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

[RotBenz8888]

The benefit of seat belts and child car seats are still something of a mystery to many Thais. Expensive cars, but infant car seats are not worth the money.

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The benefit of seat belts and child car seats are still something of a mystery to many Thais. Expensive cars, but infant car seats are not worth the money.

 

Thats quite true....  I see families in expensive cars, BMW's / Merc / Vellfire Vans with newborns being carried in their parents arms...  The family, clearly wealthy enough to afford an expensive car and private care at Thailands premier hospital - but they lack even the most basic concept of parenting concerning the basic safety needs of their child in a car....  the mind boggles. 

[BobbyL]

I am not sure they can put in place anything that will curtail it. It is too far ingrained and inbred in society. 

[seajae]

I can see a lot of cars with the right side of their cars scraped/dented if this happens, the way they swerve to the opposite side of the road all the time is unreal. Police presence on the road would be a much better avenue for them especially if they actually pulled over ther idiot drivers and issued fines or arrested them, thai drivers know there are no police on the roads so do as they please. A police presence would have a bigger effect on the road toll than central barriers

[lordblackader]

 

Quote

he 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

What an absolute crock of s**t - there's absolutely nothing wrong with Thai roads, they're better than many countries including some in the West. 

 

The problem isn't the roads, it's the drivers on them. No amount of barriers and road improvements will fix the fact that Thailand has the worst drivers in the world.

 

Want to cut the road toll by half - 100% enforce helmet laws and jail people for drinking driving. 

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

3 minutes ago, lordblackader said:

Want to cut the road toll by half - 100% enforce helmet laws and jail people for drinking driving

Or ban half of the population from the roads.

[Thian]

We need police and driverslicenses.

 

Today i saw a minivan coming onto the main road at an exit lane...he even drove through the orange plastic pilones which broke off and are there on the road now waiting for a motocycle to crash into.

[MASSMAN]

While I can appreciated what this expert is saying, he seems to have very narrow definition of an "accident."  Roughly speaking, an accident is an unexpected and damaging collision while driving.   Though collisions between two or more cars is certainly bad, a collision with a barrier could be just as deadly if the car hits the barrier and rolls.  Driving safely seems to be the answer, not a barrier.

[stanleycoin]

21 minutes ago, lordblackader said:

 

What an absolute crock of s**t - there's absolutely nothing wrong with Thai roads, they're better than many countries including some in the West. 

 

+1 

[klauskunkel]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Witthaya said most Thai roads lack central barriers, guard rails or guard slings.

You do understand, Mr. Witthaya, that come night time these barriers will be missing sections at favorite local u-turn spots?

[kwilco]

Ive been saying this for years - it's one of the basic tenets of road safety that your keep opposing flows of traffic apart - but it is the result of years of poor road design and will take time and money to correct.

 

Road safety - not just "driving" is the root of this problem and the ignorance of policy makers of the science is the main reason for Thailand's bad death rates.

 

This is a "big thing"

 

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, lordblackader said:

 

What an absolute crock of s**t - there's absolutely nothing wrong with Thai roads, they're better than many countries including some in the West. 

 

The problem isn't the roads, it's the drivers on them. No amount of barriers and road improvements will fix the fact that Thailand has the worst drivers in the world.

 

Want to cut the road toll by half - 100% enforce helmet laws and jail people for drinking driving. 

Sadly this reflects the extreme ignorance that exists about road safety - Thai roads are DREADFUL - poor construction design and maintenance lead to high speeds and remember it is also what happens AFTER the collision that is so important - there are no safety features on Thai roads to speak of

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, RotBenz8888 said:

The benefit of seat belts and child car seats are still something of a mystery to many Thais. Expensive cars, but infant car seats are not worth the money.

As said elsewhere - highlighting singles issues does nothing to improve road safety as a whole.

[Xonax]

They could also demand, that all drivers have bumpers installed on the sides of the car.

[Tarteso]

May be barriers can help, but nothing to do with these thai drivers, there are a lost generation. Reeducate them from school, for next generation.

[Eric Loh]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

hai roads need central barriers to minimise impacts from road accidents,

Also needed on the both sides of the road to stop cars veering off the road into pedestrians and properties. Used to see timber guard rails with metal barriers on old roads. Not done now, probably to cut cost. 

[outsider]

Barriers may help, but what's needed more are brains. Lots of it.

[Vacuum]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The seminar was told that the condition of roads was a major factor contributing to the seriousness of accidents in Thailand

Well, if the "seminar" believe this, there's no hope of improvevent. The accidents are caused by the drivers, not the roads.

[Refugee]

I would also recommend boom barriers along with every traffic light. Similar to a proper railroad crossing.

[ginjag]

A Thai driver rammed into the back of a mans new car,   they said why stop so quick, he said because I am in my driveway.

[terminatorchiangmai]

Maybe start with a cheaper solution first ?

[kwilco]

26 minutes ago, Tarteso said:

May be barriers can help, but nothing to do with these thai drivers, there are a lost generation. Reeducate them from school, for next generation.

Profoundly ill-informed comment.

[Easy Come Easy Go]

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

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 am living this new sense of action that is being put forward on road safety, but lets see if any of it materialises. I don't think the powers that be like the title of 'Deadliest Roads 2018' 

[kwilco]

20 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Well, if the "seminar" believe this, there's no hope of improvevent. The accidents are caused by the drivers, not the roads.

Again an example of how incredibly ignorant people are of the issues of road safety.

 

Just because they know how to operate a car, they seem to think they are some sort of expert on road safety.

 

 

[Tarteso]

7 minutes ago, kwilco said:

Profoundly ill-informed comment.

Nonsenses...from my experience, driving thousands of kms in Thailand, profundly secure of my post. 

[LongTimeLurker]

This is only going to lead to an increase in the number of accidents where vehicles collide with barriers.

 

Then, because it costs money to repair the barriers, they won't be repaired and will eventually be removed as they are deemed to be causing a hazard.

 

In the meantime the experts' brother in law will have made a lot of money out of installing barriers on the roads in Thailand.

[natway09]

So I am driving with the barriers on my right at 120 kph & all of a sudden the pickup decides to do a U turn & is going to go before I pass come hell or high water.

This is all about trying to shift the blame .

In my 30 years of driving some 1.2 mil Km on Thai roads which are generally very good it is the 

Thai brain that needs to be somehow fixed not the roads.

Incidently the only accident that I had was a 1 metre hunk of 4 x 4 that the truck driver decided did not need to be tied down, as it happened a Cop saw it leave the uninsured  truck bed & hit me.

Cost the Company 45,000 Bht for repairs but I was lucky that it hit the side

 

[Vacuum]

12 minutes ago, kwilco said:

Just because they know how to operate a car, they seem to think they are some sort of expert on road safety

I'd say yes they are.

[KhunSteven]

Better lighting and road surfaces would help!

[AhFarangJa]

The only cars Thais should be allowed to drive are these......