Seven deadly days - seven vehicle collision - darkness and wet conditions blamed

[saminoz]

"Darkness and slippery conditions were blamed."

Maybe they're onto something here!

I have heard these two culprits blamed before, along with Mr. Angry, Mr. Failed Brakes, Mr. Tired & Emotional and Mr. Yaba.

Surely if these repeat offenders were rounded up and taken out of circulation, there would be nothing left to cause these accidents?

Perhaps the TV commentators are correct after all in blaming it all on the lack of enforcement!

[akampa]

5 hours ago, Nong Khai Man said:

Darkness and slippery conditions were blamed........Well it NORMALLY is Dark at 05.30 am,In'it ??

Dam those wet and dark mornings.  

[farcanell]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

 

If the cops aren't going to enforce the rules against speeding, weaving, tailgating, drunk driving, burnt out lights, and other crazy driving habits, the best engineering in the world isn't going to solve the problem.  Unless it's speed bumps every 50 meters, and who wants that?

 

Mmmm.... engineering solutions are the first step to removing dangerous conditions, with changing human behavior lagging way behind, in the general approach to providing a safe environment.

 

other countries run Black spot operations.... realigning roads, clearing roadside foliage, installing traffic lights or roundabout ( street lights, for example, may help in this incident) etc etc, to make the conditions of using a road, safer

 

then....install cctv... patrol the road... enforce the law.

[trainman34014]

'Thainess' and Face far more important than road safety.    Like my Thai Wife always says...''The biggest problems in Thailand are 'Attitude' and lack of Common Sense.

[Andycoops]

5 hours ago, Nong Khai Man said:

Darkness and slippery conditions were blamed........Well it NORMALLY is Dark at 05.30 am,In'it ??

Only at this time of year.

[alien365]

I'm taking it that the excuse of darkness is more related to the lack of streetlights on some stretches of road. It can be pretty scary if there are no streetlights and you are getting blinded by others will full beam on in the opposite direction.

[wvavin]

Any accidents in Thailand I very easy to investigate. Just focus on brakes, weather, amulet quality and now latest, Brand’s Essence of chicken.

[natway09]

When I drive & leave 3 or 4 car lengths in front of me clear some clown just comes & fills the gap.

It is not slippery conditions nor darkness it is the idiocy 

[impulse]

25 minutes ago, farcanell said:

Mmmm.... engineering solutions are the first step to removing dangerous conditions, with changing human behavior lagging way behind, in the general approach to providing a safe environment.

 

other countries run Black spot operations.... realigning roads, clearing roadside foliage, installing traffic lights or roundabout ( street lights, for example, may help in this incident) etc etc, to make the conditions of using a road, safer

 

then....install cctv... patrol the road... enforce the law.

 

Engineering is, of course, part of the solution.  But without enforcement, all the engineering in the world can't save people from themselves.

 

Besides, all those measures you mention are expensive, take a long time, and are revenue negative.  Enforcement is cheap, it's immediate, and it's revenue positive.  Lots of cities and counties in the USA fund a huge portion of their government largely on traffic fines.

 

Just for grins, I'd love to see Thailand offer paid holidays (or a percentage of the take) to some state highway cops from the USA in return for riding along and coaching some enforcement exercises on Thai highways.  They could make that money back in a week...   But I need to be careful what I wish for...

 

[Airbagwill]

Why does TV promulgate this inaccurate portrayal?  These "7days" are the same as any other day of the year. - the "carnage" is consistent with the national norm.

 

until people start looking at the problem methodically (this includes Thaivisa) there will be no change.

[watcharacters]

28 minutes ago, natway09 said:

When I drive & leave 3 or 4 car lengths in front of me clear some clown just comes & fills the gap.

It is not slippery conditions nor darkness it is the idiocy 

 

 

While driving 80 or more  km/hr that's  not nearly enough space between you and the car in front of you.   I know most drivers think that's plenty but they are wrong.

[Stoker58]

"Darkness and slippery conditions were blamed."

Ah, that explains it. Thought for a moment there it might be bad driving.

 

[Ossy]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

Oh no.  The dark film isn't specific to old vehicles.  They put it on brand new ones, too.  I don't think any manufacturers put out glass that dark. But I'm not sure...

 

Driving a 20+ year old pickup desensitizes me to how stupid it looks.  If I had a brandy new one, I'd care more about how it looks.  As it is, I have Point A to Point B transportation, not a fashion statement.  But when I bought it, I hadn't a clue how long my Thailand adventure would last.  So I wanted something that wasn't going to depreciate, and it hasn't.  In retrospect, I would have gone for an automatic transmission had I known the percentage of drive time I'd be standing still in BKK traffic, though.  Live and learn...

 

Thanks for the caution, Impulse, but it was too late . . . now my windscreen is like a patchwork quilt . . . but that was just a dream and at least I know all about tinted glass, now. HNY and all the best from all out this way, who hardly know what a traffic jam is.

 

[watcharacters]

5 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

Why does TV promulgate this tripe?  there "7days" are the same as any other day of the year. - the "carnage" is consistent with the national norm.

 

until people start looking at the problem methodically (this includes Thaivisa) there will be no change.

 

 

 

 

 

Possibly, as I think, no  one gives a damn except victims.

[Lucky mike]

Score for accepting responsibility......nil,  score for selfish, thoughtless behavior coupled with lack of skill climbing rapidly!

[Sydebolle]

If the corrupt police would try to do their job and enforce law, then Thailand would lose its Number One position as most dangerous country on the planet as far as accidents is concerned. 

Time to take out and wear amulets, drink chicken essence, get the monk's blessing with smearing letters (nobody can ready nor understands) on the inside of the car roof over the driver seat, plaster the dash board with little auspicious figurines and Chinese porcelain statues, hand chains and strings of all sorts of origin over the inside reverse mirror and you're safe. 

I - for one - lock myself up and wait, as every year, for the mad days to pass by. 

[Gandtee]

All driving too fast leaving not enough braking distance.

[Cake Monster]

Just be thankful that Thailand does not experience conditions such as Snow, Ice and Fog.

The mind boggles at the numbers of accidents, deaths, and injuries that would occur if this were the case

[klauskunkel]

Driving Test Q&A:

It's dark and wet outside - best thing to do is drive fast to get home quick

correct answer

[klauskunkel]

and if it's not dark and wet outside, then they will find another excuse.

[Pattaya28]

darkness and wet conditions blamed

 

What about "speed" and "alcohol" and "unawareness of conditions" ?

[Broken Record]

 

Worldwide Statistics.

Road Crash Statistics. Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44.

 

Guess what guys, some of those happen in Thailand, and most that happen here die in Motorcycle accidents, So when the ThaiVisa anti everything Thai brigade starts slamming the Thais, what about the Millions of other people across the world involved in accidents, or are they only accidents if they are outside of Thailand ?

[metisdead]

Some posts containing denigrating comments have been removed. 

[Happyman58]

5 hours ago, barryofthailand said:

Even though it is against the law to ride in the back of s pickup truck and in the back cargo seat of s small two door pickup the Prime Minister said for new year's it would be OK so when people die in accidents Mr.  Prime Minister I hope you can sleep at night. 

Wont worry him  He be thinking the prob would of voted against me in the election So good ridence to them

[Broken Record]

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

Just be thankful that Thailand does not experience conditions such as Snow, Ice and Fog.

The mind boggles at the numbers of accidents, deaths, and injuries that would occur if this were the case

And imagine the carnage worldwide if everywhere had the same percentage of motorcycles on the roads as Thailand does.

[Happyman58]

You dont have to go watch demolition derbies and pay all that money They do it for free in Thailand 

[Broken Record]

6 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

You dont have to go watch demolition derbies and pay all that money They do it for free in Thailand 

While the rest of the world remains accident free, amazing, what is wrong with these people !!!

[spidermike007]

I was just on the highway driving from Khon Kean to Bangkok. I saw at least six accidents. Ranging from a truck driving into the center strip and being completely demolished, with contents strewn over 200 meters of highway, to a gas truck, that jackknifed in the center strip, and did not explode, to multi car accidents. Granted, it was raining lightly. But, what can one say?

 

I think in general the skill level of the average driver here is relatively low. And some have attention deficit disorder. And some are drinking.

 

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.

 

They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise. 

 

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. 

[digger70]

Land off excuses What the hell has the weather got to do with ,,Stupid incompetent Driving, It's the People, Not the Weather.

[ThaiFelix]

Mmmm  "darkness and wetness" ?  So speed had no part in it.  I also note that most vehicles in the pile-up were Isuzu's.  Maybe the need to send Isuzu a "Please Explain" request.