the main problems: Almost all drivers take amphetamines or sip at least 5 bottles of Red Bull per round-trip, so they can stay awake during their usual 24 hours shift they need to perform, as otherwise they won't be able to make a profit due to the requirements set by the greedy van operators

Yes, finally someone mentions the operators. The operators should be held responsible.

If laws would be enforced and operators held responsible for their drivers then we would start to see a difference. 

However... Thats going to take 20 years at least.. Enforcement and responsibility are like taboo words here in thailand.

15 hours ago, colinneil said:

As i have said before you cannot fix stupid.

This woman is 1 of the most stupid people in Thailand.

Yet she was smart enough to produce 100k somehow. 

9 hours ago, Phuketboy said:

"Exhausted all means to reduce accidents" - no you haven't.  Maybe have the police force actually enforce the road rules instead of just standing on the side of the road watching them happen. A couple examples:  there were 4 police officers directing traffic through a round-a-bout yesterday because nobody knows how to use them.  Right in front of the police as traffic was proceeding round a pickup pulls out (without giving way to the cars on the right and already on the round-a-bout) which blocked the traffic.  The police did nothing.  Many times you see people driving on the wrong side of the road (including the police).  Another incident was 2 police standing next to a pedestrian crossing near traffic lights fining people for not having helmets..... cars and bikes did not stop for pedestrians (yes it is law in Thailand) and were driving through the red lights.  Again the police did nothing even though it was happening right in front of where they were standing. 

 

“Simple fact. If there are activities, there are consequences as occurred. Many people using cars, cheap oil, good roads and cars run faster while drunk driving remains. So what laws can solve these problems besides the spirit of joint participation of every one of us. You asked how they can be solved? We in the cabinet have discussed the issue long enough,” said the prime minister, adding that he preferred the next government to tackle the problems. - no issued need to be discussed except having the authorities do their jobs properly or sack them.  Don't need anymore laws to solve the issues, just need the police to enforce the road rules/law that is already in place.  

 

In the PMs defense, he probably tried to tell police to do their jobs. He needs some way to make the police do their jobs.

It all comes down to economic incentives.

Give police good salary etc. And if the <deleted> up, take it all away.

200 baht fine for driving without license. 

No law enforcement besides checkpoints.

I think the message is pretty clear. 

4 hours ago, Phuketboy said:

"Exhausted all means to reduce accidents" - no you haven't.  Maybe have the police force actually enforce the road rules instead of just standing on the side of the road watching them happen. A couple examples:  there were 4 police officers directing traffic through a round-a-bout yesterday because nobody knows how to use them.  Right in front of the police as traffic was proceeding round a pickup pulls out (without giving way to the cars on the right and already on the round-a-bout) which blocked the traffic.  The police did nothing.  Many times you see people driving on the wrong side of the road (including the police).  Another incident was 2 police standing next to a pedestrian crossing near traffic lights fining people for not having helmets..... cars and bikes did not stop for pedestrians (yes it is law in Thailand) and were driving through the red lights.  Again the police did nothing even though it was happening right in front of where they were standing. 

 

“Simple fact. If there are activities, there are consequences as occurred. Many people using cars, cheap oil, good roads and cars run faster while drunk driving remains. So what laws can solve these problems besides the spirit of joint participation of every one of us. You asked how they can be solved? We in the cabinet have discussed the issue long enough,” said the prime minister, adding that he preferred the next government to tackle the problems. - no issued need to be discussed except having the authorities do their jobs properly or sack them.  Don't need anymore laws to solve the issues, just need the police to enforce the road rules/law that is already in place.  

 

Its actually unbelievable that he said that they had exhausted all means...it has to be a translation error or this guy and his staff all mist have combined iq of a half dead chimp

2 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

How about supporting a proper public transit system with real buses and trains?

You think buses are safe in thailand?

58 minutes ago, Geoff Snell said:

Lets face it. Until it's personal who is going to lay out money on the table

They even announce police raids a couple of days in advance on the off chance that they would catch the wrong guys 

5 hours ago, kannot said:

Not "20 years"?? surely  some mistake?

 

Lets place bets for the 3  month  "Songkran  Special Death" toll

 

Driver  arrives checkpoint, book says started at 11am current time is 10 am yeah thatll fool em...".I  havent been not driving for not  one  hour officer"

Pathetic.can the drivers even write? and can the Police even read?

 

"This govt has exhausted all mean" ..........FERKIN PATHETIC    -1/10 of  course if  each driver displayed a "  I hate the King"  sticker I bet action would be taken then eh

Holy shit this government is pathetic. At least they admit that they are incompetent. If they could just get some foreign consultants to help them figure out that they need to raise the fines dramatically and install cameras everywhere and have traffic police that checks not only motorbike helmets. 

16 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

 

Absolute speed in itself means nothing. It all depends on the conditions - road surface, traffic, rural roads, highway etc

 

Rural roads through moobans, generally nothing faster than 60-80 kph. Dual carriageways or bigger, no way am I staying below 100 kph unless traffic conditions dictate otherwise. Don't want to get rear ended by idiot drivers.

I drive 80kph if the road is completely empty and good quality.

If you drive over 100kph and there is a pothole and at the same time you are taken over recklessly by a minivan,, what do you do? There is no time to think, there is no time to react,,.. Obviously you are here to tell the tale so i genuinly wonder how you survive shit like that? Or are you saying you dont encounter potholes and reckless drivers? I for sure do...

4 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

 

Absolute speed in itself means nothing. It all depends on the conditions - road surface, traffic, rural roads, highway etc

 

Rural roads through moobans, generally nothing faster than 60-80 kph. Dual carriageways or bigger, no way am I staying below 100 kph unless traffic conditions dictate otherwise. Don't want to get rear ended by idiot drivers.

I havent driven the big roads between cities etc so i cant speak for that, but on the highways surrounding chiang mai i always felt like it was safest staying on the left around 50-60kph and keeping a good eye in the rear view and a good eye in front "lots of obstacles on the left lane..".

The downsides are as you say: fear of getting rear ended, specially if i need to make a right turn on these horribly planned roads.

Another downside is all the obstacles on the left lane.. Parked cars, taxis picking up people suddenly. Debris, sand. Whatever.

But driving fast leaves less time for reacting, it also increases the danger of any accident. Plus im driving a honda click 125cc, its not going much over 100kph even if i want to :)

Maybe thailand could learn from the marijuana boom in the US. 

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-04/legal-marijuana-sales-'bigger-than-dot-com-boom'/8161218?pfmredir=sm

Apparently the marijuana sales are bigger than the dotcom boom. But maybe we have to wait until thailand 5.5 for that one.

10 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

 

Speed limits work and should be observed when driving in countries where motorists are properly qualified to be in control of a vehicle. However, this is not so in Thailand where over 80% of the motorists would be pulled over by patrolling cops in a first world country for one infraction or another.

 

This accident is one such example. The bike was behind the minivan, the minivan pulls a sharp right to make a U-turn, directly into the path of the bike.

 

By staying at 100 kph behind another vehicle, in no time you will have buses, minivans, pickups etc barreling down your back. On another thread, one poster commented that in his home country, they are taught to ride at the speed of the traffic. Don't ever do that in Thailand. Always either stay ahead of the traffic or fall back into a safe zone behind them if it's too fast for your comfort zone.

So that leaves only the slow and "safe" option for me.. Going over 100kph is way too scary for me.

20 minutes ago, Brer Fox said:

Thai logic on display for all to see.

Reduce the number of vans therefore the number of van accidents and deaths will correspondingly reduce.

Yeah they truly are stupid 

4 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

 

 

First of all the problem's not the number of vans,   It's how the  idiots DRIVE!

Yeah and now they are rewarded with bigger murder weapons in form of buses... Jesus christ somebody please find me an official with a brain to fix this nightmare 

On 1/2/2017 at 10:25 PM, Elkski said:

No one says the obvious.... These U turns are a stupid road designed for  death.  I mean turning from a fast lane to a fast lane is asinine. 

With no space between opposing traffic for even one car to wait in much less a truck or van sized car.. So the guy doing the u turn is worried about being rear ended so he sticks his nose out more on the other side.  I say they need to start building 200 elevated vehicle u turn  and pedestrian cross over bridge systems per year for the next 5o years.

Or everyone needs to stop speeding. Just because its a fast lane doesnt mean you can drive faster than 90kph or whatever the speed limit is.

On 1/2/2017 at 6:44 PM, Gweiloman said:

 

When on a major highway, I will ALWAYS pass a car going at 100 kph, preferably on the right but on the left too if necessary. That's because it would be suicidal for me to stay behind you at 100 kph. 

 

All that I (and other big bike riders) ask of you is to not make any unnecessary or sudden lane changes. Check, double check and triple check your rearview mirror and both left and right side mirrors before changing lanes. And oh, indicating your intentions with the indicators helps too.

Im no big bike rider so I dont understand why it would be suicidal to stay behind a car at 100kph. 100kph is above the speed limit or not?

10 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

more than that is required. the authorities need to act. but they wont.

There's something wrong with the authorities here in thailand. Are they corrupt?? Shocking... Or are they just stupid?? Dont know what to do?

9 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

RIP fellow Kawasaki biker.

 

Not a day goes by that these mini van murders don't try to run me off the road.

They are the scum of the earth.

 

I say drag them out of their vans and execute them.
 

 

 

I feel your pain and fear bro. Keep your cool mate. 

Minivan passengers could be encouraged to report if the driver is speeding / driving recklessly. They always are.

14 hours ago, optad said:

So you have a moment right now. 

 

a) Choose to write that change.org petition yourself or 

 

Accept asian reality, be smart, re-read your post and get off the bike. 

 

If you wait for the accident,  you won't think option A so smart. And it will happen. It is a choice you make. Not really about changing 'other' to conform. Just you.

Do you recommend anyone who values their lives stop driving bikes or just me? 

14 hours ago, JerryinTH said:

 

Depends on who owns the joint. 

Are you saying its corrupt?

2 hours ago, losworld said:

Save your energy its right up there with burying power lines, cleaning garbage, fixing the education system, outlawing corruption... and the list goes on... welcome to the wild west... number one rule on the road is there are no rules... remember this and you will be a lot safer...

Since you have the energy to write a reply i trust you will have the energy to sign a petition

"There are no rules"..i already know this. Thanks anyway.