Thailand road carnage: 2,261 killed at the scene since the start of the year

[webfact]

Thailand road carnage: 2,261 killed at the scene since the start of the year

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Daily News reported that 50 people died at the scene of road accidents in Thailand yesterday bringing the total for the year so far to 2,261.

 

In February to date 875 people have been killed.

 

The media cautions that this is just those killed at the scene - in reality when victims who die in hospitals and all jurisdictions report their numbers the stats are much higher.

 

Senior figures in the Thai government have accepted that the annual death toll on Thai roads is in excess of 20,000 and some activists say the figure is around 25,000 a year, notes Thaivisa.

 

Daily News

 

As part of their campaign to improve road safety Daily News highlighted the dangers of motorcyclist going the wrong way on roads.

 

One rider on a Honda Click who did that near the IRPC refinery on Sukhumvit Road in Rayong paid with their life after smashing head on into a ten wheel truck carrying plastic.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-02-21

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[Denim]

I don't think this will come as a surprise to anyone.

 

What surprises me is that there are not more accidents. Must be all those amulets working overtime.

[PatOngo]

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

Senior figures in the Thai government have accepted that the annual death toll on Thai roads is in excess of 20,000

Well it must be ok then! Onward and upward! I'm gonna buy a new watch!

[ParkerN]

56 minutes ago, webfact said:

As part of their campaign to improve road safety Daily News highlighted the dangers of motorcyclist going the wrong way on roads.

Odd, I thought that was against the law and yet I've seen it on Thai roads for years, often right opposite a Police sub-station without consequence. Normal practice for Thais.

 

What are the police for then if they can't even stop this from happening?

 

 

[spidermike007]

One of the biggest problems here, is the lack of a deterrent when it comes to the police and a hapless administration. They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. The highway patrol, NEVER patrols the highway. Never. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends a trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the local franchise. 

 

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, nor enforcement of the law. 

 

When I was growing up, we took drivers education courses. They showed us horrendous films, of semi trucks plowing into cars, and literally obliterating everything in their path. They also showed us graphic images of head on collisions. 120mph impacts. Even as a young kid, it made quite an impression. It was horrific, and it was hard to get those images out of your head afterwards. But, it left a lasting impression, and when I started driving, I understood it was serious business, and that it was a very dangerous thing to do. Also, I remember getting alot of coaching from my Mom. She taught me alot about driving. Do the locals get any of that wisdom, from anyone?

 

I see people driving here, with their entire families in the car, or two of their kids on a  bike, doing things, and taking the kinds of risks no rational or sane person with common sense would ever do. What for? To gain one minute? Why take those risks? What is the logic? Often, when I am cruising along at 100kph, someone cuts right in front of me. Or someone comes out from the side road, right in front of me. I have to slam on my brakes, or change lanes to avoid him. I look in my rearview mirror, and there is nobody behind me. So, if he had waited two seconds, he would have had completely safe passage onto the highway. What gives? Where is the intelligence, caution, and prudence and respect for others? Where is the common sense? What about just the survival instinct? 

 

Two day ago, I was driving my motorbike along a two lane stretch of road, doing nearly 100kph. A woman cuts across both lanes, from the other side of the road, and merges right across my lane, and did not even glance to see if anyone was there. Not before she entered the road, nor while she was crossing. Fortunately, I was watching her, was really laying on my horn, got her attention, so she sped up a little, and was able to slam on my brakes as she cut in front of me, but missed her by two meters, at the most, at fast speed. I looked behind me as I was screaming at her, and she was laughing. What can one even say? Such an astonishing degree of recklessness, is so prevalent here. 

 

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I was driving my motorbike along a two lane stretch of road, doing nearly 100kph.

That's too fast on Thai roads.

[CraigInBangkok]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

As part of their campaign to improve road safety Daily News highlighted the dangers of motorcyclist going the wrong way on roads.

Not just bikes ...We have quite a busy/fast section of road near where we live. When I take the wife to the airport link for work in the morning one side often gets jammed. I have seen on quite a few occasions cars just go onto the wrong side of the road and drive at high speed to avoid the jam. I am waiting for a huge accident to happen, and just hope we are not involved. 

[ashkale]

Looks like we need to quarantine the vehicles off thai roads- shows two things- how "contagious" wreckless driving is in Thailand & How pathetic the CCP are at churning out unrealistic numbers.  

[30la]

My comment...NO COMMENT!!!

[mikebell]

18 hours ago, ParkerN said:

What are the police for then if they can't even stop this from happening?

Collecting money.  There are two police stations on Suk in Pattaya.  I would say four drivers run the red lights every change.  There is NEVER a cop on duty.  They are always up the road sticking up motorists near the Ambassador and now on Rot Fai.  If you go into soi 9 Police Station Beach Road ANY day, you will see their ONE-STOP Mint coining in over 10K every HOUR!  This despite Chonburi having the 2nd worst casualty figures in Thailand which has the second worst figures in the World.

[glennb6]

about the same number of deaths from the AhChooFlu since the beginning of the year... well at least many of the thai mcy scooter drivers wear face masks -555

[Stargeezr]

Spidermike, I nave to agree with your short story. I have had many close calls, and a good friend of mine was rear ended by a careless driver 2 days ago. He will not be returning to Thailand again

and feels lucky to still be alive, even tho his arms and legs will take a month to heal. My Thai family are all good drivers who have to dodge the lousy ones in Bangkok every day, and some of the worst are, hisos, or even police. The new worst drivers on motorbikes are the green Grab,

and pink Panda delivery guys and gals.. Amaingly dangerous Thailand..

Geezer

[ChipButty]

Farangs are getting just as bad on motorbikes, no helmets to start with I clocked one the other day ran a red light and was moving also the other day I was sitting waiting to turn left at the lights I've got my indicator on just as Im about to move a Farang came up the inside of me Im always looking in the left hand mirror it happens a lot

[rvaviator]

14 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Farangs are getting just as bad on motorbikes, no helmets to start with I clocked one the other day ran a red light and was moving also the other day I was sitting waiting to turn left at the lights I've got my indicator on just as Im about to move a Farang came up the inside of me Im always looking in the left hand mirror it happens a lot

Clearly he has learned to integrate well with the local driving culture. One could actually make a case for how safe the roads are here considering how crazy it is ... Only 20K to 30K a year is not bad when you consider how wild it is with what I believe is more than 30 million registered vehicles.

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

One rider on a Honda Click who did that near the IRPC refinery on Sukhumvit Road in Rayong paid with their life after smashing head on into a ten wheel truck carrying plastic

Some people just don't learn.

[EVENKEEL]

I hate the creepers, the ones who start driving on the shoulder continuously pulling out into mad traffic instead of waiting for a clear road and gunning it.

[IAMHERE]

It is a good idea to NOT thwart the will of Buddha. He didn't like wheels all that much, motors much less so. A wonder of goodwill that so many don't die on the roads of Thailand, I'd suspect.  Notice the weasel words for the internet?

[cyril sneer]

are these threads even neccesary anymore? 

[Bangkok Barry]

23 hours ago, ParkerN said:

Odd, I thought that was against the law and yet I've seen it on Thai roads for years, often right opposite a Police sub-station without consequence. Normal practice for Thais.

 

What are the police for then if they can't even stop this from happening?

 

 

The police are very clever. They've worked out that they get paid whether they work or not. So they don't. Meanwhile, my wife is going to a funeral today of the son of one of her friends who was in an 'accident'. The son of a neighbour was also killed in an 'accident', from the same house where someone drove out from a party and killed a motorcyclist going past.

Let's be careful out there.

[SunsetT]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Farangs are getting just as bad on motorbikes, no helmets to start with I clocked one the other day ran a red light and was moving also the other day I was sitting waiting to turn left at the lights I've got my indicator on just as Im about to move a Farang came up the inside of me Im always looking in the left hand mirror it happens a lot

Well to be honest, especially given that turning left at a red light is legal here and that mbikes legally should, I believe, always stay on the far left inside of all traffic, you should always leave enough room for a bicycle or mbike to turn a left corner inside of you.

[SunsetT]

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I hate the creepers, the ones who start driving on the shoulder continuously pulling out into mad traffic instead of waiting for a clear road and gunning it.

Yes, and also when they do something wrong, like pulling out in front of you, instead of doing it as quickly as possible, they do it dead slow (creep out) as if that makes it OK....while, of course, looking the other way!!!

[ICELANDMAN]

The solution to keep a whole people under control from the 0,001% is not to educate them in everything but to make them proud to be the best in the world even if they are the worst prepared on everything starting from universities and to give them minimum services with minimum wages only for to survive, this works very well see Thailand, but it is already a way that other countries are already copying.

[Vacuum]

3 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I hate the creepers, the ones who start driving on the shoulder continuously pulling out into mad traffic instead of waiting for a clear road and gunning it.

Thais in general don't like to wait, hence their behaviour on the roads.

[Redline]

Lack of common sense, respect for life, any degree of enforcement is nowhere to be found.  The government does not  are for or about the people 

[bloodyholly]

Never drive in a country where the populous believe in reincarnation 

[NoshowJones]

On 2/21/2020 at 12:42 PM, ParkerN said:

Odd, I thought that was against the law and yet I've seen it on Thai roads for years, often right opposite a Police sub-station without consequence. Normal practice for Thais.

 

What are the police for then if they can't even stop this from happening?

 

 

The people who could make a difference, I mean the the rank buying Lt/Cols and Maj/Gens etc, are too busy posing in their nice uniforms with all the badges, wings, and bling to bother instructing the normal policemen to get out on the roads and do their jobs.

[NoshowJones]

23 hours ago, Vacuum said:

That's too fast on Thai roads.

Yes, especially on motorbikes.

[ramrod711]

On 2/21/2020 at 12:42 PM, ParkerN said:

What are the police for then if they can't even stop this from happening?

Having a lot of police officers doing nothing keeps unemployment numbers down. Other than that they have no useful function.

[Assurancetourix]

5 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Thais in general don't like to wait,

Can you explain to me why they start at a light that turns green as if they were all driving 22-wheelers loaded with 50 tonnes ...?

[Humpy]

....so that's about 46 a day ..not counting those that succumb to their injuries ...... TIT.  ... and we are worried about the virus !!!