Video: Slowing down on city streets will save lives - but will Thais get the message?

[Sakeopete]

Laws don't mean sh_t in Thailand there is no enforcement. That will not change in most of our lifetimes.

[sawadee1947]

Of course they will get the message..... Same as to use helmets 

[Happyman58]

I am going to answer this one. Will this slow the Thais down NO NO The only thing that will slow them down is the cops start doing there job and start booking them.The speed limit is 80 klms in Thailand  I was doing 75 today and cars were just flying past me like i was standing still. And around 6 when the traffic cops call it a day out come the bigger idiots on bikes with no mufflers.  JUST MAKE THE COPS DO THEIR JOB Wont fix all but might help.

[Happyman58]

3 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Of course they will get the message..... Same as to use helmets 

Yep i agree The law states you must wear a helmet when riding a bike. Thats the bloody law. So why do cops not enforce this law? Are they blind or just plain incompentant or just plain stupidity. 

[Justgrazing]

17 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I remember years ago in the UK the highway code booklet you had to read when learning to drive, had stopping distances on the rear cover.

 

That was broken down into: 'thinking distance', 'braking distance', followed by 'total distance'.

The point was it made you realise there was reaction time as well as the braking distance once you put your foot on the brakes.

 

In fact, I've just found it online! Here's a screenshot:

 

They chucked an anchor out or the motor has reverse thrusters for it to achieve that stopping distance .. 

[Borzandy]

21 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Slowing down on city streets will save lives - but will Thais get the message?

How Thais could get any message, need a brain.

[Air Smiles]

It's not only Thais, on a recent TV thread there was a video showing a horrific accident, the dashcam showed the driver speeding, but according to many posters he wasn't doing anything wrong in breaking the speed limit as it was only over the limit by a little bit, the fact he was involved in a horrific accident where his vehicle had rolled and he was driving one of the world's most dangerous road systems didn't seem to be a factor for these posters as "he was only speeding a little bit" so 100% faultless.

[Wiggy]

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I remember years ago in the UK the highway code booklet you had to read when learning to drive, had stopping distances on the rear cover.

 

That was broken down into: 'thinking distance', 'braking distance', followed by 'total distance'.

The point was it made you realise there was reaction time as well as the braking distance once you put your foot on the brakes.

 

In fact, I've just found it online! Here's a screenshot:

 

I don’t think local drivers have a thinking distance, as to have that they’d need to think. 

[losername]

1 hour ago, Justgrazing said:

They chucked an anchor out or the motor has reverse thrusters for it to achieve that stopping distance .. 

The Highway Code in UK has been published since 1931.  I don't know when the Typical Stopping Distances chart was first published but it has been around for a long time.  Certainly it was part of my test in the '60s.  The distances seem realistic to me and are consistent with some references in this thread.

 

Why do you think it is so wrong and how could it not have been corrected in such a long time?

[NoshowJones]

 

"It is shown that the safe stopping distance travelling at 50 kmp/hour is 5.4 meters".

This means absolutely nothing at all. There are road conditions, weather etc, to take into consideration, safe distance driving is down to common sense which most Thai drivers do not have. Have we supposed to count sums and distances in our heads while we are driving and end up behind another vehicle?

 

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, Thian said:

The police enforcing a rule? That's new for me...

Not when collecting tea money is involved.

[Thian]

3 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

Of course rkidlad your first paragraph applies to cars v bikes .  My wife used to say " It is ok , you can go now " Perhaps doing a U turn. I used to reply  " No I can't there is a scooter coming ". Every day just about I see cars pull out from being parked in front of scooters and the scooter rider does nothing as if they are inferior. Makes me mad ....rant over , go carefully out there.

Thai don't see scooters, their long causes that. Scooterdrivers are nothing compared to a cardriver who is of course VELY important.

 

Now i do agree that most scooterdrivers drive like morons but NOT ALL. A scooter is the best way of transport in an overcrowded city as BKK andi like to use it all the time since it helps me through congested traffic.

 

But ALL THE TIME i have to be carefull for cars coming out of driveways or from behind me because they don't give ANY respect to a scooterdriver. 

 

Lately i found out that i have to show them that i'm rich so they won't try to kill me all the time...when i wear expensive clothes that scooterdrivers never wear they don't cut me off all the time. And the security at the malls even lets me park on the sidewalks (where nobody walks). Without those clothes they won't let me.

 

Yesterday a big citybus came from behind me as i kept left and didn't drive over the speedlimit, he pushed me off the road so i horned loud (have special horn) and drove to his windscreen where i took my sunglasses of to look at the driver...he waved at me like, solly mate, didn't know you were a farang or i wouldn't have cut you off...

 

Many Thai must be oh so happy that they can afford a car now and love to use the car as a weapon to show scooterdrivers that they won't get hurt in case of an accident with them. What a disgusting attitude.....

[Air Smiles]

5 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

"It is shown that the safe stopping distance travelling at 50 kmp/hour is 5.4 meters".

Where does it say that?

Edited February 17, 2018 by Air Smiles

[bluesofa]

10 minutes ago, losername said:

The Highway Code in UK has been published since 1931.  I don't know when the Typical Stopping Distances chart was first published but it has been around for a long time.  Certainly it was part of my test in the '60s.  The distances seem realistic to me and are consistent with some references in this thread.

 

Why do you think it is so wrong and how could it not have been corrected in such a long time?

I'm glad you remember the chart too!

 

As you can see in my post, I started writing about it, then paused - just to have a check - and found it still in use in today's highway code. So it made it a lot easier once I'd rediscovered it.

 

I'm sure what the poster feels is so wrong is more likely the text of the original article, regarding the video:

"It is shown that the safe stopping distance travelling at 50 kmp/hour is 5.4 meters."

That is just ever-so-slightly wrong! The UK chart I posted shows it as 23 metres for 48km/hr.

 

Edited February 17, 2018 by bluesofa
misprit

[NoshowJones]

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I remember years ago in the UK the highway code booklet you had to read when learning to drive, had stopping distances on the rear cover.

 

That was broken down into: 'thinking distance', 'braking distance', followed by 'total distance'.

The point was it made you realise there was reaction time as well as the braking distance once you put your foot on the brakes.

 

In fact, I've just found it online! Here's a screenshot:

 

I remember that, it's the biggest load of nonsense ever printed.

[losername]

2 minutes ago, Air Smiles said:

Where does it say that?

Para 5 of the OP.  I think they are quoting the video but I cannot be bothered to check again.

 

[NoshowJones]

28 minutes ago, Air Smiles said:

Where does it say that?

On the post I am referring to.

[overherebc]

Everyone can argue on the points of stopping distance, learning the figures, watching videos and bla bla bla for ever.

Cheap long lasting fixes it easily. Short learning curve, hit it too fast and get a bill to fix your suspension.

See images.

[gunderhill]

Pah always the "speed"  issue, the real problem is their total inability to LOOK at and  judge the road  ahead, Zero  skills when it comes to driving, go slow  when they should go fast and go  fast when they should go slow.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

Pah always the "speed"  issue, the real problem is their total inability to LOOK at and  judge the road  ahead, Zero  skills when it comes to driving, go slow  when they should go fast and go  fast when they should go slow.

So, as my post stick speed bumps all over BKK and make them slow down and don't leave gaps at the edges for the bikes to by-pass them.

[gunderhill]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

So, as my post stick speed bumps all over BKK and make them slow down and don't leave gaps at the edges for the bikes to by-pass them.

no point  they will still kill each other between speed  bumps, bikes  will just go up the pavement if they possibly  can, if  they  looked where they were going it would stop 90% of this crap, then there's  the issue  of "emergency vehicles" imagine you just got  mown down by a typical Thai driver and have 2  broken legs and are going over those  speed  bumps, on top of that there is the  lack of PAINT on the things so many end  up  just BLACK and you cant see them especially at night.

[Justgrazing]

4 hours ago, losername said:

The Highway Code in UK has been published since 1931.  I don't know when the Typical Stopping Distances chart was first published but it has been around for a long time.  Certainly it was part of my test in the '60s.  The distances seem realistic to me and are consistent with some references in this thread.

 

Why do you think it is so wrong and how could it not have been corrected in such a long time?

Indeed Sir and some salients points there .. The most recent figures ( RAC ) I've seen suggest that safe stopping distance at 30 mph (48 kph) is 23 metres ( 75 ft ) .. Those figures are obtained with a vehicle that is not overloaded and in good condition as in good tyres correctly inflated , correctly maintained braking , steering , suspension system's , good road surface and driven by someone paying attention who is able to react and then apply the brakes in good time .. In Thailand I have observed vehicle tyres in a shocking condition ( cars , bikes and trucks ) in some cases bald to the point where the metal structure starts to come through so lord knows what the brakes , steering and Suspension are like .. Vehicle maintenance here does not necessarily follow the manufacturer's guidelines more often relying on numerous good luckee charms and amulets to take over from the service schedule .. There does also appear to be a lack of paying attention here whilst driving , riding .. Be that by intoxication , playing on the phone , talking to the kids , mother , aunt , father , dog and whoever else is in the car / bike etc .. And then there's the overloading issue here that most of us must have observed at some point .. Vehicles braking systems are designed to work best within the weight confines placed on said vehicle as in if a Toyota or Isuzu or Nissan pick-up is rated for example at 3000 kg gvw then that is the max weight of vehicle and load for the brake system to work effectively .. An increase over and above the vehicle's weight won't necessarily prevent the brakes working but it will take the vehicle longer to stop .. If said pickup is loaded in the fashion that is quite prevalent in Thailand I suggest they would have great difficulty in be able to stop in anything like 5.4 mtrs at 50 kph .. In fact the pickup in the bottom photo would probably have problems even moving 5 mtrs now ..

 

My bird has a Honda car here and recently the ABS light illuminated and now remains on .. I casually pointed out that the light was telling her there is a possible fault within the braking system .. You know what her response was .? A furry toy in the instrument panel to obscure the light and doubling up of the good luckee charms hanging from the rear view mirror .. 

[Henrik Andersen]

Thai people will never learn to drive slowly or just drive in a normal way 

aggression ego me first generation don't care about safely 

[jerojero]

Can't stop in time. It's brake failure. Cause of all accidents.

[Thian]

4 hours ago, gunderhill said:

no point  they will still kill each other between speed  bumps, bikes  will just go up the pavement if they possibly  can, if  they  looked where they were going it would stop 90% of this crap, then there's  the issue  of "emergency vehicles" imagine you just got  mown down by a typical Thai driver and have 2  broken legs and are going over those  speed  bumps, on top of that there is the  lack of PAINT on the things so many end  up  just BLACK and you cant see them especially at night.

Here in our moobaan we have speed bumps at every 300 meter or so.

 

To my huge surprise 2 months ago there was a car upside down, next to the road on the grass , hanging against a concrete electricity pole...it was a straight road without side roads...really unbelievable how they managed to do that. It even was very quiet there.

 

I still don't know what happened, an hour later the car was gone.

 

 

[gunderhill]

1 hour ago, Thian said:

Here in our moobaan we have speed bumps at every 300 meter or so.

 

To my huge surprise 2 months ago there was a car upside down, next to the road on the grass , hanging against a concrete electricity pole...it was a straight road without side roads...really unbelievable how they managed to do that. It even was very quiet there.

 

I still don't know what happened, an hour later the car was gone.

 

 

I rest my case M'lud!

Ive  seen similar on perfectly straight empty  roads  with a car upside down in the ditch thinking how on earth  they could have managed that.

[selftaopath]

On 2/16/2018 at 5:50 PM, darksidedog said:

We can but hope, though given the "got to get there super fast" attitude prevalent among road users, I am not overly hopeful. Any improvement will of course be very welcome though.

What I find utterly puzzling is how many people here (in the sticks) go as fast as they possibly can and when they get to their destination.... just sit. So what's the hurry? Ah must be a fact thing. lol lol There ya have it; enough said.

[pokerface1]

My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

 

 

 

[pokerface1]

22 hours ago, jerojero said:

Can't stop in time. It's brake failure. Cause of all accidents.

My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

 

 

 

[bangrak]

For the Red Bull 'boss' nitwit, doing 170km/h on Sucky seemed appropriate... But let's get real, I mean for normal people (...with the skills of Thai drivers!).

For speed limits are concerned, could the Thai authorities show some brains, a grain of common sense, for once?

How many times do I see '45' limitations? Why for heavens' sake? Why not a plain '50', or '30' at schools and near dangerous crossings, with pedestrian passages, f.i., and, on another side, clear, acceptable, and justified, limits on well equipped highways, clearly annouced(!), corresponding to the average speed sustained by 80 to 90% of the road users?

All the rest, to me, is pure BS and just providing one more large opportunity to the dirty lot of BiBs to tank up corrupt money!