Coronavirus? You should be more worried about Thailand’s deadly roads - 1602 killed so far in 2020

[glennb6]

THANK YOU OP !  some common sense and logic surfaces.

 

I laugh when I see mcy riders wearing a mouth/face mask but no helmet.

[Assurancetourix]

16 hours ago, Saint Nick said:

Who writes such crappy articles?

 

guess ...

[mtls2005]

15 hours ago, Samuel Smith said:

Pollution probably kills more than virus & road accidents combined ????

 

 

Alcohol? Cigarettes? Both contribute to the top 3 causes of death, at ~ 17 million.

 

Some worldwide figures peg road injury (resulting death) at #8, ~ 1.5 million per year. Lower Respiratory infections (guess would be a high percentage caused by flu) at #4, close to 3 million deaths per year.

 

 

Seems like a reasonably intelligent and well-informed person can be worried about mroe than one thing at time?

 

I can mitigate my exposure to a road fatality quite easily. Exposure to a virus? Maybe less so.

 

 

 

 

[Ventenio]

We should worry about a Black Hole 100 zillion kms away!!

Or worry about the Sun exploding or earthquakes or WW3.  

 

The virus takes some control from us, and that is IMPORTANT.  A virus can control our actions, emotions, etc....

 

Car accidents only inconvenience us

 

Car accidents are like AIDS....we take precautions and live with it

 

The virus is coming for us, no matter what we do.  

 

 

[ChipButty]

I think Phuket has to be the worst place in Thailand on the roads

[SiSePuede419]

In no particular order...

 

*Road rage

*Soi dogs causing an accident

*Liver failure (alcoholism)

*Lung disease from air pollution (self induced, if nicotine addict)

*White bread (diabetes)

*Colon cancer (predominantly Western diets)

*Girlfriend or wife poisoning you for life insurance money

*Ladyboy stabbing you in Pattaya (don't negotiate, LOL)

*Accident on motorcycle at 2am while intoxicated riding with no helmet

*Opioid overdose (for junkies)

*Meth or cocaine causing heart attack (for speed freaks)

 

Did I miss any? ????

[xtrnuno41]

13 hours ago, Logosone said:

I've travelled the world and the seven seas. I thought I'd seen it all. I have never seen such idiotic driving as in Thailand. 

 

How is it possible that an ostensibly well mannered people drives in such an inconsiderate, reckless and dangerous way? I've never seen anything like it.

 

No indicating! When you change lane the car behind you actually speeds up to prevent you from doing so. Scooters driving into you. Cars driving into you at speed. Nobody giving way when you change lanes. Lanes appearing out of nowhere. Lanes disappearing out of the blue.

 

Why is nobody doing anthing? They knew I was coming!

 

My mate says you cant compare with Vietnam, they seem to do more worse.

Have been myself in Indonesia and was sitting in the back of car with my toes curled. Incredible.

I see a program '" idiots on the road " , dashcam recordings in Russia way of driving.

You cant imagine how stupid they drive over there.

Agree Thailand is also very weird to see how they are driving, but to say Thailand is the only country where there are idiots driving, i dont agree. 

 

Dont know which world you traveled and on the seas you dont have cars, however stupid captains who collide with other vessels, like the USA war boat. Imagine that, you see the situation coming and still collide. 

[SiSePuede419]

11 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

The virus is coming for us, no matter what we do.  

Have you been nominated for an Academy award yet?

 

With all due respect, you should probably stick with making tomato sauce and writing poetry about that big pizza pie in the sky called "amore"  ????

 

 

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

in January alone 1,385 people were killed after being involved in a road traffic accident in Thailand

I think the transport minister should step down in embarrassment, and dereliction of office.

Year after year, campaign after campaign this still continues to be a huge killer.

Someone seriously needs to step up to the plate and start enforcing the already numerous laws and getting the Thai public in line.

Then start to tackle the non-existent driver training, educate the next generation how to drive before they get vehicles and go out on the open road!

[a3tsw]

16 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

In no particular order...

 

*Road rage

*Soi dogs causing an accident

*Liver failure (alcoholism)

*Lung disease from air pollution (self induced, if nicotine addict)

*White bread (diabetes)

*Colon cancer (predominantly Western diets)

*Girlfriend or wife poisoning you for life insurance money

*Ladyboy stabbing you in Pattaya (don't negotiate, LOL)

*Accident on motorcycle at 2am while intoxicated riding with no helmet

*Opioid overdose (for junkies)

*Meth or cocaine causing heart attack (for speed freaks)

 

Did I miss any? ????

falling of the balcony...

[Pedrogaz]

The vast majority of which were undoubtedly preventable, kinda puts it into perspective.

[atyclb]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Coronavirus? You should be more worried about Thailand’s deadly roads - 1602 killed so far in 2020

 

two distinctly different and separate issues that each merit concern

[rocketdave]

I was told many, many years ago " the most dangerous component of a car is the loose nut on the steering wheel!"

[ChipButty]

Mumbai cant be far behind Thailand

[herwin1234]

yes LETS WORRY ABOUT THINGS WE READ IN THE MEDIA BUT THAT WE ACTUALLY MOST LIKELY NEVER ENCOUNTERED IN OUR REAL LIFE.

1. I never actually in real life experienced someone dying of the new virus.

2. i never saw a deadly accident in Thailand. 

 

Yes, both need our attention of course, but why worry about it?

Air pollurion, just ANYBODY is affected by it, 24 hours a day (unless you live in a small village).  Not THAT is a legitimate worry.

 

Anyway, its getting annoying the fear mongering and negativity about Thailand, seems like there is nothing good to write about Thailand. 

[emptypockets]

2 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

I tend to agree with your comment. China has stated they want the bad press to stop. Telling news services to focus on the good side of it. Rescues, cured, etc... Thailands news and other countries are trying to deflect the seriousness of this virus by comparing it to other things and stating it is inconsequential and not all that bad. Yet, if you compare it as this articles writer has chosen to do. Remember that we choose to drive and take a risk. The virus doesn't give us that choice. The fly may kill hundreds of thousands worldwide yearly. But we have not yet seen this viruses extend on a global scale yet. It could end up killing millions and infecting billions. I would much tather take my chances on a Thai road driving or walking, than risk walking around people who may have this virus. 

Sounds just like the fear and paranoia that surrounded HIV a few decades back. In reality you could be surrounded by people who have the virus and you would never know. Or are in a roundabout way saying you avoid Chinese people?

I doubt the average farang could correctly identify a Chinese person in a group of other Asians. In the same manner they could not tell the difference between a French, Belgian or German person simply by looking at them.

[emptypockets]

14 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

When your home country refuses travellers  from Thailand..... if, when it gets bad here, be prepared to get out damn quick.

I haven't seen any reports of people travelling from Thailand being refused entry. If that ever happens you may not be able to get out, damn quick or not.

More paranoid speculation that social media thrives on.

[khunpa]

Just living has a 100% death rate.

 

Anyone comparing this to the common flu, traffic deaths etc. should move to Wuhan.

[whiteman]

last 10 years never was much good to write about Thailand except my partner ????

[Thomas J]

16 hours ago, EricTh said:

People are always paranoid due to what the media writes. Right now, the media focus on virus but not accidents which killed more people looking at how Thai drivers drive.

So True, the media blows every situation out of proportion to make it seem far more dramatic and serious.  I dont know what the deaths from drug overdose are here in Thailand but in the USA it is 72,000 a year.  However let one airplane crash or one crazy person with a gun shoot into a crowd and it is a sudden call to arms for Congress to save them. 

[brianthainess]

16 hours ago, rkidlad said:

At the moment, yes, you 'should' be more worried about Thailand's roads. I am worried. The only reason I worry more about the coronavirus is because I feel like I have very little control. At least when I'm driving in Bangkok, I can drive as safely as possible (and to a certain extent trick myself I'm in full control).

 

With this new virus, I worry because there's little I can do if the s*** hits the fan. The government are not helping either. It would be nice if they were doing something to look proactive. It feels like they just wanna ignore it and hope it goes away. That's very worrying. 

Well said.

[raccos21]

What’s wrong with the people here do they have any common sense what is exactly going on around the world. 

[Mark mark]

It is interesting that more people die on a Monday, and less on the week end ! ? ... So ? They stay home on the week ends, ? and drink ! ? or what ever, ... and on Monday they are tired, and still hung over, ... but have to get the car out and go to work ! ? ... Maybe ? .... and are probably late ! .... So there you have it, ... Intention, tiredness, (A Hangover ?) and in a Rush ... and Hurry. ... = Reduced ability, combines with Speed. ? ....

 

... Or maybe the large numbers returning to the megalopolises from the country side ? ???  ... NO, that is Sunday, so on the week end ! ... It must be tiredness, (And Hangovers ?) = Inattention and bad decision making, and the speed and rush of the first day of the working week ! ? ... like this is important to figure out, so that steps to combat it can be taken, and Thais are actually good at this, if they want to be, like if they do Know, and then DO decide to do something about it ! ? ... ??? .... Though reducing the Speed, this will be very hard in some areas I think ? ...

 

THOUGH, where I live near the Asia Highway, up past Ayuttahya, it HAS been reduced !!! ... Like I HAVE seen a REALLY Obvious slow down, and also some improvement in rule following, since the start of the recognition of the Problem, the road safety campaign, and the Installation of the speed cameras which my very trusted Local man, told me are set to only give you a ticket if you are doing over 120 k .... ???

 

... Like before people on big flash cars were ripping past you if you were doing 110, so fast you would nearly think that you were standing still, like they must have been doing up to 160 or more in come cases, in that fast center passing lane !!! .... But now I do not see these Total F'n Rich idiots misbehaving any more ... nearly all are doing only 110 or 120 Max. Like under 110 almost across the board now.

 

... I wonder if Young Men on Motor cycles are still 75% of the casualties, ? like on the Highways I see helmets, ... but no where else, .... and I am as guilty of that as any of them here, on the quieter side roads ... AND between here and our school !!! ... 

 

 

 

 

[Grusa]

2 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

I tend to agree with your comment. China has stated they want the bad press to stop. Telling news services to focus on the good side of it. Rescues, cured, etc... Thailands news and other countries are trying to deflect the seriousness of this virus by comparing it to other things and stating it is inconsequential and not all that bad. Yet, if you compare it as this articles writer has chosen to do. Remember that we choose to drive and take a risk. The virus doesn't give us that choice. The fly may kill hundreds of thousands worldwide yearly. But we have not yet seen this viruses extend on a global scale yet. It could end up killing millions and infecting billions. I would much tather take my chances on a Thai road driving or walking, than risk walking around people who may have this virus. 

Road accidents, you can see them coming albeit without much time to react - but at least you have a chance, if you look out and practice defensive driving, or defensive life!

Viruses (viri?) you can't see.

[PlastikbinLina]

Sadly there is no commitment by the government to really get to grips with this problem. The traffic rules are ignored by most citizens. So called safety measures to reduce traffic deaths are to simply put a tent on the side of the road and ask the traffic police to sit under out of the sun. I haven't seen any statistics but I reckon speed and careless driving would be the main cause of deaths. By the end of the year the road toll will exceed 27.000

[johnarth]

I think it good the media want to talk about road deaths, but it time to tell the truth about how many die, and why not put a bit more like how many Thais kill tourists  from road accidents and from what counties, what about how many tourists get infections from brothel visits sorry not possible

[Tarteso]

Coronavirus?

Thailand’s deadly roads - 1602 killed so far in 2020

Someone should explain and teach to DRIVERS that the masks are for cover the mouth, but not for the eyes.

[Assurancetourix]

9 minutes ago, Tarteso said:

Coronavirus?

Thailand’s deadly roads - 1602 killed so far in 2020

Someone should explain and teach to DRIVERS that the masks are for cover the mouth, but not for the eyes.

and yet you are partly wrong; because the virus can be transmitted in different ways, including through the eyes; (according to most doctors of immunology)
in fact you would need an almost deep-sea diver mask, a mask that covers the whole head and not just the nose and mouth.

 

I can prevent a road accident simply by staying at home and going to the market by side roads inaccessible to cars and trucks ...
but I cannot prevent myself from being contagious by a disease which is highly transmissible from human to human.

This comparison is an additional idiocy .. As well as comparing apples with pears ... or grapes

[geriatrickid]

17 hours ago, EricTh said:

People are always paranoid due to what the media writes. Right now, the media focus on virus but not accidents which killed more people looking at how Thai drivers drive.

You do not understand the criticism. We can take measures to prevent  our involvement in road crashes.  A large  number of crashes are due to driver actions like DUI, speeding, overloading vehicles, safety failures, ignoring basic safety like a motorbike helmet or  vehicle seatbelt use etc.   With a respiratory infectious disease, there really isn't much one can do once the  illness becomes widespread.  I can choose not to get into a minivan where the driver  looks like a yaba fiend.  I cannot choose to avoid everyone in a crowded city like Bangkok.

 

The concerns in respect to the spread of any infectious disease are legitimate, particularly since we were warned multiple times this would happen. We were also warned that the  agricultural practices in many countries like China would give rise to outbreaks of swine  and avian  respiratory diseases and look what is going on now. China has two of those epidemics underway too. people should be concerned because our personal safety is at risk because of the  irresponsible practices of some countries.

[Tarteso]

12 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

and yet you are partly wrong; because the virus can be transmitted in different ways, including through the eyes; (according to most doctors of immunology)
in fact you would need an almost deep-sea diver mask, a mask that covers the whole head and not just the nose and mouth.

 

I can prevent a road accident simply by staying at home and going to the market by side roads inaccessible to cars and trucks ...
but I cannot prevent myself from being contagious by a disease which is highly transmissible from human to human.

This comparison is an additional idiocy .. As well as comparing apples with pears ... or grapes

Perhaps you didn’t see that my post is pure irony and a sarcasm after reading that 200 are killed in theses roads every days. ????

Edited February 7, 2020 by Tarteso