Thai media continues with "Cut the Carnage" campaign as death toll mounts on Thai roads

[tinca tinca]

6 hours ago, missoura said:

Numerous young drivers in our neck of the woods. Fast too.

this IS THE PROBELM.....young riders who have this past onto them from PARENTS.....then these will pass on BAD DRIVING HABITS to their kids AND SO IT GOES ON......will NEVER STOP !!

[digger70]

Thai Media Cut the  ,,,, Carnage,,,,  They can say what they want. But until someone does something about it Instead of Talking Nothing will ever change.       Everyone knows what the problems are.

[dundee48]

3 hours ago, slippery snake said:

Maybe if they were fined 100,000 B,,  The same fine as a person for smoking on the beach ..  

They might learn that they need to wear a helmet ???? 

That law has been around for a long time now but nothing changes.. especially when police at check point I watched the other night,  just waved the Thais through and only booked the farangs.. 

No excuse for farangs not wearing helmets.

[Russell17au]

OK, How many of you elderly farangs are not going to be able to renew your Thai drivers licenses after February 2018 when the new 5 medical reason for making you ineligible to hold a Thai license. The current medical reasons are elephantiasis, TB, leprosy, alcoholism and drug addiction. Now being added to this is epileptic seizures, high blood pressure, brain diseases, myocardial infarction and severe diabetes. How many of you suffer from high blood pressure?

It is expected to be in force in February 2018

[fullcave]

6 hours ago, missoura said:

Numerous young drivers in our neck of the woods. Fast too.

No helmets either. But who's fault is that, the parents that own the bike or the children? 

 

Trash goes on the road when the big gulp is finished. 

[Jim walker]

It wont stop until Thailand gets a proper police force well funded and paid

[TKDfella]

Like others here I don't think there will be change until law enforcement improves greatly and attitudes towards the consequences change also. Last week I was at a major intersection where the traffic lights had timers also. The two cars in front of me could not move when the lights turned green because those at right angles to us still continued to drive on for a full massive 10 seconds. I have seen vehicles jump the lights before but usually one to three cars at most. I was also in a position able to see the secondary traffic lights and they were clearly red so drivers just refused to stop. Until there appreciation for other drivers the carnage will continue.

[scorecard]

8 hours ago, seajae said:

until they actually make these people obey the road rules nothing will change, they need to make the police get out and patrol the roads on proper road bikes and cars not their stupid trucks. Impound cars and bikes of repeat offenders, not let the drivers/riders simply ride off after being caught drink driving. The reason for the majority of deaths is the lack of respect for the laws and the police not enforcing them, they need to fix this before anything can be achieved

 

 

How true, but IMHO this will not happen until they change the recruit requirements and only recruit much better educated police, with better salary, and of course do something to really stop promotion buying.

 

Bottom line - there's a long way to go and nobody is making any moves to gain improvements.

[kickstart]

4 hours ago, scotbeve said:

 

Yup. Reactive in lieu of being proactive. Re: videos, should start showing the very graphic accident videos to the kids in school aged 12+. As was seen in schools in the 60's and 70's in quite a few countries. The class being social studies / drivers ed.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

No need to show videos, just watch Thai news early in the morning, every morning, shots of the road accident ,the  ,body normale covered up , but news reader will read all the details. 

Now with dash cam's becoming popular, have seen some horrific crashes on Thai  tv , videos that would not be shown in our own country ,to graphic

Will it deter Thai drivers from driving so fast after seeing these video's  ,a big no.

[YetAnother]

4 hours ago, scotbeve said:

As was seen in schools in the 60's and 70's in quite a few countries.

and those videos Worked, all these years later i remember them

[YetAnother]

30 minutes ago, kickstart said:

No need to show videos, just watch Thai news early in the morning, every morning, shots of the road accident ,the  ,body normale covered up , but news reader will read all the details. 

Now with dash cam's becoming popular, have seen some horrific crashes on Thai  tv , videos that would not be shown in our own country ,to graphic

Will it deter Thai drivers from driving so fast after seeing these video's  ,a big no.

thai drivers will not associate what happens to others might happen to them; supreme degree of self-centeredness

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, Russell17au said:

OK, How many of you elderly farangs are not going to be able to renew your Thai drivers licenses after February 2018 when the new 5 medical reason for making you ineligible to hold a Thai license. The current medical reasons are elephantiasis, TB, leprosy, alcoholism and drug addiction. Now being added to this is epileptic seizures, high blood pressure, brain diseases, myocardial infarction and severe diabetes. How many of you suffer from high blood pressure?

It is expected to be in force in February 2018

guess my fees to the local clinic to get my medical 'certificate' will go up; good job thailand; right in line with what we expect

[ronrat]

In an Australian army base near Melbourne about 15 years ago a heap of the diggers had come back from stints in Timor and had plenty of money. A whole heap of them bought high speed motorbikes. One clown used to drive into the nearest town and ring saying how quick he had done it. Inevitably he crashed and burned and hit a tree and was killed. The RSM had enough and at the military funeral asked permission from the parents for an open coffin showing well a mess. It was granted. He then called every member of the unit who owned a motorbike out including young officers and made them file past the coffin. Within days a heap of motorbikes were for sale and the local coppers rang to say the speeding had been cut by around 90 percent.

 

Perhaps every unlicensed underage rider sans helmet needs a visit to the morgue. And that includes my girlfriends kids.

[Russell17au]

That RSM from Pucka knew how to get the other soldiers attention and it worked

That RSM is needed here to get the attention of these stupid government asses and get them to look at the dead bodies lined up in front of them and ask what are they going to do about this carnage that they are doing nothing about.

One of the 777 lkaws that is being brought in for the holiday season.

Drivers of buses who are suspected of having consumed alcohol will be prohibited from driving in 61 accident prone areas nationwide during the New Year period.

This only applies to the 61 accident prone areas and all other areas the drivers can still operate as normal.

It should be mandatory that all bus drivers have a zero alcohol reading at all times whilst driving the bus.

This is bloody ridiculous

[shart]

4 hours ago, Sid Celery said:

 

Thais will not change unless and until:

 

1. the education system changes.

2. the police start seeing the police as a law enforcement agency and not a supplemental income agency.

3. Thais stop equating ignoring the laws with 'face'/status, which the current sakdina derivative culture positively encourages. Thais are generally not stellar intellects but they see what the rich pooyay get away with.

 

Until then, forget it. Eventually an evolutionary change will occur in but it'll be a while. My opinion.

As good a summary of what the problem is as any. It is indeed cultural, in my totally unqualified opinion.

[shart]

Anyone else notice how almost all vehicles are advertised and marketed in a manner that promotes or normalises fast driving? The adverts in cinema for pick up trucks always show them racing or going fast or even speeding through a market chasing a biker! The easily led target audience lap it up. A root and branch approach to setting standards and policing is required. And we all know that this culture does not have the where with all to do it. Lets face it, its a dangerous place to be a road user.

[BsBs]

No drug users should be in jail, but retarded drivers YES !

[SABloke]

For those of you that don't understand Thai I shall translate. The guy filming said, "I'm sorry that you did something wrong which caused me to crash into you. Next time you should not brake so hard, so that when I'm not paying attention to the road more than 5m ahead of me, and I don't notice slow traffic ahead, I have time to avoid you as you take out the guy in front."

Edited December 5, 2017 by SABloke

[shart]

4 hours ago, Tilacme said:

I have a radical idea.  Produce a 100 page booklet detailing rules and regulations for road use.  Call it something like, I don't know say "The Highway Code". And this is where it gets really crazy .... make all road users pass a comprehensive written and practical test before allowing them to drive on the road.

Whilst not a direct reply to the above this sort of ties in. I did my motorbike test in Thailand about 18 months ago,it was a real eye opener and an education - but for all the wrong reasons.I will try to explain

 

 Almost everyone was foriegn (not Thai), and they all had a dim view of Thai licencing and road use. They paid little notice to the requests of the lady and others running the 'no riding' part of the test. They showed little respect and I felt embarrassed to be a forienger amongst them. When the video was being shown, the video that gives you every bit of information you need for the multiple choice questions, most we talking, using there phones, going outside to get food, doing other things,talking in groups or talking to partners outside and the like. Of course they all knew better and did not need to lower themselves to taking part in the 'stupid' thai test. Comments like 'why dont they just give us a licence were being spouted'. Things got interesting at the multiple choice computer test, people full of talk now realised they knew nothing and there incompetence was reflected in the high failure rate. So many foriegners trying to 'save face' with all manner of excuses - yes I had a good laugh. I was the only person who watched that video all the way through - if the disciplines in that video were followed by road users in Thailand this place would be a whole lot safer RIGHT NOW. But people dont, not just thais, but everyone thinks they know better.

 

The problem is cultural and a broad lack of respect not just for the laws but for common sense and fellow man.

 

[DrTuner]

Strict enforcement and public caning. Worked for Singapore. Anything less than constant fear of corporal punishment does nothing, generations of Thais are used to getting away with anything. 

[300sd]

How do you teach these people road sense? Some of them are good drivers. Actually I have seen many large trucks one behind the other going 100 km/h and more, and I could not fit in between them. (that is a skill). And it doesn't matter how fast I go, if there's a space in front of me, the guy behind me wants it. Whenever I need to brake on the highway, the guy behind me changes lanes. Some are very unsure of their driving and some are excellent at break neck speeds....all with no road sense.

Attaining road safety here will be a long uphill battle and it needs to start with the children. 

[dinsdale]

As long as they believe in these...

and not these....

Nothing much will happen.

Add to this I am Thai, I am the best and an under paid corrupt police force, well .... say no more.

Edited December 5, 2017 by dinsdale

[mindfulness]

... word is, stupid cannot be taught. 

The general poplulas, well ‘stupid is that stupid does’.

[Redline]

How about enforcing the law with real consequences.  Let’s grow up and take responsibility 

[petesc55]

Did you notice the camera bike had it's mirrors turned in to give more clearance between cars?       What could go wrong with that?

:)

 

 

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, scotbeve said:

Any of you long term expats ever take your blood pressure after driving for only 20 min.?

Sent from my SM-N900 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

I have mentioned to the nurse that we should wait a little while as I just drove the bike up Sukhumvit.

[Ruffian Dick]

10 hours ago, shart said:

Anyone else notice how almost all vehicles are advertised and marketed in a manner that promotes or normalises fast driving? The adverts in cinema for pick up trucks always show them racing or going fast or even speeding through a market chasing a biker! The easily led target audience lap it up. A root and branch approach to setting standards and policing is required. And we all know that this culture does not have the where with all to do it. Lets face it, its a dangerous place to be a road user.

Only in Thailand? Or everywhere else? I see this in USA "adverts", maybe you are much more civilized in Old Blighty. :)

[Ruffian Dick]

How about educating the people about road safety? Oh, I guess that's what they are trying to do...carry on.

[Happyman58]

I have got a new slogan the might help reduce the death toll" Make the police do their jobs"  Picked wife up from the shop  at midnight Apart from the idiot who drove through the city flat to the boards  i saw ambulances at 3 accidents and not a cop in sight That idiot speeding would either of killed somebody last night or he killed himself It was frightening to look at

[Airbagwill]

15 hours ago, Russell17au said:

There is 1 letter that you failed to mention and that is the most important letter

It is the letter A

A=Attention

Getting the attention of someone who will get off their ass and start something, then we can go onto the 5 - E's but A must come first

You mean attention of the authorities? Yes - that has been the problem all along - i is well established how to tackle road safety but successive Thai governments for various reasons have ignored all the advice.

 

Part of this is due to government support for the motor industry that has provided both jobs and a massive increase in vehicle ownership.

Secondly is expenditure of proper roads and an international standardised emergency service (this may well account for 25 to 33% of fatalities)

 

In the end though this number of fatalities per year in unacceptable - it costs Thailand trillions of baht in lost income, healthcare etc etc....it also changes the nations demographics as well as effecting the economy.

 

Those who say "nothing changes" are wrong - firstly these figures in themselves represent change (for the worse) and in the end some government will have to address the problem systematically rather than cosmetically.

 

Imagine if this number of people were killed in a war? - and it happens every year!