fredwiggy

I've been driving over 50 years, and many more miles than the average person. Do you think I don't have a proper understanding of road safety systems? That's another of the many assumptions I see here daily. Thinking you know more about this is also an assumption on your part. Road safety is about all things I mentioned. It's not just one factor, but it still boils down to one main thing. It's the driver who is responsible for their own driving, and not anyone else. If they know how to drive safe, from training, education and care, there is one less incompetent person on the road causing problems, and one less for the police to worry about. Accidents happen because people take risks, meaning driving without enough skills to be a safe driver, drinking or doing drugs before driving, not driving a road safe vehicle, not being aware of other drivers around them, or caring if they are, If the road is unsafe, it means you go slower until the road is repaired. There is no need for emergency response if an accident didn't happen, which again, is still on the drivers. Cultural attitudes mean nothing. Road laws are much the same all over. If you follow the laws, there are less accidents. If all followed the laws, there are no accidents. No fatalities or injuries, no court dates or fines. It all goes back to the responsibility of the driver. There are again, bad drivers in all countries, which is obvious. Thailand doesn't have all the world's bad drivers. They just have a lot more than most. If you drive Thailand every day, like you say, you will see what goes on here, just as I and others do. I see foreigners driving carelessly, mostly on motorcycles, but I see a much higher percentage of locals making bad decisions and erratic driving than foreigners. Most are on scooters but many in cars and trucks. I don't see people in the US going around someone in the fast lane, into oncoming traffic, to pass someone who's doing the speed limit, to get around them, instead of taking the safer route in the next lane to pass. I see this all the time here. That's arrogance and or ignorance. I do see motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic sometimes in the US. Here you see it all the time, at all speeds. Again, it's not just one thing that makes the ending results here in accidents, but it's still the driver who's responsible. You can put 10 good drivers on a very bad road and they can drive without accidents. You can also put 2 bad drivers out of 10 on a excellent road and you will have accidents. Driver responsibility, first and foremost.

The more you drive, the more you see. Common sense. If you put in half the time on the roads than another does, that other person sees a lot more that goes on than you do. What you see, you analyze subconsciously, based on what you've seen before, what you know about laws and your brain processes things automatically.

There are a lot of things that go into making things safer here, and you touched on them, as have others. I was a driver, professionally, for many years with many jobs in a few locations. Professional drivers put in a lot more miles than the average driver and see a lot more accidents and unsafe driving habits. What has been listed about Thai drivers is correct, both by you and others in many other posts besides this one. Lack of education, inability to use mirrors and not looking behind and to the sides, speeding, drunk driving, poor testing, all adds up to incompetency. Not all drivers here are incompetent, as I've seen some , daily, that are safe and aware, but the large majority falls into one or another unsafe practices, which I and many others have also seen, daily. I drove in the US for 62 years, daily, and many miles, and I still have never seen such blatant bad driving as I have here. I also have seen others doing the same types of inadequate driving in the US, but again, not like here. Bad enforcement of rules already on the books here, as rules here are like rules in the US, is one reason so many die here and have accidents, so it's part of the problem. If you stop more people who are blatantly breaking the road laws, and fine them, they might think twice before doing it again. That's might, as there are a lot of speeders and drunk drivers in the US. Mandatory helmet laws, which are strictly enforced, will undoubtedly save many lives, as you can break every bone in your body and live, but if you hit your head hard, you're usually gone. What there isn't more of is people who don't use their mirrors and drive recklessly on motorbikes. That's something SE Asia and India have much more of. Also, cutting people off while driving a scooter is one main way accidents happen. You can't compete with a car or truck. You always lose. Staying on the shoulder would stop many accidents, unless you're in a motorcycle, and stay in the lane like a car does without weaving.There are poor roads throughout the world, like here, so road maintenance would help because potholes and uneven roads are dangerous for motorbikes. Having more than one person on a scooter is illegal, so that's also on the driver. Pulling them over every time and ticketing them is on the police. It isn't their culture to drive bad. It's a lack of training, skill and care of themselves and others. Yes, if the police did their jobs, more would be saved, because taking a persons money is a good teacher, but it doesn't always work, so it's still on the driver to drive safely.I can only comment on what I've seen driving in almost all of the US states and a few countries, so other countries aren't on my list, but stats don't lie. And if they listed all the accidents that have fatal endings after the initial road one, meaning at hospitals, the stats would look much worse. I'm not prejudiced against Thais at all but just see things as they are.

Life is all about choices, and most of us make bad ones until we learn how to adjust to making better ones. Attraction is how people get together, and that's not a choice, so putting people through tests doesn't work when it's matters of the heart. The internet has made hooking up easier, and people hide much of what they are, fearing others might not like them.So they use sites like Tinder, show their pictures, some of which are years old, and hope when they meet, things will take off from there. The best part of relationships is getting to know the other person better, and hoping things are mutual. There is Match.com, where you're supposed to tell your story and lay all your cards on the table, and hope to find a partner that way. It still means you have to have chemistry to make things easier, and lasting. Problem is, people there lie and exaggerate themselves, hoping the other person doesn't catch on. Problem is, time is the best way of knowing if a person is compatible with you, after the initial attraction. That's where many fail, including myself. People can seem compatible at the beginning and for awhile afterwards. Then the real you, or them, comes out and things sometimes turn ugly. Fact is, it's always better to meet someone in person first. Then the attraction is already there, or not. It still takes time for the real person to come out, and no amount of testing will substitute for time spent together.

Types, not traits. The 16 personality types ...... ISTJ: An introverted personality type ISTP: A logical and pragmatic personality type ISFJ: An introverted personality type ISFP: An introspective and creative personality type INTJ: An introverted personality type INTP: An introverted personality type INFJ: An introverted personality type INFP: A reflective and idealistic personality type ESTJ: A practical, traditional, and organized personality type ESTP: An extroverted personality type ESFJ: A common and popular personality type ESFP: An outgoing, friendly, and accepting personality type ENTJ: An extroverted personality type ENTP: A curious, open-minded, and eccentric personality type ENFJ: A passionate and charismatic personality type ENFP: An extroverted personality type...https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Again, seeing you haven't lived there in 45 years and have zero interaction with the women there, you can't make a legitimate comment on them. Videos are put up mainly because one person wanted their opinion to get out. What you're recognizing is just a few's opinions of the subject. I lived there for 62 years until just 6 years ago, and still visit yearly after the first few years. Things have only changed a little, and mostly involving more media getting out because of phones and the internet. People are still people,with the same 16 character types worldwide. Women there are like women all around in some habits, wants and needs. Some cultures suppress them and some allow more freedom, but they still see what goes on around the world, more now than before, and they all still have the same wants, with minor individual differences. Thailand itself adopted most of western theories, attitudes, technology, music, arts, sports and food because of the internet and word of mouth, so the average women here is becoming much the same as those worldwide, things that have been much the same for generations with slight changes since feminism was brought around. There have always been bitches and karens, including here. Media shows you them almost immediately now.

If you moved to Asia 45 years ago, how would you know how anything is in the US unless you still lived there much of the time? Watching videos doesn't give you but a skewed image of what the US is all about, especially the women. So many comment on the US without ever being there or only visiting. You did live there, but things change in 45 years, and some stay the same. That perfectly nice woman who moved to the US at 2 years old would still be much the same, because she still had the same parents, and what you learn about the world is ingrained into you from age 0-5, and then bolstered from that age on. Her having grown up in the US gave her more freedom to be herself than what she would have seen if she stayed in China. She's a reporter, who's job is to interview and pick apart people to expose the truth. She was asking Trump a legitimate question. Trump hesitated before closing up the US to incoming traffic, which allowed Covid to spread like wildfire, all because he "knew everything about Covid".

That's why it's always wise to go by trusted resources and not opinions. Even scientists can be challenged as they also have their own agendas beyond just the facts.

Google Scholar can be considered a safe source for academic research, but like any online information source, it's important to critically evaluate the information you find there, as it may not always be completely reliable due to its lack of strict editorial oversight and the potential for including non-peer-reviewed content; always check the source and author credentials before fully relying on information from Google Scholar..................kinda ironic eh?

The internet is a huge place where anyone can access and give their opinions on anything. Some are there to spread lies and rumors for their own hatred or agendas. Some are there to put things up to help others, like Wikipedia and WebMD. Some are there to brag about accomplishments and some to show others funny things to spread the fun. It's always best to go to known sites where facts are put there for a reason, to help. Researching a few different websites to see if they correspond is always better than taking the word of just one. Just like going to different doctors for other opinions, even if they're supposed to be educated ones. Just as reading is usually the best way to get information, albeit from a trusted source, instead of listening to just one's opinion on a subject.

I don't think he thought it was funny that the firefighters were at risk. Just the irony of a fire truck catching fire. Yes, it does happen all over the world, as the Los Angeles fires attest. Firefighters and citizens die every year from out of control fires. Building homes in arid areas with not enough protection from water accesses, arson and unsafe practices, like the illegal burning that goes on here countrywide daily are what has fires start, and get out of control. Having old, worn out equipment doesn't help either, but there are enough billionaires here that make money using others, taking advantage of others or do actually nothing useful at all, that could pay for this kind of problem. No excuses that a government can't fund things that help their citizens.

Yes

All you need to do is read the first line to decipher what the post is about.

I have witnessed many times my team the Vikings losing important games from wrong calls by referees. In the playoffs too. No conspiracy but plain facts. It happens a lot, and they are paid off. Even team members do things to lose important games, looking to their own future with another team with more money.

They've been coming into countries since time began. Every country gets immigrants, including here. How would what I say make me wrong? That's your opinion, and it's wrong. There are reasons people come into the US, here and many other countries, and I listed two, with work being another major one. Nothing wrong with people looking outside their border for work. Doing it with a proper work permit is the way. Rich people hiring these immigrants, or well off doing the same, is the real problem, as without pay most wouldn't be coming, besides those seeking asylum. Again, it's best to sticking with comments based on facts and not assuming you know what goes on in other countries. Looking at a few videos and making judgements doesn't work, as it's usually just other's opinions and if not, only shows a fraction of hat goes on in immigration.

Try visiting the US, and better, living there before you can comment on what goes on there, because you have absolutely no idea. They make arrests all day long, every day, and deport people the same. Hearing that Biden wanted some to join their families working legally isn't the same as allowing people just to come into the country freely. Asylum seekers are also a different story, as they are fleeing death and persecution in countries where dictators ply their trade. The same thing happens all over Europe and Asia. I knew personally immigration agents who came to my store to buy guns and ammo, who told stories of what goes on daily near the border. I saw illegals many times while hunting South Texas, running through ranches and crossing roads, and saw them arrested and detained, and buses going back across the border, bringing illegals back to Mexico. It's a never stopping process of rounding up illegals and determining who can stay and who must go, and most go. When you comment on something, try not to use "we", because it's "you" that's making the comment from your personal un educated opinion, and not facts.

Along with the numerous land developers that care nothing about tearing down millions of trees to put up houses in the country where deer, rabbits, squirrels, porcupines, raccoons, and innumerable birds live, just to they can have a million dollar house in the suburbs to show off to their friends.

Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it in mind and probably visit some of the places mentioned when I go.

Mike Mangini from Dream Theater is the fastest I know about.

Stats aren't something you argue with. It is what it is. Many people never see crime in major cities, missing them by a few minutes or a block away. My parents and brother were born in Brooklyn, and my parents rarely saw anything involving crime, especially murders or rapes. And Brooklyn has a lot of crime, as does NYC next door, along with the Bronx and Queens. Many here rarely leave their villages, so they never know what goes on around them. People think Thailand is immune to mass shootings, while they happen almost every month here. News stations aren't like they are in the west. A lot of coverage here would never be shown on western stations because it's not newsworthy. Much of what you see here is people robbing gold stores, traffic accidents and deaths, snakes in homes and people ganging up 5 against 1, armed with sticks and kicking people while they're already down. You don't hear much about gang activity and there's a reason. Tourism suffers the more news on crime gets out besides locally. They don't realize that crime is easy to research, because it still has to be noted in police offices and hospitals, which is public accessed. If you want to know what goes on here yearly, google it. Wikipedia has all you need to know.....https://www.wikipedia.org/

Stats kept are easy to find. You won't see but a fraction of what goes on here on local TV daily. All hospitals and tesabans report deaths, including those in traffic. When they say 60 die here daily, they aren't taking into account those who die later at hospitals, so there are more that eventually get to the stats of the year. Those are easy to find by google. ........https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2023/514/

I'm guessing you're used to a few here who make one sentence a paragraph. I usually separate mine and the others aren't so long a person couldn't follow them. I have no trouble reading some others longer paragraphs ,so. Also, there are many here that don't actually live in Thailand and still post, daily, so my going back to Texas doesn't have any bearing.

Don't assume you know what I do or don't know. All one has to do is research and watch daily news on a variety of channels to see what goes on here. This along with what's published on AN. Along with also word of mouth of friends who live here, lived here and visited here...............https://www.countryreports.org/country/Thailand/crimes.htm Most crime involving gangs and drugs in is the larger cities, just as it is in the west. I lived in the US for 62 years and never saw any crime either, especially involving guns, which is one topic many seem to go to. I worked in NYC for years, lived near it for 30, and the other 32 next to San Antonio, high crime areas. Most people never encounter crime although it happens daily.Google does have it's uses. One link found in 3 seconds..........https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Thailand

You can disagree with anything anyone says. I just tell it as it is as opinions mean little. Gangs are mostly in big cities, as that's where they money and victims are. Human trafficking is huge in Thailand, with major cities the hub for women and boys being forced or addicted into the trade. Some families encourage their daughters to prostitute themselves yes, but it's nowhere near the ones who are in it by other means. There is almost no law enforcement all over Thailand, hence the daily accidents and road deaths but Bangkok usually leads the stats in those, as does other large cities. If you watch and read the daily news, not only on local TV but on Yahoo and other news platforms, you'll see that farangs are almost always targeted in tourist areas and Bangkok. People living in villages aren't into attacking foreigners as we blend in and most everyone around us knows us. We usually get along with our neighbors as blending in is a necessity. It's definitely quieter in rural and country areas, besides the morning news and music, which isn't a bother unless you're right next door. large cities are always noisy, at all hours. City areas always have more accidents that country, just by the amount of people driving. You can research any of this online, as I do. One link...........https://www.statista.com/statistics/1013330/thailand-number-of-local-road-accidents-by-region/

For the last 51 years I've eaten almost all very healthy, with only an occasional cheat. Before that I ate what my parents cooked, which was mostly healthy also.