Thai road carnage: A MILLION injuries and 24,000 deaths per year, official admits

[oldlakey]

1 hour ago, mr_lob said:

put some of those Aus/NZ style ads on in between those horrific soaps...should save some lives.

Having dealt with the aftermath of a triple-fatality (2 farang + 1 thai) accident caused by a dangerous 10 wheel truck driver back in February, I can tell you, those ads really hit home

It wont help, this might sound hard and cruel but they deserve everything they are getting

Yes there will be innocents

24,000 and its accepted SO BE IT

Just try and keep out of the way

[CGW]

5 minutes ago, MarkusAUST said:

The way I see it is that Thais view road rules as something more akin to guidelines and simply have no understanding of the consequences of driving crazy or driving drunk.

Perhaps when the courts start to dish out 100 hours community service to drunk or dangerous drivers, working in the local mortuary, they will get a chance to truly see the results of their actions, and then you just might start to get through to one or two of them.

Certainly some road accidents here are caused by 'driving crazy or drunk driving" but the vast amount of accidents are caused by 'drivers" who should never be on the road in the first place, they are challenged to drive from A to B and arrive without being in or causing an accident, we have all seen them, they drive in the outside lane at a speed they consider adequate or what there skill level will allow! there only focus is themselves they have no idea of what is happening around them!

"Courts dishing out 100 hours of community service"? would you not need a un-corrupted court system that works first?

[oldlakey]

58 minutes ago, peperobi said:

 

Everyone knows that problem for many years already!

Why is it not possible to taking care all the year about that very bad matter but only on New year, Loi Krathong, Songkran, and other festivities?

The police must be always present and force the peoples to respect the law!

In a perfect world, or the other option a NANNY STATE

I dont hold out much hope either way

 

[RichardColeman]

I have a theory that the police do not enforce the regulations so they get a cut of the funeral expenses !

[Sirbergan]

There is no way 1 out of 68 people are injured in vehicle accidents every year. No way!

 

#fakenews

Edited October 28, 2017 by Sirbergan
Added #fakenews

[natway09]

Regardless of the police not interested in doing their job along with refusing to put mufti cops on the highways to move with the traffic & really see what happens, still allow red light traffic breakers,

there is a mental block with 40% of Thai drivers that just refuse to accept the fact that a moving vehicle is a dangerous weapon. Until the mindset changes with both police & drivers  the carnage will continue.

What about the "Ministry of Land Transport" taking over the  Policing on the roads or would the present 

boys loose too much money ?

[flyingfox1]

1. Lack of driver training result crap drivers
2. Overtaking on either side even if it means barging in front of a bike killing one or two...
2. The swinging Buddhas and loops of flowers, even the 6” taxi ids ..
- to many items to block views- cracked windows- no lights- no wipers- no road sense- wrong tyre pressures- massive overloading on cars busses and trucks-
Little of no fear of cops as the roads are generally lawless...
for me I ride a 150cc Honda and as im a previous international trucker I look in my rear view as much as forward as here your more likely be killed from the back ...
quick tip! When stationary eg: stuck at lights etc.. never park directly behind any vehicle but to one of the sides and keep a sharp eye in those mirrors for loonies closing in to fast and be prepared to get the hell out of there...

Stay safe & stay lucky!!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Actually I thought the numbers were more like 26,000 a year.  Honestly if Thais really cared about each other they’d educate and enforce with Randon Breath Testing. Every Country that has been serious about this have had incredible results. Obviously there is no cure or device for ‘stupid’ and people still drink and drive in the US, UK, Australia etc but the penalties are heavy and the press are vicious, especially if you’re a celebrity. 

 

I guess at at least they are talking about it so that’s a start.

[Moti24]

Thai road carnage: A MILLION injuries and 24,000 deaths per year, official admits.

 

Well, that's a first; somebody in authority admitting something we have already known for a long time!

 

Now, Mr Official, what are you going to do about it, apart from hold a one day, "Anti Drink Driving Campaign", that will be forgotten before the next sunrise!

 

Obvious causes contributing to the road carnage have already been highlighted in above posts.  Yes, drink driving is one of the main causes, but there's a bit more to it than that, as everybody knows.  

 

Mr Official is just going tbrough the motions, to justify his existance.  We'll probably be reading the same carnage bullshit next year.  And the year after!  And the year after that!  And.................!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

[Sirbergan]

Id like to see sources or statistics for this one. I doubt the numbers, even though I think the traffic here is horrible. 1 out of 68 each year is a stretch.

[Brunolem]

4 hours ago, mercman24 said:

WHAT HAPPENED to the not riding in the back of pick up trucks i'll tell ya, nothing, Thais arrive here at Jomtien beach weekends with 6 to 8 kids and adults crammed in the back of pick ups right in front of the toy town cops, not a word is said.

What happened is that many Thai people complained to the authorities and that the latter caved in!

[terryw]

4 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Vietnamese police are dynamite on helmets. I suspect most of the fines go into the hip pockets but at about US$10 a hit it has got them wearing helmets. 

It depends which city you are in. In Hanoi the police do little to enforce the helmet law.

 

Vietnam never gives accurate numbers of people killed in road accidents. It might be considerably higher than Thailand.

[Brunolem]

4 hours ago, Thunder26 said:

I don't think drinking is the main culprit. I think the lack of discipline on the road is the main reason. Riding bikes in flip flops and with no helmets, often on the wrong side of the road. Another big factor is not keeping safe distance between cars. Most drivers are oblivious to see the danger in tailing other cars. Lack of responsibility, like speeding, not checking mirrors, not showing indicators or getting into the main road without looking. 

The other day on my way to Sattahip a moron almost shoved me off the road!

The sad thing police does nothing to stop these morons! 

No helmet, 3 on a bike...in the night with no lights on!

[oldlakey]

36 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

For most Thaivisa members this is an opportunity to vent their erroneous beliefs that Thai people are inherently stupid.

Just because a TV member drives.. or drove.....everyone is suddenly an expert on road safety..... or what they erroneously consider to be “road safety”

The drink drive lobby puts it all down to alcohol the speeding lobby claims speed, yet they all overlook the elephant in the room which is the entire driving environment.

 

If this was introduced into the UK the death rates and figures would immediately rise to be the same........

 

 Passing a test does not make you a great driver, driving for 20 years without an accident doesn’t either. Driving a truck doesn’t either - it is studying road safety that makes the difference and as most people don’t even recognize it as a “thing” how can they be expected to comment.

Just look a the comments on this this they are almost all about a driving, mostly cars or motorbikes with no reference whatsoever to the road environment or other road users or government policies - just glib sound-bites about drivers who are drunk...... it doesn’t even approach the problem.

 

What makes roads safe is government regulation.

Build safe roads design them in a way that prevents idiot driving.

Build and use safer vehicles (805 in Thailand are vulnerable road users)

Enforce laws - to do this you need to train the police and BUILD PROPER ROADS

Train drivers and OTHER ROAD USERS - not just for a test - learning road safety is a life long process - learning how to drive is not learning road safety.

Provide a proper emergency service - lord knows how many people die from insufficient medical attention in Thailand.

...and finally set up and train a body to examine measure categorize and analyze every single accident fatal or otherwise so that we can learn how these things really happen.

 

If the Thai authorities embrace ALL those points then they will make progress - otherwise they are just rearranging the deckchairs on the titanic

 

 

The Thai driving environment is down to the Thais themselves

Let the Thais sort it out

Do you see any sign of them HELPING themselves, because I dont

Everything you have mentioned is the norm in a first world country

You cant compare it to any first world country, because to be a first world country you need a first world environment / Government which can only be achieved with a first world attitude of acceptance from most of the population

Even if that attitude has to be forced onto the population

24,000 fatalities is not good, but where or how they are going to make a genuine start on reducing that figure, I have no idea, although you seem to have a few decent pointers

As for becoming a first world country well lets just say the phrase, In the mists of time just reared its ugly head

[Bangkok Barry]

5 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Enforce helmets to be warn, but will anyone pay attention, apart from the Buddha himself, Zzzz O''' zzz ?

I really don't care if they won't wear helmets. If they want to play Russian Roulette with their life that's up to them. What I DO care about are those in cars, vans and lorries who put others in danger with their selfishness and stupidity.

[vlietje]

5 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Enforce helmets to be warn, but will anyone pay attention, apart from the Buddha himself, Zzzz O''' zzz ?

rather see them to look at bikes and cars without working lights, they take others than themselves, the helmet is someones choice....

[Brunolem]

3 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

the vast majority of locals dont have a great education (even if they have been to university), awareness or experience of anything different this way of behaving is 'normal' and therefore within their expectations of how life is and so have no incentive to change.

 

what is disappointing is some thais have been educated and have lived abroad, they have seen and know it doesn't have to be this way and yet they do absolutely nothing to drive forward change for the better. i was saddened by the ex PM who lived in the uk for most of his life and was educated to a high level, i felt he would be a catalyst for positive change but he achieved noting.

Agreed!

They don't care for life...funerals in villages are a cause for celebrations...the higher the life insurance of the deceased, the more the fun...and the drinking!

[AGareth2]

25 minutes ago, Sirbergan said:

There is no way 1 out of 68 people are injured in vehicle accidents every year. No way!

 

#fakenews

probably higher

[impulse]

I get a big kick out of everyone who thinks drivers would be any better back home if it weren't for fear of the cops, fines and points against their DL.  People back home don't drive safely to avoid accidents,  That's a side benefit of driving to avoid getting pulled over.

 

Edit:  I guaranty that the numbers back home would be just as bad- or worse- if the cops acted like they do in Thailand, and the majority of the vehicles were 2 wheelers, which are 20-40X as dangerous per km driven as 4 wheelers.  It isn't because the folks in the west are capable of driving any better.  It's because they're forced to...

 

Edited October 28, 2017 by impulse

[chainarong]

There's room for improvment in these figures, question is were do u start...............................

[wvavin]

It is just talk, talk and talk but nothing is done to date!

[masuk]

4 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Vietnamese police are dynamite on helmets. I suspect most of the fines go into the hip pockets but at about US$10 a hit it has got them wearing helmets. 

Yes, and I also believe that bikes are locked away by the police until the owners return with the fine and a helmet in their hand.

Something HAS to be done here in Thailand.   Why are those at the top so uncaring?

There's no respect for the law when you can see motorcyclists driving down a busy road in Chiang Mai, no helmet, and texting.   4 seconds looking at a screen is long enough to drive into the rear of the truck in front!!!

[chainarong]

1 minute ago, wvavin said:

It is just talk, talk and talk but nothing is done to date!

Jesue weeps , now U want to ruin it all...........................................

[oldlakey]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

I get a big kick out of everyone who thinks drivers would be any better back home if it weren't for fear of the cops, fines and points against their DL.  People back home don't drive safely to avoid accidents,  That's a side benefit of driving to avoid getting pulled over.

 

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, my friend

Approx 1,700 deaths in UK

Approx 24,000 deaths in Thailand

Approx same population Thailand has the edge

Roll on the nanny state where this is concerned, and yes I know you cant pick and choose where the nanny state is concerned, it comes as a package

[les Dennis]

Blown headlight and tail light bulbs I would guess are responsible for a lot of those deaths and injuries. How much would a bulb be. 30 baht? It still amazes me that on the Honda Dreams they allow a shopping basket bang in front of the head light !

[transam]

Just get the paid traffic cops out there to do their job...OH, where are they....?

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, my friend

Approx 1,700 deaths in UK

Approx 24,000 deaths in Thailand

Approx same population Thailand has the edge

Roll on the nanny state where this is concerned, and yes I know you cant pick and choose where the nanny state is concerned, it comes as a package

 

Multiply 1,700 times 20-40X as dangerous for scooters and see where you end up.

 

[Ossy]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

At the one day Loy Krathong festival last year there were 189 dead and 19,869 injured on the roads. In addition there were 48 water related deaths such as drownings. 

 

Friday will see the anti drink driving foundation join forces with police, Bangkok authorities and the private sector in mounting a parade in the Ramkhamhaeng area of Bangkok. 

 

It is entitled "Loy Krathong Anti Drink Driving Campaign".  

It hasn't taken long for the PTB to get back to normal, after funeral week. All the more apt that the topic relates to about 400 funerals per week that irresponsible Thai driving causes . . . either too fast, too clueless or too flaming drunk. Do I sound angry? I've had a really good day, today, but this rooster piece really has got my goat.

 

So what does the good Doctor Thaejing arrange, to take place on the very day that this carnage is expected to treble - and in Bangkok, too, as if this is the only centre of livelihood on the planet? Yes, you guessed; it's the "Loy Krathong Anti Drink Driving Campaign". Such timing . . . he must have asked P1 and P2 for advice, there. How pathetic can the powers-that-be actually be, in dealing with their suicidally inclined population? Or is this simply the Thai way of telling the hated junta that they just can't stand anymore. We'll drive as fast as we can and as drunk as we can and we'll drown a few dozen more whilst we're at it . . . we just don't care, anymore. Well that's how it will seem, come next weekend, after the body-count.

 

Thailand has the worst road death figures - particularly drink-related ones - in the whole world, but the Junta … that's the same Junta that have been working tirelessly to create richer and happier lives for the Thai people, or so Prayut said, last week, can only manage to even think about the shameful record until 6 bloody days before the next piss-up.

Edited October 28, 2017 by Ossy
punctuation

[oldlakey]

1 minute ago, transam said:

Just get the paid traffic cops out there to do their job...OH, where are they....?

I do believe your son was going to be a policeman of sorts

If my memory has let me down, I offer my humble apologies to you and your son

If not could you please ask him and let us know at your earliest convenience

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, Airbagwill said:

For most Thaivisa members this is an opportunity to vent their erroneous beliefs that Thai people are inherently stupid.

Just because a TV member drives.. or drove.....everyone is suddenly an expert on road safety..... or what they erroneously consider to be “road safety”

The drink drive lobby puts it all down to alcohol the speeding lobby claims speed, yet they all overlook the elephant in the room which is the entire driving environment.

 

If this was introduced into the UK the death rates and figures would immediately rise to be the same........

 

 Passing a test does not make you a great driver, driving for 20 years without an accident doesn’t either. Driving a truck doesn’t either - it is studying road safety that makes the difference and as most people don’t even recognize it as a “thing” how can they be expected to comment.

Just look a the comments on this this they are almost all about a driving, mostly cars or motorbikes with no reference whatsoever to the road environment or other road users or government policies - just glib sound-bites about drivers who are drunk...... it doesn’t even approach the problem.

 

What makes roads safe is government regulation.

Build safe roads design them in a way that prevents idiot driving.

Build and use safer vehicles (805 in Thailand are vulnerable road users)

Enforce laws - to do this you need to train the police and BUILD PROPER ROADS

Train drivers and OTHER ROAD USERS - not just for a test - learning road safety is a life long process - learning how to drive is not learning road safety.

Provide a proper emergency service - lord knows how many people die from insufficient medical attention in Thailand.

...and finally set up and train a body to examine measure categorize and analyze every single accident fatal or otherwise so that we can learn how these things really happen.

 

If the Thai authorities embrace ALL those points then they will make progress - otherwise they are just rearranging the deckchairs on the titanic

 

 

The "environment" has nothing to do with that!

The road from Sisaket to Ubon is a nice stretch of asphalt with 4 lanes all the way, plus bikes lanes on the sides.

And yet there are countless accidents.

Among the most frequent cases are the drivers who fall asleep at the wheel and go crash while driving on a stretch of straight road with no obstacles whatsoever.

Yet, there is the pure lack of brains...such as this guy who, in the night, was crossing this same 4 lane road while pushing his motorbike! I and another driver had to jump on the brakes not to hit him at full speed!

Then there is this other one who came from a small dirt road and crossed directly in front of wife, just to go crash himself against a big truck that was coming on the other side of the road!

He lost his leg in the process.

Children 12 years old, with no licence obviously, ride a bike with no helmet to go to my son's school!

And I could go on with countless examples which I have witnessed firsthand.

Don't put the blame for this disaster on the roads, the police or whatever...it is first and foremost the result of a totally irresponsible behavior from the population!

They don't care! I know, I speak to them about it, only to see them keeping on doing as they please, no matter the consequences!