Road deaths rocket by 3,000 as Thailand set to be named world number one in carnage, say academics

[balo]

2 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Concentration and awareness are essential for safer driving.

 

 

Thats why I'm still alive , had some close calls on Thai roads. 

 

[smudger1951]

I would be interested to know how the insurance industry works and whether it is profitable. I know pemiums for scooters don't seem high. So how is all this damage settled.

[hotchilli]

[Bigfarang1948]

On ‎11‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 7:08 AM, coulson said:

No surprise. And they get defensive when foreign media calls it a dangerous place to visit?

 

Wake up please!

Amazing! Some so called Dr. on road safety says safety campaigns are not working. I am no road safety expert, but that has been obvious for the ten years I have lived here. So, now all you provincial mayors, police chiefs and other Ministers can tell your staff to toss all safety campaign slogans, banners and road side safety check points into the Mekong river. All that pre holiday advertising money can now be spent on another worthless campaign and the BIB can go back to drinking more tea. It is apparent that Thailand has NO road safety experts, so we can all expect the carnage and mayhem to continue. Of course it is easy to see from my EXPERT point of view that the reason Bangkok is the safest is because it is difficult to have accidents when you are in gridlock traffic so many hours each day. Sad commentary on lack of leadership and prevention on so many levels.

[Keesters]

On 11/13/2017 at 8:06 PM, snoop1130 said:

Some 45% of deaths involve motorcycles, 5% are pedestrians and 1% cyclists.

 

So you're more likely to die (49%) if you're in a >=4 wheeled vehicle!

 

 

[anon537687643]

And consulates don’t warn its citizens of the dangers in Thailand, more dangerous than any other parts of the world! A disgrace and all for political reasons !


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[transam]

11 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

how can you tell if you can't see through the window?

How long have you lived and driven in LOS....?  

[Gandtee]

Lane blocking also causes accidents. In the mornings on the Navamin -Kasert road which is a fast road, one lane is blocked by parents taking their children to school, and again where people are stopping to look at the marigold field. This causes drivers to duck and dive from one lane to another. Adding to the accident risk, motorcycles are weaving in and out. It's like driving in 'Wacky Races'.

[mikiea]

On 11/13/2017 at 8:08 PM, coulson said:

No surprise. And they get defensive when foreign media calls it a dangerous place to visit?

 

Wake up please!

china drivers some of the worst , 1.4 billion people and 20 times more cars than thailand = a much smaller death rate  . giving stupid people drivers licenses and allowing drunks and junkies on the road with little or no policing  . that is the thai way .

[VocalNeal]

16 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Thais drive way too fast on every type of roadway

My experience is different at least in BKK. They tend to dawdle along getting in the way.

[NornIronSteve]

For those living in Rayong, what do you think ? Been driving around the area for a year and seen quite a few aftermaths, apart from Thai joie de vivre/fatalism/recklessness is it a combination of the pimped out pickup/Fortuner  right up your arse on Sukhumvit doing 160 while the farmer in front is managing 40 in his 1970s Datsun, is it the nosing out the front half of your vehicle into incoming traffic at U-turns, is it the un-indicated 'drift' from hard shoulder onto main roadway, the narrow dual carriageway system and the number of giant tarp-covered artics belching their way on them to and from Mathaput/Laem Chabang, the drunk clubbers heading for the ditch at 4.30am on a Sunday or the cones in the outside lane on a blind corner of the bypass placed there by the guys hacking back the treeline ? So many variables....

[chilli42]

21 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Much more vehicles on the road than there were 10 years ago. This based on my quarterly Udon-Pattaya-and-back marathon drives since 2005. Before it was do-able in a fast, non-stop, overnight 7 hours tops. Maybe 8 on a busy day time drive. Now I shun the 10 hour daytime experience and manage a safe, not-so-rapid 8-9 hour overnight drive. More traffic (loads more in daytime, not too bad at night) and more traffic lights.

 

Traffic management 101. Why do they install traffic lights? Because there's more traffic.

 

But back to the +80%-ers, have you counted how many and how prevalent the new motorbike dealerships like Mityon are? Dozens of them all the way down to the smallest of provincial market towns and all offering easy finance for the newbie, unskilled, unlicensed and uninsured biker.

You are absolutely correct, more drivers/vehicles equals more road death in absolute numbers.  What puzzles me is that the ratio of road deaths (per registered vehicle) keeps increasing.  Since it’s a ratio the absolute increase in the number of cars does not influence this number.

[chilli42]

21 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Easy. The number of vehicles on the road HAS increased beyond reckoning and it's all road rage, Thai style. My wife certainly tries to kill several every time she get angry while driving, and the last time we were in the car together I refused to let her drive because I wanted to survive the trip.

You are right about the road rage.  Subjectively that has been on the increase.  Is this cause by the increased number of cars/traffic or some nuanced change in what has become acceptable behavior in the culture.  Guess we will never know.  Somewhere along the line a switch has been flipped and they best figure out what switch that was and address it.

[agudbuk]

When a road goes from single carriageway to 2 lanes the line markings direct traffic into the outside lane. This encourages undertaking.

[Cadbury]

This achievement will certainly give PM Prayut something to brag about to his fellow ASEAN members.

 

[Airbagwill]

3 hours ago, Keesters said:

 

So you're more likely to die (49%) if you're in a >=4 wheeled vehicle!

 

 

these figure totally contractdict all previous figures.

It shows that when it comes to compiling road stats, Thailand is completely useless.

here are some recent figures

Riders of motorised 2 & 3 wheelers - 73%

Drivers of 4 wheeled car and light vehicles - 6 %

Passengers of 4 wheeled cars & light vehicles 7%

Pedestrians 8%

cyclists 2%

Heavy trucks2%

Buses (drivers/passengers) 1%

others 2%

 

This actually means that cars are one of the safest ways to travel and about as safe as the USA.

 

 

 

 

[transam]

1 minute ago, Cadbury said:

This achievement will certainly give PM Prayut something to brag about to his fellow ASEAN members.

 

Carpet....Brush......

[MaxYakov]

"Far more men die than women and the group most likely to perish on the roads are aged 15-29."

:

"Three out four who die are male".

 

Think of all the young Thai women who want to start families, but can't because the Thai men have been killing themselves on motorbikes and any other means at hand.

 

I know they are out there and are patiently looking for their mate.

[Airbagwill]

16 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

"Far more men die than women and the group most likely to perish on the roads are aged 15-29."

:

"Three out four who die are male".

 

Think of all the young Thai women who want to start families, but can't because the Thai men have been killing themselves on motorbikes and any other means at hand.

 

I know they are out there and are patiently looking for their mate.

eventually, a prolonged period of this predominantly male deaths will, like the slave trade, actually change the demographics of the country as well as damaging the economics.

[spidermike007]

Thailand has been number one in road deaths for at least a decade of two, already. They have a bizarre face saving measure, when it comes to counting road fatalities. If you do not die at the scene of an accident, it is NOT a road death, regardless of whether or not you die on the way to the hospital, or once in the hospital. Secondarily, they are second only to Libya. How many less road deaths would Libya have, if it were not for the little problem knows as IED's? 

 

And why are these drivers speeding in the first place? The primary reason is the toy police force. Nobody, and I mean nobody takes these guys seriously. There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and both the local governments, the central government (weak Little P.) and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

 

When I was growing up, we took drivers education classes. They showed us these horrendous films, of semi trucks crashing into cars, and literally obliterating them, and everything inside. Also, they showed very graphic images of head on collisions. Even as a young kid, it left a lasting impression, and I realized driving was no joking matter. Especially when you have your friends, or loved ones in the car with you. I am constantly astonished at the kinds of chances people take here, with their entire family in the car with them. Why? What is the logic? What is the reason? Why take those risks? Often, when someone cuts onto the highway in front of me, as I am doing 100kpm or more on the highway, I look in my rearview mirror, and there is nobody behind me for quite some distance. Which means, had they paused, and waited 2 or 3 seconds, there would have been zero risk to them, their family, or me and my family. What can one even say? All of this matters even more when driving a motorbike, where there is no protection. 

 

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, nor enforcement of the law. 

Now for my scooter rant:

 

Many of us drive motorcycles or scooters here, and it is dangerous getting on the roads with some of these other drivers. 

 

Getting on a scooter, or a motorcycle anywhere in Thailand, much less Phuket, Phangan, Dark Tao, or Samui without a very good helmet, is like playing Russian Roulette with three or four bullets in the chamber. It is absolutely asking for problems. The degree of recklessness here is astounding. And many foreigners come here thinking "how much trouble could I get in on a little scooter, on a tropical island"? Well, the answer is alot. The amount of foreigners who are killed on the Southern islands is staggering. Most are not reported in the media. I had a friend who worked for Samui rescue for many years, and said the numbers were about 30-60 a month, on Samui, Phangan and Koh Tao. The official number is about 3 a month. Rider beware. Use as good a helmet as you can afford, and do not use these eggshells pieces of crap. They crack at the first impact, and what lies underneath them? Your skull, which is very delicate. 
 
Just ask yourself- do I have enough problems already, without a broken skull, or smashed head, or face injury, or lost eye? I have two friends who have been in motorbike accidents on Samui within the last two years. One still cannot walk, or talk or function on her own, from a motorbike accident, where she hit her head on the pavement going only 20 kph. The other one has lost alot of his mental capacity after hitting his head. He insisted for years he would never wear a helmet. Now, he seems 15 years older. 

 

I was told by a very reliable source. He did not have an agenda. He rescued alot of the survivors. He attended to alot of the ones who did not make it. The press here is highly censored. The report only what the so called leaders want them to report. Nothing else. Social media? Why would social media report these statistics? They report individual accidents, but not overall statistics. Anything you read about accidents on Samui in the media would be false. 

 

 

• Road deaths are now calculated based on fatalities on-site. Victims dying later in hospital not counted.
• In 2000 there was an average of 30 deaths a month on Koh Samui (official figures released each month).
• Now it is stated that Koh Samui has 3-5 deaths each month (using the new way of reporting road deaths).
• In the last ten years the population has almost doubled and there are now 5x more vehicles on Koh Samui.
• Based on ‘official figures’ today it is possible to estimate that Koh Samui currently has 60 deaths per million per year. (Compared to 23 in London.) Based on the population and traffic density statistics from 10 years ago Koh Samui has in reality 720 deaths per million per year. This is probably the highest rate of road deaths in the world. Samui is a fatality death spot that nobody is willing to acknowledge!

[Airbagwill]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand has been number one in road deaths for at least a decade of two, already. They have a bizarre face saving measure, when it comes to counting road fatalities. If you do not die at the scene of an accident, it is NOT a road death, regardless of whether or not you die on the way to the hospital, or once in the hospital. Secondarily, they are second only to Libya. How many less road deaths would Libya have, if it were not for the little problem knows as IED's? 

 

And why are these drivers speeding in the first place? The primary reason is the toy police force. Nobody, and I mean nobody takes these guys seriously. There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and both the local governments, the central government (weak Little P.) and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

 

When I was growing up, we took drivers education classes. They showed us these horrendous films, of semi trucks crashing into cars, and literally obliterating them, and everything inside. Also, they showed very graphic images of head on collisions. Even as a young kid, it left a lasting impression, and I realized driving was no joking matter. Especially when you have your friends, or loved ones in the car with you. I am constantly astonished at the kinds of chances people take here, with their entire family in the car with them. Why? What is the logic? What is the reason? Why take those risks? Often, when someone cuts onto the highway in front of me, as I am doing 100kpm or more on the highway, I look in my rearview mirror, and there is nobody behind me for quite some distance. Which means, had they paused, and waited 2 or 3 seconds, there would have been zero risk to them, their family, or me and my family. What can one even say? All of this matters even more when driving a motorbike, where there is no protection. 

 

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, nor enforcement of the law. 

Now for my scooter rant:

 

Many of us drive motorcycles or scooters here, and it is dangerous getting on the roads with some of these other drivers. 

 

Getting on a scooter, or a motorcycle anywhere in Thailand, much less Phuket, Phangan, Dark Tao, or Samui without a very good helmet, is like playing Russian Roulette with three or four bullets in the chamber. It is absolutely asking for problems. The degree of recklessness here is astounding. And many foreigners come here thinking "how much trouble could I get in on a little scooter, on a tropical island"? Well, the answer is alot. The amount of foreigners who are killed on the Southern islands is staggering. Most are not reported in the media. I had a friend who worked for Samui rescue for many years, and said the numbers were about 30-60 a month, on Samui, Phangan and Koh Tao. The official number is about 3 a month. Rider beware. Use as good a helmet as you can afford, and do not use these eggshells pieces of crap. They crack at the first impact, and what lies underneath them? Your skull, which is very delicate. 
 
Just ask yourself- do I have enough problems already, without a broken skull, or smashed head, or face injury, or lost eye? I have two friends who have been in motorbike accidents on Samui within the last two years. One still cannot walk, or talk or function on her own, from a motorbike accident, where she hit her head on the pavement going only 20 kph. The other one has lost alot of his mental capacity after hitting his head. He insisted for years he would never wear a helmet. Now, he seems 15 years older. 

 

I was told by a very reliable source. He did not have an agenda. He rescued alot of the survivors. He attended to alot of the ones who did not make it. The press here is highly censored. The report only what the so called leaders want them to report. Nothing else. Social media? Why would social media report these statistics? They report individual accidents, but not overall statistics. Anything you read about accidents on Samui in the media would be false. 

 

 

• Road deaths are now calculated based on fatalities on-site. Victims dying later in hospital not counted.
• In 2000 there was an average of 30 deaths a month on Koh Samui (official figures released each month).
• Now it is stated that Koh Samui has 3-5 deaths each month (using the new way of reporting road deaths).
• In the last ten years the population has almost doubled and there are now 5x more vehicles on Koh Samui.
• Based on ‘official figures’ today it is possible to estimate that Koh Samui currently has 60 deaths per million per year. (Compared to 23 in London.) Based on the population and traffic density statistics from 10 years ago Koh Samui has in reality 720 deaths per million per year. This is probably the highest rate of road deaths in the world. Samui is a fatality death spot that nobody is willing to acknowledge!

"They have a bizarre face saving measure, when it comes to counting road fatalities. If you do not die at the scene of an accident, it is NOT a road death, regardless of whether or not you die on the way to the hospital, or once in the hospital."

 

THis is not correct, the calculation of road deaths is explained in an earlier post. death within 30 days and stats are collated by 10 different organisations in Thailand.

 

your premise is wrong so everything else you write must follow is nonsense.

[transam]

11 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

"They have a bizarre face saving measure, when it comes to counting road fatalities. If you do not die at the scene of an accident, it is NOT a road death, regardless of whether or not you die on the way to the hospital, or once in the hospital."

 

THis is not correct, the calculation of road deaths is explained in an earlier post. death within 30 days and stats are collated by 10 different organisations in Thailand.

 

your premise is wrong so everything else you write must follow is nonsense.

You don't live here then...?

[jenny2017]

11 hours ago, wozza68 said:

Majority are young Thai men so no great loss!

 

Disgusting post. Most foreigners who live here, are somehow related to younger Thai men. 

 

    

 

  

[KiChakayan]

12 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

 

Disgusting post. Most foreigners who live here, are somehow related to younger Thai men. 

To me this sounds just as disgusting,...

[natway09]

Whilst we all know that the Police fail miserably in that they are too lazy to enforce the law

(only last night I witnessed  an overweight policeman on motorbike push his way through 3 motorbikes 

going the wrong way up a one way street , but  said & did nothing) the problem also is that the average

Thai male does not use anything between  his ears when driving.It is actually very sad as on the whole they are  great people

[Airbagwill]

43 minutes ago, transam said:

You don't live here then...?

if this sums up your powers of reason then I don't see much prospect of you contributing anything to the discussion.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

if this sums up your powers of reason then I don't see much prospect of you contributing anything to the discussion.

Weeeell reading your posts l reckon you don't live in LOS, plus l reckon you have never beenin a ride driven bye a local.......I have, even cop cars.....

In fact you seem to have no idea about LOS stuff which takes time to take on board.....

[Wanderlust]

2 hours ago, agudbuk said:

When a road goes from single carriageway to 2 lanes the line markings direct traffic into the outside lane. This encourages undertaking.

Yes it does, but on roads with two or more lanes, from the Thai Traffic Laws, overtaking on the left (undertaking) is legal, whereas in most western countries it is not. However, drivers are supposed to try and remain in the left most lane whenever possible, but lane discipline in that regard is appalling in Thailand, and partly because of what you observed, and also the way the roads are set up here, with U-turns so commonplace. Farmer Lek in his beat up old pickup that's only capable of 30 kph will steadfastly remain in the outside lane because he knows he needs to u-turn in 20 km. His thinking will be that people can still pass him on the left, so no problem, and even though he is technically breaking the rules, no police would ever stop him for it.

[jenny2017]

1 hour ago, Airbagwill said:

"They have a bizarre face saving measure, when it comes to counting road fatalities. If you do not die at the scene of an accident, it is NOT a road death, regardless of whether or not you die on the way to the hospital, or once in the hospital."

 

THis is not correct, the calculation of road deaths is explained in an earlier post. death within 30 days and stats are collated by 10 different organisations in Thailand.

 

your premise is wrong so everything else you write must follow is nonsense.

"This is already explained in an earlier post?" Whom do you trust more, a poster who's got a good reputation on this site, and is living here, or a post, or anything that was made up to cover the truth?

 

   Please allow me to call your post a dishonest one. If you'd have read the OP's post correctly, without your own interpretation, you'd have seen that he knows a guy who's rescuing people. Why should this guy lie?

 

I'm fully aware that none of the drug OD's foreigners where foreigners are involved are in any sort of report/statistic. Nor are numbers of the road deaths correct

 

The statistics here are only made to save faces, not to tell the truth. 

 

  Anything that would be bad for tourism is usually swept under the carpet of ignorance... 

 

[Ron19]

Two anti thai troll posts have been removed.