I think you've misunderstood my point. I said risk assessment, not risk management. Risk management is what governments, employers and organisations do through engineering, legislation, enforcement and policy. Risk assessment is what an individual does every time they get behind the wheel or on a bike. A risk assessment is a systematic process: identify the hazards, assess the likelihood and consequences, then decide how to minimise the risk. That process is exactly the same whether you're driving in Thailand, Britain, Australia or anywhere else. "When you hit the Thai roads, you have to treat everything that moves as a potential threat to your life." Why would you do anything different in any other country? Defensive driving isn't uniquely Thai; it's the basis of good driving everywhere. "There was not a single day of riding when I did not experience a near miss..." If that's literally true, I'd suggest it says as much about your own risk assessment as it does about Thailand. I've driven well over 600,000 km in Thailand since the 1990s and I certainly haven't experienced a near miss every day. "Adapt, anticipate and never assume other road users will do the right thing." Absolutely—but that's Defensive Driving 101. You should adapt to the local driving environment in every country. The mistake many foreigners make is assuming "the right thing" means behaving as drivers do back home. Thai traffic has different conventions, priorities and expectations. Failing to recognise that is often where the problems begin. Insurance is another good example. Many foreigners who would never dream of driving uninsured at home arrive in Thailand, rent a motorcycle, rely on the compulsory Por Ror Bor cover, or don't even have the correct licence. That's a failure of risk assessment before they've even started the engine. Good driving isn't a uniquely Thai skill. The principles of observation, anticipation, space management and hazard perception are universal. The only thing that changes is the environment in which you apply them. And finally, with respect, this is exactly why anecdotal evidence is so unreliable. Your personal experience—whether it's "a near miss every day" or "I've never had an accident"—doesn't tell us anything about road safety as a whole. It simply illustrates confirmation bias. Road safety is a science, not a collection of driving stories. People tend to judge risk by what they can easily remember, not by what the evidence shows. A dramatic near miss sticks in the memory, so they conclude it happens "all the time". That's one reason why personal anecdotes are such poor evidence in discussions about road safety.
Create an account or sign in to comment