Is Thailand Really So Dangerous?

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

Hi,

I've lived in Thailand for 3 years now, having ridden a motorcycle and driven a car for that time in the north and around Bangkok.

I read on this site that Thailand's roads are death traps, the drivers awful and the driving laws are woeful and even more woefully enforced...

I have a good friend who'll be coming over for an indefinate period from the UK soon, and I happily directed him to this website as it contains invaluable insights into this great country. Needless to say, after perusing TV, he is now petrified about stepping into a taxi for fear of impending death (let alone getting safely out of the airport, but that's another story).

It got me thinking. How many accidents have I actually seen and been involved in personally?

Number of bike accidents seen with my own eyes = 3

Number of car accidents seen with my own eyes = 0

Number of bike accidents I've been in = 1

Number of car accidents I've been in = 0

I see 1 accident 1 per year and involved in 0.33 of an accident. On the face of it, for me, Thailand's not so bad - is that because I'm lucky?

What's your annual average?

James

[sutnyod]

Compared to Cambodia Thailand is paradise!

Accidents seen:

while driving (Bkk-Isaan) 3 (!!!) nasty (!!!) accidents per DAY (all cars)

while in Bkk: none

Accidents involved:

none

[toptuan]

You guys don't get out much, do you?

[Wolfie]

I've seen dozens of accidents over the 4 years i've lived here, including fatal ones...

Including 3 accidents myself (one nasty one, two minor bumps)

I think you've just been lucky friend

[PhilHarries]

In twelve years living in LoS driving virtually every day:-

Accidents involved in : 4 (minor). So that's 0.33 per year.

Accidents witnessed : Lost count. Probably around one a month averaged out.

Accidents seen aftermath : Lost count. Probably around one a week.

Dead bodies seen : Lost count. I would guess double figures, somewhere around 15.

Accidents where I am passenger in a taxi : Zero point zero, just plain lucky there.

Is driving in Thailand dangerous? Yes, compared to Europe and North America.

Should you be put off by the stats? No. Just take it easy and expect the unexpected.

[Jared]

Ive been living here about 7 months and ive already lost count of the amount accidents ive seen. Where we live in Korat theres been a few deaths. Every time we go on a long drive somewhere we see an accident with out fail. Christmas time was the worse, we went on around a 3 hour drive to some mountains, cant remember the name. On the way there we say an over turned pick up on the other side of the road, there was around 5 bodys scattered all over the place, not covered. The worst being a little girl. I can only assume there were in the back of the pick up and got catapulted. On the way back we saw 2 more accidents the worst being a coach that had gone off the road and into a sign post which took the front half of the coach out. There must of been a row of around 10 bodies all covered by the side of the road. Later on in that drive we saw another turned over pick up but no bodies, however there was plenty of blood about so i assume the bodies had been collected. I remember a few days later my wife showed me the news paper with the statistics for road deaths over the Christmas period and it was unreal.

[sutnyod]

You guys don't get out much, do you?

????

3 accidents per day? That's nine in three days, man. And fatal ones. Think that's more than enough. I do a lot of driving, am not so often in Bkk.

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

Well,

if I mentioned the 'aftermath' of road accidents to my mate, he wouldn't get on the plane! I'll also make sure that any Thai language newspapers are hidden from his sight... at least for the first month.

[sutnyod]

Toptuan should have kept quiet: I just WAS in an accident. Fortunately it was only minor - taxi rammed another car. Our driver had thought that the car in front of him would go. Well, it didn't....

[jdinasia]

since 2003

minor accidents seen ....... gads ..... 100's

Major accidents seen ....... 2 a month +?

aftermath seen? just at one intersection at least one a week on majors .... often with fatalities

accidents i have been in .... 1 in the back of a taxi .... 1 on my bike

Just in the last 3 days I was in Phuket before running up to BKK for the weekend I saw 2 majors ... motorcycle hitting motorcycle ... (no fatalities but broken bones in both)

While in BKK over the weekend saw 3 car wrecks ... (didn't see ANY on the daytrip upcountry ... but let's not mention my use of the asian/squat toilet at the Gas station!)

[djinn]

In twelve years living in LoS driving virtually every day:-

Accidents involved in : 4 (minor). So that's 0.33 per year.

Accidents witnessed : Lost count. Probably around one a month averaged out.

Accidents seen aftermath : Lost count. Probably around one a week.

Dead bodies seen : Lost count. I would guess double figures, somewhere around 15.

Accidents where I am passenger in a taxi : Zero point zero, just plain lucky there.

Is driving in Thailand dangerous? Yes, compared to Europe and North America.

Should you be put off by the stats? No. Just take it easy and expect the unexpected.

I have exactly the same statistics after 4 years in Thailand

I t is indeed more dangerous than europ but if you have a big car with many airbags.Well you are a little bit more safe

And I never drive a motorbike (nor take I a motorbike taxi....)

[Richb2004v2]

Although I have started another thread about the lack of enforcement of driving rules in Thailand, I was going to start one about the frequency of accidents witnessed by TV members.

I drive, but not that much and not very far. I am the first to complain about the Thai roads and drivers, but I actually do not see that many accidents. I would expect to see many more.

It’s obvious that the roads are far more dangerous than they should be, but maybe the Thais have adapted to the chaos and simply avoid each other.

[PeaceBlondie]

In 140,000 MILES in the USA, on lots of motorcycles, a few fall-offs, but nothing more serious than broken bones that healed. Mexico: accident within 50 kilometers. Thailand: second day on a bike, nearly severed a main artery, out beyond nowhere. Thailand, third bike rental, sailed straight into a ditch, but not a scrape. Thailand, my best student died from head injuries at a stoplight. Thailand, I lost my right humerus after 31,000 kilometers of riding.

Automobile, inside the cabin: not very dangerous. Motorcycles: very dangerous. But I can't live without riding, so I takes me chances.

[Richb2004v2]

In 140,000 MILES in the USA, on lots of motorcycles, a few fall-offs, but nothing more serious than broken bones that healed. Mexico: accident within 50 kilometers. Thailand: second day on a bike, nearly severed a main artery, out beyond nowhere. Thailand, third bike rental, sailed straight into a ditch, but not a scrape. Thailand, my best student died from head injuries at a stoplight. Thailand, I lost my right humerus after 31,000 kilometers of riding.

Automobile, inside the cabin: not very dangerous. Motorcycles: very dangerous. But I can't live without riding, so I takes me chances.

That’s pretty bad PeaceBlondie. You would have been better off serving in a war zone.

I wondered about the experiences of teachers. Obviously teachers are surrounded by kids that probably fly about on bikes, as well as parents of those kids that drive….well, like Thais.

Do you experience the aftereffects of your students having accidents, or members of their families having accidents?

Do any of the Thai teachers caution the kids on road safety, or is it some sort of taboo?

I would have started another topic, but it links with this one well.

[Moonfruit]

Death and Chaos is seen by me pretty much every day on the roads, but then again i spend most of the day driving around Bangkok and vicinity.

My tally of crashes includes somebody followed by another somebody smashing up my ass while i was sat in a u-turn. Then, last week i took out a motorcycle while turning right across Sukhumvit. That motorcycle sneaked down the side of a bus in the left lant, even though the three lanes had been stopped by a policeman to allow us to turn right. Madness.

So far (touch wood) i havent had any incidents on my motorbike, but then again, i consider myself to be extra lucky, and i do try to make my own luck.

This tally is after living here for 5 years, and probably having covered around 120,000km in total, in car and on bike.

One time last year on the way to Ko Chang it started raining after months without rain. I said to my wife, you watch and we will see an accident. Within 10km we had seen 2 pickups in the central reservation, and a big ass truck on its side.

[Richb2004v2]

I remember a Thai friend visiting the Uk in business for the first time. He was amazed that he did not see any accidents the whole three weeks he was there. He was also surprised by how the driving was all so ordered and regulated.

At the time I had yet to travel to Thailand, and didn’t understand what he meant. Now I fully appreciate why he found it so different.

[undercover]

Number of bike accidents seen with my own eyes = 3

Number of car accidents seen with my own eyes = 0

................................................

In Three years of living here ? you must have done the driving in the middle of knowhere, and the very outskirts of Bangkok at 4 in the morning ?

[Naam]

Number of bike accidents seen with my own eyes = 3

Number of car accidents seen with my own eyes = 0

................................................

In Three years of living here ? you must have done the driving in the middle of knowhere, and the very outskirts of Bangkok at 4 in the morning ?

for the record: i hardly leave my home (which is my castle) but whenever i drive to downtown Pattaya (perhap twice a month) i see at least one serious accident.

[ray23]

I guess it all depends on where you compare. Kuwait in comparison is much worse.

99.9% of my travels have been on the bike since I came here four years ago. I tend to ride around 700 Klms a week.

I have been in one acccident hit from the side by a pickup. We had the right equipment on and had minor injuries. Plus we were very lucky in where the impact was. I try to ride defensively.

Seen two fatal M/C accidents in both cases the bike was the only vehilce involved and the rider had to no helmet.

As I recall two car accidents.

Maybe three involving buses running off the road.

When I first started driving here scared me to death. Now I'm used to Waterbuffalos, Cattle elephants in the road. Car drivers that really enjoy seeing how close they can get to you without hitting you. People driving down the road the wrong way and at night with no lights.

But I don't live in Bangkok either, Issan so much less traffic

A Peaceblondie pointed out motocycle riding is dangersous, I have had two accidents, worth talking about one here one in the States.

I would say that you definetly have to adjust your driving for here

There are people killed everyday on California roadways and that is a very controlled atmosphire to drive in.

More dangerous here I don't know but you definetly have to adjust.

Edited March 14, 2007 by ray23