Why the hysteria over wearing a mask, but not a helmet?

[Thomas J]

I saw a traffic accident last night in Pattaya.  I believe the woman riding the motorcycle was killed.  She had been struck by a truck and was laying in the street motionless.  She was not wearing a helmet.  As I travel, I see trucks beds filled with people hanging out and many many people riding with small children on motorcycles with no helmets. 

Why is the government taking draconian steps to stop a virus that the vast majority of people will recover from, even without hospitalization, but seems to not care about the very real danger of serious injuries or deaths from these? 

Also, Thailand has been a hotbed of TB which is spread just like Covid.  In Thailand, the death rate is 13 per 100,000 people.  FAR FAR higher than Covid but nobody cared about that for years or for that matter even now. 

Edited September 12, 2020 by Thomas J

[ezzra]

Because not wearing a helmet will only out yourself at risk while not wearing mask put many others in risk of infections who will infect others...

[Thomas J]

3 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Because not wearing a helmet will only out yourself at risk while not wearing mask put many others in risk of infections who will infect others...

Ezzra,

 

Is this about "protecting lives"  What about the children whose parents put them on the motorcycles or back of the baht bus?  Did they choose? 

[poohy]

2 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Because not wearing a helmet will only out yourself at risk while not wearing mask put many others in risk of infections who will infect others...

while the above is true i think the OP is commenting on the mentality of no helmet ok, BUT masks are a must

i regularly see folks hurtling by me on a motorbike at 80 km plus with no helmet but fully protected by a mask

[Matzzon]

Just a hysteria made for you, so that you could crete this thread comparing to things that have no possibility to be compared.

[Peterw42]

Because you cannot catch a motorbike accident, motorbike accidents are not contagious. The rate of motorbike accidents does not grow exponentially, 10 this week then 20 next week etc etc.

Whether I even choose to even hop on a motorbike is a personal decision. Whether I catch a virus is not a personal decision

[bkk6060]

Technically they are hurting their kids and themselves if there is an accident.

Parents make poor choices for their kids all the time.

And the cheap helmets many wear will do nothing anyway to protect them.

 

I get it, but am anti helmet.  I think it should be a personal choice as is killing yourself by smoking or drinking too much.

The mask responsibility has been explained by previous posts.

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by bkk6060

[Thomas J]

6 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Because you cannot catch a motorbike accident, motorbike accidents are not contagious. The rate of motorbike accidents does not grow exponentially, 10 this week then 20 next week etc etc.

Whether I even choose to even hop on a motorbike is a personal decision. Whether I catch a virus is not a personal decision

Peter42 

Ok but then why not the hysteria over TB?  

Do you choose to catch that?  Death rate from TB in Thailand is 13 per 100,000 that translates to 9,230 people vs 58 covid deaths. 


 

[KhunKenAP]

It is driving habits and behaviors, that lead to motorcycle traffic fatalities. Not wearing a helmet is just an indicator of driving behavior. Those that graduate to driving a vehicle, take this same behavior with them.

 

Wearing a mask is also a behavior. I am quite happy to see that in Thailand this has been accepted as a socially responsible behavior.

 

There is no reason they can't change the behavior of Thai and Farang drivers, to make wearing of helmets on motorcycles, socially acceptable through similar education and enforcement. The only reason it is not, is the acceptance of public and governmental to those who do not wear helmets! Until that changes the deaths will continue!

 

Seen a cop in uniform driving with no helmet on 3rd road just yesterday. He should have been fired. Wish I had a camera at the ready to capture him.

[stouricks]

26 minutes ago, poohy said:

while the above is true i think the OP is commenting on the mentality of no helmet ok, BUT masks are a must

i regularly see folks hurtling by me on a motorbike at 80 km plus with no helmet but fully protected by a mask

That is because they KNOW that the tiny Covid Virus Bugs only fly backwards, they cannot battle a 80kph wind.    PML 555

[eisfeld]

43 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

Ok but then why not the hysteria over TB?  

Do you choose to catch that?  Death rate from TB in Thailand is 13 per 100,000 that translates to 9,230 people vs 58 covid deaths. 

Maybe because TB has been around for thousands of years? Maybe because it's by now "accepted" and "well known"? Maybe because the lethality of TB is much much lower compared to Covid as far as we currently know contrary to your claims (we know the numbers for TB pretty well, Covid-19 not 100%, you can't compare absolute numbers you need to check deaths per infection AND you are comparing "incidents" to deaths...)? And maybe because according to your graph the situation regarding TB is improving steadily?

 

Covid is new, still not 100% settled as to the exact lethality, mutating fast and the number of cases has grown rapidly. Better overreact to protect than be unlucky and wiped out.

 

Tons and tons of reasons that imho should be obvious. Even more so for the helmet comparison.

 

Again one of these masks threads. Why are they such a big problem for some? I guess people have too much time now, frustrated with the bad economic situation and need to vent some of this energy. Can't explain it otherwise. ????

Lockdowns and shutdowns of companies I can understand that it impacts people's lives heavily. But masks?

[robblok]

1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

Ezzra,

 

Is this about "protecting lives"  What about the children whose parents put them on the motorcycles or back of the baht bus?  Did they choose? 

Ezzra was right. No mask you endanger others, no helmet too bad you only endanger yourself.

 

Also why does it have to be an choice between the two. You seem to want to drag whatever into it so you don't have to wear a mask it gets  boring. 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

Why is the government taking draconian steps to stop a virus that the vast majority of people will recover from, even without hospitalization, but seems to not care about the very real danger of serious injuries or deaths from these? 

 

A perfectly reasonable question..... The Government completely ignores this elephant in the room.

 

Masses of avoidable deaths are ignored while extremely and economy killing efforts are taken to quash a virus which may not be any worse than a severe flu which impacts people primarily with comorbidity (other serious illnesses / disease) which is actually lower down the ‘fatalities list’ than other illnesses.

 

The mentality of ‘people’ is incredibly illogical....   20% of people in the city (not sure about countryside) not wearing helmets vs ‘everyone’ having to wear a mask when going to the 7-11 is astonishing. 

 

The government continue to enable the road traffic accident tolls by their apathy, ineffective policing and pathetic penalties. 

[eisfeld]

16 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

A perfectly reasonable question..... The Government completely ignores this elephant in the room.

 

Masses of avoidable deaths are ignored while extremely and economy killing efforts are taken to quash a virus which may not be any worse than a severe flu which impacts people primarily with comorbidity (other serious illnesses / disease) which is actually lower down the ‘fatalities list’ than other illnesses.

 

The mentality of ‘people’ is incredibly illogical....   20% of people in the city (not sure about countryside) not wearing helmets vs ‘everyone’ having to wear a mask when going to the 7-11 is astonishing. 

 

The government continue to enable the road traffic accident tolls by their apathy, ineffective policing and pathetic penalties. 

 

Speaking of economy killing efforts. Thailands tourism sector is responsible for something under 20% of GDP. The overwhelming majority of revenue is being generated by sectors which do not depend on tourists. That's why they shut down tourism: in order to protect the 80% of revenue. Sure that's going to be impacted as well. But if covid breaks out in a factory then the whole company gets shut down. And if that happens too much the whole country is either completely doomed or they accept the human toll and just go on as if nothing happened. Many people overestimate the importance of tourism to Thailands economy. Only Phuket and Pattaya are extremely reliant on that sector. The latter at least has the industrial sector right around the corner but Phuket... poof.

 

And road deaths while surely having a negative effect on the economy are not THAT severe from a money point of view. Polution probably has a bigger toll on the populations economic output. So try to see a country from the point of running a business that cares in the end about the bottom line and not humans. Suddenly many things kinda make sense.

 

So from the perspective of killing off a smaller part of their GDP in order to protect the bigger part it actually makes sense why Thailand is being so strict re. tourism right now. And also why they want to push for usage of masks.

Edited September 12, 2020 by eisfeld

[pixelaoffy]

Because of Thai mentality! They believe all the b*** about infection and are scared they might be infected but don't believe they will have an accident despite driving like idiots!

[ben2talk]

I've been riding bikes - fast slow big and small - since 1981. No helmet ever did anything for me except make my hair greasy and make my head sweat, though on bigger bikes it helps a lot with the wind I'll admit.

 

Before people get crazy about helmets, they should just think about the culture of drivers and the education, also the kind of police and enforcement they have.

 

In Thailand, I wear helmets for the police now that I have a scooter - and that's all they're really good for. ON my GSX I wore a helmet and jacket mostly for comfort (and if you ever tried going over 160 with hairy arms you'll know how much that hurts...).

 

I had a couple of accidents, and every bit of damage I sustained wouldn't have been helped by either clothing or helmet.

 

So get off your soapbox ???? and start a driving school instead.

[polpott]

1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

Peter42 

Ok but then why not the hysteria over TB?  

Do you choose to catch that?  Death rate from TB in Thailand is 13 per 100,000 that translates to 9,230 people vs 58 covid deaths. 


 

TB was eradicated in the UK by vaccination. A few years ago we had a resurgence in the UK when it was brought in by people from South Asia who also refused to be vaccinated. From your graph you can see incidence has fallen year on year in Thailand as more and more get vaccinated.

 

Don't worry, a Covid vaccine will be along soon and Covid will be eradicated. Then you can stop wearing your mask.

 

Unfortunately I can't see a vaccine for not wearing a helmet coming along any time soon.

[Peterw42]

1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

Peter42 

Ok but then why not the hysteria over TB?  

Do you choose to catch that?  Death rate from TB in Thailand is 13 per 100,000 that translates to 9,230 people vs 58 covid deaths. 


 

TB is preventable, curable and as your graph shows, in decline. During TB outbreaks a mask is a regular way of combating the bacteria (its not a virus)

[rvaviator]

1 hour ago, eisfeld said:

Maybe because TB has been around for thousands of years? Maybe because it's by now "accepted" and "well known"? Maybe because the lethality of TB is much much lower compared to Covid as far as we currently know contrary to your claims (we know the numbers for TB pretty well, Covid-19 not 100%, you can't compare absolute numbers you need to check deaths per infection AND you are comparing "incidents" to deaths...)? And maybe because according to your graph the situation regarding TB is improving steadily?

 

Covid is new, still not 100% settled as to the exact lethality, mutating fast and the number of cases has grown rapidly. Better overreact to protect than be unlucky and wiped out.

 

Tons and tons of reasons that imho should be obvious. Even more so for the helmet comparison.

 

Again one of these masks threads. Why are they such a big problem for some? I guess people have too much time now, frustrated with the bad economic situation and need to vent some of this energy. Can't explain it otherwise. ????

Lockdowns and shutdowns of companies I can understand that it impacts people's lives heavily. But masks?

and the vaccine for TB has been around a long time, well understood ... Not sure how popular it is in Thailand but in Europe most kids would get it during school years .....

[jvs]

Some people(peeps for the cool dudes) are just not getting the picture.

When ever i go out i see a lot of different people,some wearing masks,some wearing helmets,some wearing two pairs of under ware.

Then there are the people who do not wear masks or helmets.

All fine with me but what i also see is total unawareness.

Before going into the store every one is wearing a mask but there is zero social distance.

Once out of the store off comes the mask and the four of them climb onto the same mcy or into the same

truck.

When money changes hands what good does a mask do?

Little children touching everything,the whistle blower at Macro helps you put groceries in your car?

I have never ever seen anyone wear a mask in the local small shop.

I saw one doctor and a few nurses not wearing a mask,a lot of foreigners are not wearing masks.

How can you tell people to avoid Covid and at the same time you are telling us there is no Covid?

It does not make sense to me,i believe most people wear a mask to avoid being pointed at.

That is the main reason i wear my trusty mask,we have been a team for awhile now.

Just look around you,and start to think.

[scammed]

2 hours ago, polpott said:

TB was eradicated in the UK by vaccination. A few years ago we had a resurgence in the UK when it was brought in by people from South Asia who also refused to be vaccinated. From your graph you can see incidence has fallen year on year in Thailand as more and more get vaccinated.

 

Don't worry, a Covid vaccine will be along soon and Covid will be eradicated. Then you can stop wearing your mask.

 

Unfortunately I can't see a vaccine for not wearing a helmet coming along any time soon.

i havnt come across a single person with education that believes covid19 will be eradicated

[pixelaoffy]

2 hours ago, ben2talk said:

I've been riding bikes - fast slow big and small - since 1981. No helmet ever did anything for me except make my hair greasy and make my head sweat, though on bigger bikes it helps a lot with the wind I'll admit.

 

Before people get crazy about helmets, they should just think about the culture of drivers and the education, also the kind of police and enforcement they have.

 

In Thailand, I wear helmets for the police now that I have a scooter - and that's all they're really good for. ON my GSX I wore a helmet and jacket mostly for comfort (and if you ever tried going over 160 with hairy arms you'll know how much that hurts...).

 

I had a couple of accidents, and every bit of damage I sustained wouldn't have been helped by either clothing or helmet.

 

So get off your soapbox ???? and start a driving school instead.

what a crazy post! The attitude of I've never had an accident in 40 years on a motorbike so then they not really necessary except to avoid being stopped by police... jeez 

[scammed]

3 minutes ago, pixelaoffy said:

what a crazy post! The attitude of I've never had an accident in 40 years on a motorbike so then they not really necessary except to avoid being stopped by police... jeez 

the full face helmets that has the potential of being of any use

in the case of a crash is horribly hot in this climate,

i rather take my chances with the traffic then heat induced collapse/confusion/fatigue.

i have seen many thais that bought them,

but they wear the helmet on the top of their head like a hat, rather then pushing it down over their face

Edited September 12, 2020 by scammed

[Puchaiyank]

It is the government's responsibility to act responsibly when citizens lives are in the balance.   

 

Unfortunately,  government officials are imperfect people...doing the best they can with what faculty has been afforded them.

[richard_smith237]

23 minutes ago, scammed said:

the full face helmets that has the potential of being of any use

in the case of a crash is horribly hot in this climate,

i rather take my chances with the traffic then heat induced collapse/confusion/fatigue.

i have seen many thais that bought them,

but they wear the helmet on the top of their head like a hat, rather then pushing it down over their face

Modular helmet !!!... 

 

I’ve never felt the risk of ‘heat induced collapse’ while riding a bike. It does get hot and uncomfortable in the city.

 

 

[eisfeld]

 

57 minutes ago, scammed said:

the full face helmets that has the potential of being of any use

in the case of a crash is horribly hot in this climate,

Hu? I have zero problems riding with full face helmets. They are more comfortable than having random stuff fly into my face and eyes, the sun burning my skin and the smoke from exhausts causing irritations. The helmet protects my head not just from objects but also from the sunrays. Why do you think even farmers and construction workers working in broad daylight cover their heads in what on first glance might seem like something that would be super hot to wear? Any halfway decent full face helmet has ventilation. And you can flip the visor up to whatever degree necessary. I also didn't like riding with a helmet but that was many years ago when I was riding scooters and didn't have a clue about motorcycles at all. I learned very fast when a bee stung me in the eye while riding. Then I also realized the added comfort. But this is getting off topic.

[polpott]

1 hour ago, scammed said:

i havnt come across a single person with education that believes covid19 will be eradicated

Well now you have.

[Lacessit]

5 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

 

I get it, but am anti helmet.  I think it should be a personal choice as is killing yourself by smoking or drinking too much.

 

 

One can smoke and drink without killing themselves. Becoming a paraplegic as a result of personal choice is a different matter for the person concerned, their relatives and friends.

 

[scammed]

1 hour ago, polpott said:

Well now you have.

no

[scammed]

1 hour ago, eisfeld said:

 

Hu? I have zero problems riding with full face helmets. They are more comfortable than having random stuff fly into my face and eyes, the sun burning my skin and the smoke from exhausts causing irritations. The helmet protects my head not just from objects but also from the sunrays. Why do you think even farmers and construction workers working in broad daylight cover their heads in what on first glance might seem like something that would be super hot to wear? Any halfway decent full face helmet has ventilation. And you can flip the visor up to whatever degree necessary. I also didn't like riding with a helmet but that was many years ago when I was riding scooters and didn't have a clue about motorcycles at all. I learned very fast when a bee stung me in the eye while riding. Then I also realized the added comfort. But this is getting off topic.

yes for sure when i did take on the highways years ago

protective glasses was my no.1 priority