Thai roads need central barriers to minimise impact of accidents: experts

By The Nation

 

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Thai roads need central barriers to minimise impacts from road accidents, experts have told a seminar.

 

Witthaya Chartbanchachai, head of an accident-prevention centre working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), said the issue was discussed during the 13th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion 2018 (SAFETY 2018) in Bangkok. The conference started on Monday and is scheduled to end Wednesday.

 

The seminar was told that the condition of roads was a major factor contributing to the seriousness of accidents in Thailand, whose roads are among the most dangerous in the world. Experts said the government needs to improve the roads to tackle the issue.

 

Witthaya said most Thai roads lack central barriers, guard rails or guard slings. This means that when a vehicle has an accident, it tends to career into the opposite lane, resulting in a serious and often fatal collision.

 

He noted that while motorways do have central barriers, on most highways there is no barrier to separate fast-moving traffic in opposite lanes.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30358063

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-07

Barriers might help, but to my mind the biggest thing they need is people to be able to actually drive, and be able to understand and follow road rules. The cops enforcing said rules from time to time wouldn't hurt either.

I see the conference ends today.

What's the chance of any alleged expert standing up and saying that "the level of driving in Thailand is appalling, a large percentage of drivers don't have licences, and the police never enforce any regulations proactively to prevent accidents."

No, I don't don't think so either.

 

Barriers would help, but the way forward is teach the crazy buggers to drive properly is the first step.

How many drivers here know the rules of the road?

Answer very few, how many drivers follow the rules of the road?

Answer........ NONE.

Edited November 7, 20187 yr by colinneil

Troll post removed

Having driven around most of Thailand, I find the condition of the roads not to be the problem but the mentality of road users that is the issue. Until they change the mindset of drivers, there will be no change, and that is an almost impossible challenge. Road barriers may help curtail head on accidents but it will also give something else to run into!

In theory barriers would be a good idea. If they wouldn't have gaps and especially home made gaps.

An example if the Ratchadaphisek Road between Sukhumvit and Rama 4. It has a concrete barrier in between which is a good idea. And because it has this concrete barrier drivers know there won't be anybody making a U-turn.

 

So far so good except recently someone made a hole in that barrier. And now some motorcycles make a U-turn between two fast lanes on each side. 80km/h and more is a normal speed on that stretch. And now add motorcycles who brake to standstill and accelerate again to this scenario. Crazy! And totally normal for Thai streets.

 

In that way maybe barriers are not a good idea. Because we can't rely on them. If there was a barrier yesterday that doesn't mean there is still one today...

So which one of these experts owns shares in a barrier construction company?

I don't think this will make any  difference to the overall death toll on the roads. it may even encourage  Somchai to just drive faster.

 

But all very good for a few construction companies for sure.

 

Carry on Thailand. 

 

 

they should be the barrier in front of the garages after the dumbs have parked the car in

Central barriers, no U turns and one way spikes on the hard shoulders.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thai roads need central barriers to minimise impacts from road accidents, experts have told a seminar.

Stop the bleeding first you fools.

36 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Somchai to just drive faster.

Who is Somchai? I read a lot about this Somchai guy (or gal). Poor fella is involved in all aspect of thai life ????

It would be wisest to understand that there is no simple single solution to the problem. Barriers will help. Traffic law enforcement will help. Educating drivers in what is appropriate and what isn't will too. There is no quick fix to this, but it needs to be comprehensively addressed and bugger the moans and bleating from the public, they need to not backpedal when lives are at stake.

Barriers could be an excellent solution, but only if they decide to fix them directly outside everybody's home so no one can get their cars out.

 

 

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ha ha they are pretty good at hitting each other up the rear, (no puns please) they have no idea about stopping distances, always tailgaiting, cannot wait at lights, just too impatient, dont suppose that will change, its inbred.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He noted that while motorways do have central barriers, on most highways there is no barrier to separate fast-moving traffic in opposite lanes.

While he is quite correct by saying they don't always have barriers in Thailand. But what they do have is many mini grand canyons separating the traffic. These are the ditches of death that all manner of bikes, cars, trucks and buses can barrel into causing untold destruction. Anyway, barriers or no barriers, ditches or no ditches, nothing will stop the carnage. 

Edited November 7, 20187 yr by Cadbury

This is to stop the driver who falls asleep from crossing the center line..and as we know ...drowsy thais cause so many deaths....

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

Who is Somchai? I read a lot about this Somchai guy (or gal). Poor fella is involved in all aspect of thai life ????

Somchai is a very naughty boy and his pregnant wife Somchai'et

They have a total disregard for anything or anyone, they truly don't care.

they have a selfishness,  that is a dark bottomless pit.

The Somchai's,  are truly bad apples as they spoil the whole 

box. 

 

Edited November 7, 20187 yr by stanleycoin

Barriers will be built making the Thais drive further to make a U-turn which means they will just drive on the wrong side of the road.

 

They won’t learn. You can not teach them. Some cultures are destined to fail and disappear from the planet. 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai roads need central barriers to minimise impact of accidents

They would have to build something the equivalent of the Great Wall of China to keep Thai highway drivers separated.

47 minutes ago, onera1961 said:

Who is Somchai? I read a lot about this Somchai guy (or gal). Poor fella is involved in all aspect of thai life ????

He's the guy that shoots people,rapes,steals,can't swim,is unusually rich,can't fix anything but charges you full cost,drunk and never worked a day in his life and apparently a bit of a liar.oh and travels all over the country causing chaos.his father is somchai senior and he has 7 children all named somchai junior but don't know where any of them are but mama somchai loves her dear little innocent boy.

Yep, address everything but the root cause..... good work.....

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2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I see the conference ends today.

What's the chance of any alleged expert standing up and saying that "the level of driving in Thailand is appalling, a large percentage of drivers don't have licences, and the police never enforce any regulations proactively to prevent accidents."

No, I don't don't think so either.

 

I read somewhere not to long time ago that 90% of the car drivers have a license while only 50% of the motorbikes drivers have a license enough said.

 

78% of death on roads here are by motorbikes.

 

the barriers will prevent people taking right turn on the roads where they  are often speeding, another thing is those dangerous U-turns everywhere,block all of them, they gives me goosebumps.

 

overpass or underpass U-turn are the way to go so there is no oncoming traffic, but it’s more expensive to build those, there is always about get the job done as cheap as possible, which is stupid.

 

Much safer alternative. 

 

4 minutes ago, The traveler said:

I read somewhere not to long time ago that 90% of the car drivers have a license while only 50% of the motorbikes drivers have a license enough said.

 

78% of death on roads here are by motorbikes.

 

the barriers will prevent people taking right turn on the roads where they  are often speeding, another thing is those dangerous U-turns everywhere,block all of them, they gives me goosebumps.

 

overpass or underpass U-turn are the way to go so there is no oncoming traffic, but it’s more expensive to build those, there is always about get the job done as cheap as possible, which is stupid.

 

Much safer alternative. 

 

 

Having a license here is not an indication of training or road education... its just a card... 

 

The licensing and training system here has a very very long way to go. 

 

 

Thus - having intelligent road design which is intuitive and prevents people from taking dangerous shorts cuts is the way forwards. 

 

And yes... the central U-Turns are deadly... the only safe solution is those you highlighted above, but they are more costly. 

 

 

 

 

1 minute ago, The traveler said:

I read somewhere not to long time ago that 90% of the car drivers have a license while only 50% of the motorbikes drivers have a license enough said.

 

78% of death on roads here are by motorbikes.

 

the barriers will prevent people taking right turn on the roads where they  are often speeding, another thing is those dangerous U-turns everywhere,block all of them, they gives me goosebumps.

 

overpass or underpass U-turn are the way to go so there is no oncoming traffic, but it’s more expensive to build those, there is always about get the job done as cheap as possible, which is stupid.

 

Much safer alternative. 

 

Driving against the traffic and your tires will be shredded, probably the most effective way to deal with those idiots 

2 minutes ago, The traveler said:

Driving against the traffic and your tires will be shredded, probably the most effective way to deal with those idiots 

 

It would take less than a day for the Thai motorcyclists to place a board over those spikes rendering them useless to 'wrong way' motorcycle traffic.... 

 

If they can remove part of the central barrier / guard rail on Ratchadapisek (between Asoke & Rama IV) placing a piece of wood down is simple !... 

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Having a license here is not an indication of training or road education... its just a card... 

 

The licensing and training system here has a very very long way to go. 

 

 

Thus - having intelligent road design which is intuitive and prevents people from taking dangerous shorts cuts is the way forwards. 

 

And yes... the central U-Turns are deadly... the only safe solution is those you highlighted above, but they are more costly. 

 

 

 

 

I drive on the road from saraburi to Pak Chong regulary and there is much traffic on that road including u-turns every km, only a few of them are blocked, but not only that, there is always a slow idiot driving in the right line so other idiots start to pass in the middle and sometimes even in the left line, switching lines all the times as most does is another problem, only 2 of 10 after my experience will switch to the middle lane to let you pass.

13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It would take less than a day for the Thai motorcyclists to place a board over those spikes rendering them useless to 'wrong way' motorcycle traffic.... 

 

If they can remove part of the central barrier / guard rail on Ratchadapisek (between Asoke & Rama IV) placing a piece of wood down is simple !... 

Yes you are right, those guys that think they own the road and the footpaths that usually does it, mototaxi guys.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai roads need central barriers to minimise impacts from road accidents, experts have told a seminar.

Yep, experts! You are right. It´s only barriers, or if people could learn to drive better and more careful.

Aaaah! Ok, I get it. I go with the central barriers too.