500bath Fine For Not Using Protection

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Laws are good if they are enforced. When you wear a helmet you do lose some hearing and visual. As for kids on bikes, there are a lot of poor people in Thailand who have to take their kids on the bikes with them in order to live normally. By the way, a lot of the accidents on the roads aren't caused by bikes. There may be more motorbikes accidents but that's also because there are more bikes. If they are going to crack down then let me be the devil's advocate. They should also do a few other things like ban people from sitting in the back of pickup trucks as they do in many other countries. Require child seats for all children. They should also ban all people from owning more than one passenger car sedan or coupe and no more than one personal commercial vehicle. They should also limit the number of vehicles per household and ban parking on most Bangkok streets to encourage people to choose and use public transportation. They should also ban cellphone use in cars and force drivers to have two hands on the wheel at all times or risk a fine. Anyone under the age of twenty should not be allowed to drive in urban areas. Finally, foreigners really should not be allowed to own cars - why let foreigners add to the traffic problems? There should also be a cap on the number sof new cars sold in the country each year. It's not just motorcyclists, it should affect everyone.

A few choice sentences are quite funny!

[silverhawk_usa]

And what about this ????????

[samsara]

id venture to say that wearing a proper helmet in thailand might actually increase the likelihood of an accident. only the ones that cover the entire head qualify as proper. sure, you should wear one on the highway, but if youre riding in a smaller town youre more likely to wreck, in my opinion. they greatly decrease your peripheral and overall awareness, which are both key while riding in thailand. not to mention, you cant hear anything.

ive lived in bang saen, uttaradit, and ayutthaya and tried to never wear a helmet. the only times ive nearly had an accident were the few times i was forced to wear one.

[sriracha john]

And what about this ????????

A disastrous headline just waiting to be printed...

:D

[Foggy Bottom]

PS but pertaining to the title. Why does the currency Baht so often get typed Bath? Are people typing stuff into Word and then cut and pasting it over thus falling foul of that bluddy spell checker? Drives me nuts inserting a 'z' in place of 's' in words like realise.

Despite the best efforts of the CIA and American Industrial-Military complex, SE Asia has not yet become another American State, and historically, the English used here has been British English. Aussie EFL centres are fighting a valiant rear-guard action in keeping the purity of King's / Queen's English in the region, though American back-door colonialism is taking over many tertiary education establishments, therefore you may yet get your wish and find the Anglo use of the "s" replaced by the Germanic "z", along with other language perversions such as dropping the "u" from the word colour, which is derived from the Gallic "coloure". It should be said that Americans were never noted for their spelling ability - remember the televised CNN "sidewalk" survey where they asked the US public to point to Afghanistan on a map, and most pointed to Australia?

As for baht and bath - it's to do with transliterated phonetics - The Thai name Mongkol is pronounced Mongkon and the the Thai use of a final "th" in English is their representation of the aspirated final "t" sound, which native English speakers record as "ht" when transliterating non-Roman alphabets.

If you think transliteration from Thai to English is confusing - try following the official "Pinying" English as used by China - but at least they have an official dictionary - here there is only one for place names, and that was drafted under Rama V over a century ago.

Edited January 19, 2007 by Gaz Chiangmai

[Briggsy]

id venture to say that wearing a proper helmet in thailand might actually increase the likelihood of an accident. only the ones that cover the entire head qualify as proper. sure, you should wear one on the highway, but if youre riding in a smaller town youre more likely to wreck, in my opinion. they greatly decrease your peripheral and overall awareness, which are both key while riding in thailand. not to mention, you cant hear anything.

ive lived in bang saen, uttaradit, and ayutthaya and tried to never wear a helmet. the only times ive nearly had an accident were the few times i was forced to wear one.

helmets save lives

You have taken what is called the minority view.

[ZZZ]

id venture to say that wearing a proper helmet in thailand might actually increase the likelihood of an accident. only the ones that cover the entire head qualify as proper. sure, you should wear one on the highway, but if youre riding in a smaller town youre more likely to wreck, in my opinion. they greatly decrease your peripheral and overall awareness, which are both key while riding in thailand. not to mention, you cant hear anything.

ive lived in bang saen, uttaradit, and ayutthaya and tried to never wear a helmet. the only times ive nearly had an accident were the few times i was forced to wear one.

Thats a comon but very poor excuse for not wearing a helmet.

You very quickly get used to move your head around and make sure you are aware of your surroundings. To take the helmet off when you get off the highway and enter the city is just plain stupid as most accidents happen in crowded city traffic and it does not take great speed to crack a head open.

Helmets saves lifes

[Tony Clifton]

Police traveling to or from work are exempt from wearing a Helmet …if they are wearing the Kings Badge on the Police flat Cap….If the hat being worn is on the head they are in fact on duty

Friend told me yesterday soldiers are not allowed to enter the army base if they show up without a helmet.

All Thai helmets perform better than you all think, due to the usual thick layer of crud that encases it.

As for improving road safety, the non-presence of police patroling the roads and catching drivers WHILE commiting infractions is totally non-existent. Until they implement that, nothing will improve. Also, more than half of them failed the traffic exam a year ago as well. They do much better at extorting money frmo drivers while hiding behind a surgical mask.

[marshbags]

Apologies to yourself ZZZ for duplicating your O.P. in another thread.

Only just found out while scrolling todays posts.

I will, with you permission, copy and paste my last post from the duplicated thread:-

" Drunken Driving Amendments " on url:-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...p;#entry1089083

QUOTE(ZZZ @ 2007-01-18 21:42:58)

Death penalty for drunk driving:

"A 23-year-old former college student, Nattapong Raksapong, was sentenced to death by a court in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday on several charges related to a 2004 drunk driving rampage in which four people were killed, four injured and five vehicles damaged.

"This is a historic verdict and should set a precedent in cases of drunken drivers who kill innocent people on the roads," said Surasit Silapangam of the Don't Drink and Drive Foundation.

He said that drunken driving was involved in some 80 percent of the more than 14,500 deaths and 1.08 million injuries on Thailand's roads last year.

While intoxicated, Nattapong first struck a motorcycle, sped away and then crashed into two other motorcycles while driving a six-wheel truck in the northeastern province of Mahasarakham. He tried to flee but crashed into a truck."

QUOTE(cdnvic @ 2007-01-18 22:48:24)

You have a source for this?

Got the following from Google for you C.V. to back ZZZ,s post up.

First to give it a bit of balance a U.K. reference albeit brief.

Death sentence for drunk driver

Evening Standard (London), Sep 1, 2005

A DRUNK-DRIVER has been sentenced to death for a 2004 rampage on Thailand's roads that left four people dead, four injured and caused damage to five vehicles. Nattapong Raksapong, 23, first hit a motorbike before driving away and later crashing into two other motorbikes, while driving a six-wheel truck. He tried to drive away but crashed into a truck and was arrested.

Also believe it or not Listed on a certain Thai forum:-

Courtesy of T.Visa / George the following was O.P,d from the Nation:-

url http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=43664&st=0

2005-08-31 23:29:27 Post #1

Platinum Member

Group: Admin

Posts: 15,070

Joined: 2002-11-20

From: BKK & Hong Kong

Member No.: 128

Drunk driver sentenced to death

MAHA SARAKHAM: -- The Provincial Court Wednesday sentenced a 23yearold man to death after his drunk driving killed four people and injured four others.

Nattapong Raksapong turned pale and fell to his knees when the verdict was read. None of his relatives were in court to hear the verdict.

Four police officers had to help Nattapong walk out of the courtroom.

The court found Nattapong guilty of deliberate murder, causing injuries, damaging property and breaking traffic laws.

The court said it found no merit in commuting the sentence.

Nattapong has 30 days to lodge the appeal.

"He has our sympathy, but we believe he deserves capital punishment for what he has done," said a relative of Nattapong, who asked not to be named.

He said all Nattapong's relatives were fed up with his behaviour.

On March 12, Nattapong drank five bottles of liquor and stole a six-wheel truck from his adopted father. He later hit eight people in four separate accidents.

His victims included seven students who were about to take the national university entrance examination.

The four who died were killed instantly.

Nattapong was finally arrested when he crashed into a pickup, leaving its driver dead at the scene.

--The Nation 2005-08-31

Unquote.

Post 25 by one of our popular members " S.J. " is on par with my observations on the comparisons of justice " Thai style " along with the blatant inequalities.

As in this case............................

Pu Yia = community service. Less priviledged = death sentence.

If i may take it a step further and part quote my O.P. / B.Post article.

Quote:-

The existing law had proven ''inappropriate and inconsistent'' to properly deal with the current situation, said government spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalarp.

The amended law will give officials more power to deal with the rising number of drunk drivers by empowering courts to more easily suspend or cancel drivers' licences, he said.

''If motorists kill someone, they will be sent to jail for three to 10 years, be fined between 60,000 and 200,000 baht, and their driving licences will be cancelled,'' Mr Yongyuth said.

Unquote.

On paper at least it would seem they are at long last getting to grips with the inconsistencies and i also note it says......................................

Will be sent to jail for 3 to 10 years, ( along with what would be a token fine to the Pu Yai ) but at least they get the jail term min. 3 years which according to this reads as a minimum sentence for ALL offenders.

In addition, although perhaps not really much of an inconvenience

( as Thais can easily get a new one, unless there is some sort of national register to access in all cases on applying for a licence and strict implimentations. )

marshbags

P.S.

I wonder what posters at the time of George,s O.P. taken from google, think of the new proposals and the mention of inappropriate / inconsistant sentencing.

Indeed present members as well taking into account the relevance of such an amendment being implemented ????????

Also any updates on the fate of the convicted driver ??????

................................................................................

..................................................................

I,m delighted it was covered as it is an important issue and i found yours by the 500 baht reference on

M.Cyclists.

Both issues are very serious and relevant to the young in particular, let,s hope the laws help to save lots of lives, in the long term anyway, at least.

I,ll ask the mods if they will kindly close my duplicated version.

marshbags

[marshbags]

"Motorcyclists without helmets will be fined 500 baht. The fine will be doubled if their passengers also have no helmet, Mr Yongyuth said."

So what's the situation now with the passenger. If they're fining for both, what if the driver wears but the passenger not, as happens mostly (when the driver wears a helmet)

It,s 500 for the guy up front, or on the back as in some cases / v.versa.

In my M.Ban there will be lots of 4x5 = 2,000 and some of 5x5 = 2,500 and the odd one of 6x5 = 3,000

In some cases the second and third passenger are the actual driver.

Also for another Monty Python like visual.

What about the nutters who have a bike full and one of them is pushing another bike via a stuck out leg

If it wasn,t so serious it would be hilarious.

"Truly Amazing is Thailand " when you recall the many road user demonstrations we have all witnessed, and still do on a daily basis.

marshbags

Edited January 20, 2007 by marshbags