Road fatalities halved when alcohol banned on major Buddhist holidays, safety centre finds

[Cheops]

Of course there are less deadly accidents on most national holidays!

 

They all got just new amulets from the temples they visited, so they are protected. 

[robsamui]

Only in an emerging nation is it "news" that an 'expert' discovers that road deaths are reduced by having fewer drunks on the road. And only in an emerging nation does nobody in the government care about drunk drivers and the mayhem they cause.

 

TWENTY THOUSAND drunk drivers arrested just one day in January.

But some emerging nations refuse to believe that they are doing anything wrong. And one emerging nation believes itself to be the finest nation in the world and refuses to learn from others for fear of losing face. 

 

I wonder which nation this could be?!


 

 

[jmacken306]

6 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Studies showed that a ban on road vehicles reduced fatalities by up to 90%.
However, some somchais were still admitted to hospital for tripping over their own feet.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

That's only if the restaurants, bars......  aren't selling it. Then you just buy it before the day and go to friends.... and have a nice trip!

[alien365]

I've just been out and the roads are empty. Maybe that could be the reason in fewer deaths on these days. 

[Chongalulu]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

It is said that the measure of a modern & civilised society is in its road use... 

 

It could be argued that this is somewhat of a sweeping generalisation and a bit of a Thai-bash... well it is, but not an unwarranted one. 

 

Improvement would make living in this lovely place that much more enjoyable... 

 

Its heartbraking to see so many Thai’s unnecessarily succumbing to a nationwide cultural failure to adopt a little curtesy and common sense... 

The courtesy you see face to face vanishes when behind the wheel. This is simply cowardice and reveals their true nature when the feel they are anonymous.

[johnny49r]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Road fatalities halved when alcohol banned on major Buddhist holidays, safety centre finds

Thailand doesn't need a safety centre to figure this out, they need proactive police to bust people for drinking/driving. 

More empty rhetoric from the bureaucrats.

[ChrisY1]

Road fatalities halved when alcohol banned on major Buddhist holidays, safety centre conveniently finds.....that's better.

[Anythingleft?]

Factor into this that a lot of families wont venture far today so people on the roads is drastically reduced, kind of puts the lower toll into perspective.....

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[Redline]

And what if the police actually worked 24/7 365 days?

[hotchilli]

Until penalties for drink driving are actually enforced, people are taken off the road for a year MANDATORY then nothing is going to change.

Police should be out on every street corner at night, stopping & checking every car on the road.

But of course... we know that deep down no-one wants to stop the "gravy train" so bars will be open all hours, people will get drunk and drive home, police will be no-where to be seen unless an accident is reported !!

That's why drivers take the risk, no accident little chance of being stopped !

[chrisinth]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Thanapong Jiwong, manager of the Road Safety Academic Centre, said on Monday that road accidents normally caused 40 deaths a day in the Kingdom.

“But, with the alcohol ban in effect on Asarnha Bucha and Buddhist Lent days in 2017, the number of road fatalities reduced to 21 per day only,” he said. 

Where do you start with statements like this?

Forgetting for a moment that the referenced days are Buddhist holidays, if the alcohol ban was imposed on any random day would there be the same almost 50% reduction on deaths?

 

Are motorists in Thailand, by law, restricted as to how much they can drink? If so, who is responsible for controlling this?

 

If the rules are not being applied to control these laws, who is hypothetically responsible for substance abuse related fatalities on the roads?

 

This issue is not only related to alcohol per se, the issue is about control of standing laws. If the control aspect is not addressed then nothing will change. If this issue is ignored and the figures of road fatalities are only related to alcohol/substance abuse then they should ban alcohol in the whole country. Have fun with that concept. Either that or have a government willing to accept 50% of road deaths on their hands because of your statistics, that alcohol is responsible alone. 

[GAZZPA]

7 hours ago, robblok said:

In my mind it comes back as far too little enforcement against drunk driving. They do seem to check more during "dangerous" days but it should be ongoing and fines should be even higher and cops checked for taking backhanders to get people off.

 

Only then people are going to learn, I am quite open minded about all drugs alcohol included but that stops when people start driving under the influence and risking innocent people.

With you all the way. I would say there is literally no enforcement here. Ok, they set up road blocks and do mass checks on traffic every now and then. However, that to my mind is all about collecting money. After the roadblocks are dismantled policeman do absolutely nothing to enforce the law on the roads, even when it is right before their eyes. You will see many people not wearing helmets on motorbikes at traffic lights but the police do absolutely nothing because it is not a time to collect money. Speeding, no use of indicators, swerving across lanes, tail gating or any other dangerous driving is completely ignored almost all the time unless it is money collecting time. Until they take the money out of the hands of the police and put it into a regulated body absolutely nothing will change. The police consider themselves to be a commercial entity here, nothing more really.

[AhFarangJa]

48 minutes ago, alien365 said:

I've just been out and the roads are empty. Maybe that could be the reason in fewer deaths on these days. 

I admire your optimism, and in a way it makes a good point, but the quiet roads may just be because many people are visiting friends and relatives after going to the temples, and are now having a good time.......until later tonight when they all start to go home.

[AntiAut]

7 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

How does he know that?

He is Thai, and the Thais know....

[Jumbo1968]

The ban on the sale of alcohol on certain days is a farce, the only people it affects are the Tourrists and the people who own and work in Bars. 

I have lived in many places in Thailand and it is very rare too see a Thai drinking in a Bar. The alcohol is bought days before the ban, consumed elsewhere, house etc and I sure Thais will be aware what shops alcohol will be available if their supply runs out.

[captainhornblower]

7 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

What the roads are lacking is courtesy and common sense. Those of us who learnt to drive at home understand that traffic flows faster and safer when people have courtesy towards other motorists, rather than pushing in and blocking other traffic, as well as to look at everything going on around you, right in front, 50m, 100m down the road too, plus the side roads. Locals don't do this when they haven't been drinking, so no surprise that accidents double when they do have a drink.

 

Very well said TER. To me, one of the best indicators of attitude on the roads here is the use of headlights to indicate to other drivers intent. In Europe (well certainly in UK) if a driver flashes their lights it is normally inviting you take the road ahead of them. In Thailand it generally means 'get out of my way I'm coming through whether you like it or not'. It is such a flawed thought process as in the western way it generally prevents accidents because right of way has been ceded by the driver that flashes but in the Thai way, if both drivers have the same mindset, then an accident is more likely to occur.

[Cereal]

Nothing to do with alcohol. Buddha was looking after his flock and protecting them.

[Shiver]

Studies show that "statistics are going up!".  Cherry picking data ... again, just like anywhere else in the world.

I drink, I drive, but I don't drink and drive.  I don't need a holiday that I don't subscribe to banning me from doing stupid.  Surely the connection is self evident(?).

[bristolgeoff]

Drink is a cause for sure.also the driver is just as much to blame 

[Aussieroaming]

And the real death toll, including those that die later is.....huge

[sambum]

8 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

How does he know that?

He's had plenty of time to compile the story! :-

 

“But, with the alcohol ban in effect on Asarnha Bucha and Buddhist Lent days in 2017, the number of road fatalities reduced to 21 per day only,” he said." 

[sambum]

7 hours ago, SammyT said:

While I'm generally anti Thai bashing just for the sake of it, it is certainly hard to disagree with your post. 

 

Although interestingly, I read somewhere a while back that around 60 - 70% of road fatalities are people on motos without helmets, which would indicate it's far more a common sense thing that a courtesy thing? As I totter along at 60kmh on my scooter, I get cold shivers seeing young Thai males (and occasionally females) belting down the road at 110kmh with no helmet on, weaving in and out of traffic. 

And too often at nigh without lights! (In my parish anyway!) 

[NoshowJones]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

It is said that the measure of a modern & civilised society is in its road use... 

 

It could be argued that this is somewhat of a sweeping generalisation and a bit of a Thai-bash... well it is, but not an unwarranted one. 

 

Improvement would make living in this lovely place that much more enjoyable... 

 

Its heartbraking to see so many Thai’s unnecessarily succumbing to a nationwide cultural failure to adopt a little curtesy and common sense... 

A Thai and common sense are just not compatable, and not just on the roads.

[mrfill]

1 hour ago, captainhornblower said:

 

Very well said TER. To me, one of the best indicators of attitude on the roads here is the use of headlights to indicate to other drivers intent. In Europe (well certainly in UK) if a driver flashes their lights it is normally inviting you take the road ahead of them. In Thailand it generally means 'get out of my way I'm coming through whether you like it or not'. It is such a flawed thought process as in the western way it generally prevents accidents because right of way has been ceded by the driver that flashes but in the Thai way, if both drivers have the same mindset, then an accident is more likely to occur.

That works well until you meet someone who actually complies with the UK driving ways. In the Highway code it states

Rule 111

Never assume that flashing headlights is a signal inviting you to proceed. Use your own judgement and proceed carefully.

 

All you need is 2 people, going in opposite directions, both thinking "what a nice polite man... CRUNCH".

[Lacessit]

I'm looking forward to when this safety centre finds banning the use of mobile phones, cells or whatever anyone wants to call them reduces the road toll another 50%.

[0815]

9 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

How does he know that?

In 2017 !
Why is this news ?
The real numbers of today they will tell in 2021 ?

[ttrd]

9 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Alchohol is definitely a contributing factor in way too many accidents here, though to my mind, it keeps coming back to the fact that a significant number of Thai people simply have no idea of how to drive properly, even when they are sober.

RE - it keeps coming back to the fact that a significant number of Thai people simply have no idea of how to drive properly, even when they are sober.

 

With other words and to ensure I got it right - due to the fact that the Thai's never get a proper driving education their driving habits are considered as drunk driving according to the European standard even when they are sober ....

[Sydebolle]

What would bring it down to 5% to 10% is the simple enforcement of the law with stringent penalties. No need to keep committees, working groups and fact finding missions going; just look how European countries deal with the problem.

Any drunk driver is fined THB 1‘000 for the first 0.1%o above the limit, double for the second 0.1%o, triple for the third 0.1%o etc. Everything above 1%0 results in car impounding, THB 20‘000 (that is what the corrupt police at the moment is creaming off foreigners caught above ANY limit) fine; the car is off the road for a week. Repeaters = double. 

Guess that would deal with the problem. Corrupt police to be fired (instead of present „inactive posting“ practice), named with picture in public on a website; that would deal with that issue. 

Wishful thinking but banning booze does not mean, that there are less drunk drivers on the road. Mom and Pop shops sell as usual and the dye-hard boozers got their stock replenished before the ban.

The ban on a Buddhist day is, by the way, not an issue by the Buddhist Sankha but the present shortsighted government; in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar - equally Buddhist countries, so such „ban“ is known. 

[SupermarineS6B]

Here we go, you can see what's coming next, just like the train steward that raped and murdered a passenger, it wasn't his fault, it was alcohol..... Next there'll be an alcohol ban for all and only those with a permit will be allowed to drink.....   with an allowance per week.......

[MaxLee]

How does he know that?

He joined a prayer with the Uncle “not to be named”...


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app