Half of Thai parents wear helmets - but only one in 14 bother to give them to their kids

[anthobkk]

Most of them won't buy quality helmets. First because it is expensive (but actually if you can afford a motorcycle / scooter you should at least spend 2-3k to a decent helmet. Second because it is "inconvenient" to have a full face helmet (need to carry it all the time or lock it to your bike or you get it stolen)...Third, because even Thai Police uses shit helmet that won't protect them at all in case of accident, so people don't really understand the need to have a good helmet after looking at police officer wearing crap on their head.

[DrTuner]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Does this mean 50% of Thai parents with motorbikes,don't care about

their children's safety and welfare,or are just too stupid to to think its 

a serious problem

Yes.

[stanleycoin]

9 minutes ago, anthobkk said:

Most of them won't buy quality helmets. First because it is expensive (but actually if you can afford a motorcycle / scooter you should at least spend 2-3k to a decent helmet. Second because it is "inconvenient" to have a full face helmet (need to carry it all the time or lock it to your bike or you get it stolen)...Third, because even Thai Police uses shit helmet that won't protect them at all in case of accident, so people don't really understand the need to have a good helmet after looking at police officer wearing crap on their head.

Yes some of the Police,  set such a good example to there citizens and younger officers, whilst wearing this going down the road on there bike  

 

[DM07]

Today was "Day of the dumb policeman", again!

When I was on my way to work, I saw a bunch of them, standing by the road and waving cars in the direction, they were all already going!

Literally directly in front of them, cars were going through red- lights, did not even bother to try and stop at Zebra- crossings, used the areas of the street, were parking or driving is prohibbited and NO ONE gave a $4!t!

Any kind of traffic- education is lost on this country and no law will ever be upheld!

 

Helmets?!

Yeah, right!

[Oziex1]

In a recent visit to Phuket I was surprised to see Tourists or maybe Expats out with the family on the scooter. Mum holding a baby and a toddler standing in the middle all with no helmet. 

 

The whole foreign family on a scooter is new to me.

[Oziex1]

2 hours ago, grego49 said:

In nsw Australia the fine for not wearing a helmet is$337 and if your passenger is not wearing one the rider gets fined double,so everyone wears one,here the fines should be tripled but the biggest problem is the cops that just sit and watch.

I would like to think most Aussie motorcyclists wear a helmet to protect themselves, not to just avoid a fine.

However it is startling how many western people abandon their safety culture when riding in Thailand.

[kamahele]

The reason many parents wear helmets is that they have to pay if caught by the police for not wearing a helmet. The police should start ticketing parents for having kids / passengers on their motorbikes without helmets. Incentive.

[unamazedloso]

You would think most of these usless parents would give them helmets. Afterall they will be giving mum and dad money. Mum and dads only achievement is to have kids in many cases. Cant do much else when your simple.... Its just common sense but tit.

[Eligius]

4 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Does this mean 50% of Thai parents with motorbikes,don't care about

their children's safety and welfare,or are just too stupid to to think its 

a serious problem,I think a big percentage just think they will never be

involved in an accident,but the facts tell a different story.

regards worgeordie

Yes, I thought about this one a lot when I first came to Thailand, and came to the conclusion that it is not that the Thais love their children less than we love ours - but that their levels of stupidity (and lack of foresight in this regard) are astronomically higher!

[RichardColeman]

It's because you can make a new baby, but you cannot remake yourself !

[Lupatria]

12 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Not sure if any helmet on sale here in the main stream outlets meet any safety standards to start with???? 

Most of them will protect your head as much as a wet salad leaf. But it looks like some heads won't need a helmet as the brain is already dysfunctional. Here's an example:

One of the senior officials at the Ministry of Transportation commented on the situation in 2012:
"Thais have different brains than other people, and we are able to talk on the mobile phone and text messages while driving in cars and on motorcycles." The moron put it one step further: "A requirement to wear a helmet is for Thais not necessary, because unlike other people, they have a thicker skull to protect them from injury!" What a gloomy minister! It just shows in many cases, the cranial bone seems to be so thick that there is no space left for a brain...
 

[ocddave]

Well they can always make more kids, money however.

[tingtong]

when ppl can afford 40k+ on a motorbike, i dont think the 200-400thb kid helmet's cost prohibit the parents for buying one.

it is silly to blame the helmet cost, really.

if anything, blame the enforcing of helmet wearing ( or the lack of it).

 

[Redline]

Prosecute them

[alation]

Yes the being seen to be cool has big part in the older kids unfortunately. I wonder if the parents actually know the amount of children that die and or injured in this way. Maybe the transport department get together with the television stations to do a daily update on the figures during the news.

But to just digress a little I notice in Australia that so many kids and adults just ignore the law on helmets some like to protect their handlebars by hanging their helmets on them instead of putting them on there heads mad but the police seem to ignore them instead of warning them or giving them a ticket. What's your thoughts. 

[a977]

6 hours ago, tingtong said:

when ppl can afford 40k+ on a motorbike, i dont think the 200-400thb kid helmet's cost prohibit the parents for buying one.

it is silly to blame the helmet cost, really.

if anything, blame the enforcing of helmet wearing ( or the lack of it).

 

The excuse from the police for not fining people for not wearing helmet is they are Thai not have enough money for fine, my answer they have money to buy bike, they have money to put fuel in bike and they have money to modify bike exhaust why no money to pay fine?????????????????????

[ChipButty]

They should educate the kids starting in school but I know it wont happen

[riclag]

I've had  conversations with Thai's,they excuse it by saying Up To Them