Why are Thailand's roads so deadly? - Sky News UK

[soi3eddie]

The perils of driving on Thailand's road have now been featured on Sky News UK. YouTube here>> 

 

 

 

 

Sky News

 

At least 20,000 people die on Thailand's roads every year, making them the ninth most dangerous in the world. This year, death tolls are down slightly, but unbelievably it's COVID-19 that's inadvertently saved hundreds of lives.

[pgrahmm]

High motorcycle count .....Untrained mc riders that graduate to untrained drivers, using the same judgements, maneuvers, and skill set....

 

Narrow roads with minimal maintenance & few guard rails and poor lighting....Open range.... No mobile law enforcement .....Children riding mc's early - like 9 - coupled with free range parenting.....Alcohol.....

To mame a few....

[worgeordie]

The roads are perfectly safe, it's the majority of idiots that

drive on them that's the problem.don't blame the roads.

regards Worgeordie

 

[CelticBhoy]

Old Sompong here is as weird as they come  . . . . .  ☠️

[2long]

30 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

The roads are perfectly safe, it's the majority of idiots that

drive on them that's the problem.don't blame the roads.

regards Worgeordie

 

Actually some roads are to blame. Poor surfaces, holes, and often huge colourful warnings for a slight bend, and then no warning for a tight bend.

But yeah, for sure it's the nutters who are 99% to blame.

After 20 years riding and 14 years driving in Bangkok, I'm feel privileged to still be alive.

[dabhand]

When looking at the wiki page for stats on road fatalities it is quite correct to state that in terms of deaths per capita Thailand rates amongst the worst.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

 

However, there is another metric which shows Thailand in a different light. That is fatalities per 100k motor vehicles. In that listing Thailand barely registers in the worst 100 countries. Looking at those stats reveals most of the high rates are linked to African countries. 

 

Other factors  are obviously also in play, including high numbers of motorbike fatalities in Thailand (up to 80% of total deaths) plus road conditions. So a simple comparison of any stat can provide a biased view. 

 

Yet, I know which countries I would prefer to avoid driving in, especially having had experience of driving in West and North Africa as well as the Middle East. I drove in Liberia for a year in 1979/80 and, to my mind, having driven in Thailand for nearly 40 years, despite the close proximity of these two countries in the per capita listing, there is just no comparison in terms of driving experience. I have also driven in Egypt (12 years in Cairo + 3 years in Alexandria), Ghana (3 years in Accra + up country) and Saudi  (4 years Riyadh in early 80's). Thailand? No problem. 

 

 

 

[johng]

30 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

The roads are perfectly safe

I'll disagree,   road layout,design,markings, signs, lighting and maintenance of them could make a big difference..however I do agree that the main problem is the idiots driving on the roads..but "never mind"

they have powerful amulets and mystical tattoos to protect them and will be born again anyway

[SteveK]

Unfortunately, the Thais do not embrace change well, so can't see much happening about this in the near future. It just goes to show though that the government is virtue-signalling over Covid-19 because if they valued the citizens lives and safety as they claim, they would be spending more time and effort dealing with the exponentially worse road fatalities. It just makes me feel as if the heavy handed policies about the virus have an ulterior motive.

 

Trying to gain international face with spectacular figures to entice the Chinese back? Using the new rules as an excuse to purge dirty farangs from the country? Or maybe just another way to gain more control over people with emergency decrees. Who knows? I suspect all of the above.

Edited August 21, 2020 by SteveK

[OneMoreFarang]

A reporter from the UK comes to Thailand to report mostly about people wearing no helmets dying is accidents.

Yes, she is right that that happens and people should wear more helmets.

 

At the same time there are millions of people in the UK and the USA and many other countries who wear no masks. Many of those people spread a virus which kills people.

Maybe Thailand should send reporters to those countries and report about those irresponsible people over there. And don't forget the dramatic music and the silent moments were viewers are supposed to think: Why are those strangers over there so stupid?

 

And remember: The people who wear no helmet and die can/should often blame themselves. People who don't wear masks in groups of many people endanger a lot more than their own lives. Strange, those people who do that...

[SteveK]

10 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Yes, she is right that that happens and people should wear more helmets.

To be honest, I can count on one hand the times I've seen a Thai wearing a Shoei or Arai helmet around here. They use the 200 baht ones from Big C which are about as much use an an ice cream tub on your head. Last helmet I bought in the UK cost me £350.

Edited August 21, 2020 by SteveK

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Unfortunately, the Thais do not embrace change well, so can't see much happening about this in the near future. It just goes to show though that the government is virtue-signalling over Covid-19 because if they valued the citizens lives and safety as they claim, they would be spending more time and effort dealing with the exponentially worse road fatalities. It just makes me feel as if the heavy handed policies about the virus have an ulterior motive.

Do you really want to blame this government for the road deaths?

If you do that then you should also blame all the previous Thai governments.

 

Now I wonder why are (traffic) laws in Thailand not better enforced? Because the government does not want it? Or because the people (in general) don't want it?

Imagine the government and the police would constantly enforce all the traffic laws. Fines for no helmets, mobile phone usage, driving into congested junctions, drunk driving, and and and. How many Thai drivers would like that and how many would be upset about such strict endorsement? I wouldn't be surprised if most Thais would be upset about police which would constantly enforce the laws.

 

And about helmets and motorcycle death: Each rider has the choice to wear a helmet. They have a choice if they drink and drive. And their family members could remind them when they drive drunk and without helmet. But somehow many Thais seems to think that is karma and let's wear another amulet and it won't happen to me. TiT

[OneMoreFarang]

4 minutes ago, SteveK said:

To be honest, I can count on one hand the times I've seen a Thai wearing a Shoei or Arai helmet around here. They use the 200 baht ones from Big C which are about as much use an an ice cream tub on your head. 

The Thai helmets make sure the pieces of the heads stay together in (mostly) one place. It's much easier to pick them up like that from the road.

[SteveK]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Imagine the government and the police would constantly enforce all the traffic laws. Fines for no helmets, mobile phone usage, driving into congested junctions, drunk driving, and and and. How many Thai drivers would like that and how many would be upset about such strict endorsement? I wouldn't be surprised if most Thais would be upset about police which would constantly enforce the laws.

This is exactly why I don't think it'll ever change.

[Sundown]

Simply because there are a lot of motorcycles. Looking around I might say that on 100 vehicles, 70 are motorbikes. While in other places like Europe USA etc on 100 vehicles maybe just 5 are motorbikes. 

[Pilotman]

10 minutes ago, SteveK said:

To be honest, I can count on one hand the times I've seen a Thai wearing a Shoei or Arai helmet around here. They use the 200 baht ones from Big C which are about as much use an an ice cream tub on your head. Last helmet I bought in the UK cost me £350.

last one I bought, that I brought with me was in the same ball park, around £500, a good, if not to say vital investment 

[CGW]

30 minutes ago, 2long said:

After 20 years riding and 14 years driving in Bangkok, I'm feel privileged to still be alive.

I feel the same, over 30 years riding and driving here, gave up the riding bit about ten years ago, my old bones would take too much healing now.

 

IMO! - The roads here range from very good to poor in a few places, we are should drive to suit the conditions and roads, the problem I constantly see with Thai drivers is they are incapable of doing that, they live in a me, me, me society, the only person they care about is themselves and their ego's, until they lose the selfish streak which is inherent don't look for any improvement in driving standards, they think they are doing just fine!

[DrTuner]

Easies question in the universe. Because Thais turn into Mad Max the second the door closes. Can't see face through 99% tinted glass.

[ballpoint]

Lack of law enforcement.  I guarantee that most Western countries would have the same high road toll if traffic policing were reduced to the near non existent level it is here.

[jvs]

22 minutes ago, SteveK said:

To be honest, I can count on one hand the times I've seen a Thai wearing a Shoei or Arai helmet around here. They use the 200 baht ones from Big C which are about as much use an an ice cream tub on your head. Last helmet I bought in the UK cost me £350.

I see more big bike riders with good helmets these days.I saw some accidents where a helmet or not would not make any difference.

The last go helmet i had here was stolen in a day.

[Surelynot]

Day 1 You 'learn' to drive

Day 2 Take your test (pass guaranteed).

 

Wife did it last week.....never sat behind the wheel in her life.

 

That doesn't help 

[DaLa]

18 year old lad knocks girlfriend up.

Baby arrives, mother sits on back of motorbike carrying baby.

Baby gets used to leaning into corners.

At 2 years old baby is promoted to front standing position on bike.

2 year old becomes enthused with motion of bike.

Child at 4 gets to sit at rear of father and learns the skill of weaving in and out over the next 5 years.

Intersperse with rides on older friends bike.

Father now progresses to compact car and uses the same technique learned over previous 25 years.

Child at 12 gets first taster of bike, maybe off road.

At 14 gets their own bike and puts the years of weaving into practice.

Young boy now 18 and fully progressed to bike racing.

18 year old and 1 day. Knocks girlfriend up.

 

Rinse and repeat.

 

That is why the problem will never be resolved.

Edited August 22, 2020 by metisdead
Font reset to normal.

[DaLa]

33 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Lack of law enforcement.  I guarantee that most Western countries would have the same high road toll if traffic policing were reduced to the near non existent level it is here.

I have been here nearly 11 years and travel daily on the road system, sometimes a few hundred kilo meters. In all that time I have never once seen anyone stopped for a moving traffic offence. In the UK  a great number of drivers and bike riders would be pulled over within minutes. I suspect the same would be the true in the States and those countries where the casualties are lower.

[DaLa]

17 hours ago, Sundown said:

Simply because there are a lot of motorcycles. Looking around I might say that on 100 vehicles, 70 are motorbikes. While in other places like Europe USA etc on 100 vehicles maybe just 5 are motorbikes. 

The level of safety features built into cars compared to 50 years ago. Seat belts, switches and controls designed to eliminate puncture wounds. Collapsing steering wheels, air bags, crumple zones etc. The only safety enhancement I’ve seen on bikes is the removal of the front number plate that used to slice into pedestrians.

 

There used to be an old saying that if smoking and alcohol were only discovered today they would be outlawed. Surely with a statistic as enlightening as the number of deaths and injuries relative to the mode of transport, motorbikes would be banned outright.

 

Alas  the sensible riders would then suffer.

Edited August 22, 2020 by metisdead
Font reset to normal.

[Felt 35]

????The roads in Thailand are much better than where I climbed out of the crib but back there they not even have the road fatalities annually as Thailand have in 3 days but it have nothing to do with the roads????

[tso310]

Just tell them that wearing crash helmets protect them from Covid-19.

[stouricks]

16 hours ago, DaLa said:

The level of safety features built into cars compared to 50 years ago. Seat belts, switches and controls designed to eliminate puncture wounds. Collapsing steering wheels, air bags, crumple zones etc. The only safety enhancement I’ve seen on bikes is the removal of the front number plate that used to slice into pedestrians.

 

There used to be an old saying that if smoking and alcohol were only discovered today they would be outlawed. Surely with a statistic as enlightening as the number of deaths and injuries relative to the mode of transport, motorbikes would be banned outright.

 

Alas  the sensible riders would then suffer.

Turn your BOLD off please DaLa.

[Curt1591]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

To be honest, I can count on one hand the times I've seen a Thai wearing a Shoei or Arai helmet around here. They use the 200 baht ones from Big C which are about as much use an an ice cream tub on your head. Last helmet I bought in the UK cost me £350.

Before coming to Thailand, I wandered into the Shoei headquarters in Tustin, CA, hit it off what a guy to turned out to be the West Coast district manager, and walked out with 2 ST Cruz half helmets for $150!

 

[wotsdermatter]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

she is right that that happens and people should wear more helmets

I, for one, have difficulty wearing more than one helmet at a time.  Maybe, you  are different and can wear multiple numbers at the same time.

'nuf sed.

[Surelynot]

33 minutes ago, tso310 said:

Just tell them that wearing crash helmets protect them from Covid-19.

Monks could bless the helmets and sell them as lucky amulets!!!

 

This time next year Rodney.

[CNXexpat]

2 hours ago, 2long said:

Actually some roads are to blame. Poor surfaces, holes, and often huge colourful warnings for a slight bend, and then no warning for a tight bend.

But yeah, for sure it's the nutters who are 99% to blame.

After 20 years riding and 14 years driving in Bangkok, I'm feel privileged to still be alive.

And don´t forget the on the street jumping power poles and trees ????