Chonburi records most road accidents in Thailand - Route 7 to Pattaya the worst in the country

[Kerryd]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Don't you mean OVERestimate?

Yeah. They overestimate the vehicles abilities (i.e. braking distance, quick acceleration, how it handles in a curve, etc) and they overestimate their own driving skills as well. A problem not uncommon in other countries as well, especially amongst younger drivers (hence why many places have a "graduated driver" program that requires many months of training and practice and driving under restricted limits before they can get a "full" license).

My ex g/f use to drive on unlit highways, well over the speed limit and overdriving her headlights without having a clue what that meant.
I swear, when stopped her headlights barely illuminated 10 meters in front of her car - on high beams ! 
I told her to get them adjusted and she somehow got the notion that it couldn't be done. Then it was "they are old lights". Then it was "they can't change them" (because there weren't any replacement lights to be had).

One time, on the section of the 3240 between highways 36 and 331, we saw an overloaded pick-up do the "swerve, counter-swerve, counter-counter-swerve, into the ditch" routine. My first instinct was to pull over and check if anyone was hurt. I was actually reaching for the door handle when I was forced back into my seat as the g/f slammed on the gas pedal and blasted past the truck (which was firmly planted nose down in the ditch).
(She said she was scared that the truck might come back out of the ditch and onto the road, which it obviously couldn't. Her instinct was to get away from the area as fast as possible so she wouldn't have to get involved or be inconvenienced by having to give a statement or anything.)

Look at the stats and you see 2 things. Most of the accidents were the result of speeding, and most of the accidents apparently occurred on "straight" stretches of road/highway.

And most of them probably the result of the drivers overestimating their abilities and the abilities (or limitations) of their vehicle.

[Kerryd]

Another point. They let pretty much any old P.O.S. on the roads here. I've seen vehicles that look like they came straight out of a scrap yard roaring down the highway like they were Lamborghinis.  Belching smoke, overloaded, driving like they are the only ones on the road.

In Germany (for example), a buddy of mine failed a safety inspection because the inspector found a spot of rust under where the driver's feet would be if they weren't on the pedals. It wasn't even rusted through and was small enough it could be covered by a 10 baht coin, but it was enough to fail the inspection. They didn't want any vehicles on the roads that had any potential safety issues.
I had wide "slicks" on the back of my Camaro and I had to jump through a lot of hoops before they'd pass my car as well. (I had to write a letter to the Chief Safety Engineer for Chevrolet in Germany and get him to state that running those slicks wasn't going to cause any problems. I finally had to file a formal complaint against the inspector as I'd done everything he told me to and he still wouldn't certify my car.)

But as far as Thailand is concerned, I'm pretty sure if you went back in history and could what was going on in other places, it wouldn't be that much different than what you see in Thailand now.

For example. Take the era of "American Graffiti" when everyone was souping up their cars and turning them into hot rods. I seriously doubt they were all properly "inspected and certified" before they started racing them on the roads. Not to mention things like, lack of training/experience/insurance/license. And helmets were a rare thing as well (remember Easy Riders ?).

Over the years though, things changed (evolved). Places started enforcing inspection and safety standards. Making laws regarding licensing and insurance. Enforcing traffic laws.

A couple generations ago it didn't used to be a major deal if you got caught drinking and driving. Sheesh, even in the 70s, if a cop stopped you the most they would do is pour out any open beer bottles and tell you to go home ! (So long as they didn't think you had any weed in the car of course because that was "bad". But drinking a beer while driving was a "tsk tsk you shouldn't be doing that" thing.)
However, things changed and in the 80s they started clamping down hard on drinking and driving. Man, in the army, a first offence would get you sent to the Detention Barracks (army prison) for 6 -12 weeks back then ! We had a guy get busted because they found him sleeping in the back seat of his car in the parking lot of the bar he'd been drinking in. They nailed him because he still had the car keys in his pocket so he was "in care and control" of the vehicle. Even though he'd tried to do the right thing by going to sleep instead of trying to drive home.

Thailand is (slowly) getting to that point but these things don't happen overnight. It takes, literally, generations for changes to finally start showing results as you have to bring up new generations of drivers that start out from day 1 driving under the new rules. The rules that the previous generations of drivers often think don't apply to them.

Helmets are an example here in Thailand. I bought my first bike here back in 2004. Just 16 years ago. Back then helmets were a rare sight no matter where you went. I bought the Harley in 2008 and even then, we only wore helmets when we went on long rode trips.
Then they brought in new rules and started enforcing them.

Nowadays, a lot of people still don't wear helmets but if you watch, it's usually just on the sois off the main roads/highways (and up country of course). But in the downtown areas and on the highways it seems that the majority are wearing them.

It's not where it should be yet (as in full compliance) but it's getting there and the new generations of future riders are growing up with the notion that they are supposed to wear a helmet. It will take a lot longer in Thailand though (to get to full compliance) due to the lack of enforcement. It seems even in Pattaya they don't bother with checking as often as they used to.

Drinking and driving is the same thing. They've got to crack down on it and keep cracking down on it until they have whole generations of new drivers that start out with the notion that drinking and driving is wrong.

But again, it won't happen overnight or even within a few years, especially as there doesn't seem to be any will to enforce the laws.

(Note: As far as enforcement and the law are concerned. A lot of "self righteous" countries and their citizens tend to forget that their own law enforcement wasn't always the "shining pillar of professionalism" that they like to think they are now. It has taken a lot of years for some of them to get where they are now, and a lot of them are not much better now than they were generations ago. It's another one of those things where you can't just "snap your fingers" and expect that tomorrow all the cops will be dedicated professionals bent on enforcing the law and stamping out corruption wherever they find it.
If they are lucky, they may evolve to that point eventually, but I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon. Probably not in our lifetimes or even our children's lifetimes.)

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, a977 said:

I thought motorbikes were not allowed on freeways and motorways

 

So does everyone else which sometimes suprises a driver when they get passed by one they were not looking out for.

[VocalNeal]

10 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

Nowadays, a lot of people still don't wear helmets but if you watch, it's usually just on the sois off the main roads/highways (and up country of course). But in the downtown areas and on the highways it seems that the majority are wearing them.

 

You forgot to mention time in your cultural imperialist diiatribe. When the sun goes down and the police go home almost no body wears a helmet. Why? Because one cannot be seen by the opposute sex if one wears a helmet. Logical? Yes. Just not western logic.

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

Utter drivel.  UK police are conspicuous; you can't travel a couple of miles without seeing one.  (I can't speak for US.)  In Thailand it's possible to go weeks without seeing one.  If an emergency phone call is made, no one answers.  Thai police only emerge from the woodwork when they sniff baht.

And in turn, rubbish.  Thai police will react fairly fast if you call their number, say to attend a road accident.  I know, I've called them a few times. However, I am no apologist for them, as when they do arrive they don't do a whole lot unless someone is paying.  As for the UK Police, they are almost uniformly hopeless.  See Manchester Constabulary news only this week. Hardly ever see them, except in City Centres on a night time and picking up people for Covid reasons.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

On 12/18/2020 at 8:47 AM, webfact said:

Chonburi records most road accidents in Thailand - Route 7 to Pattaya the worst in the country

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The chief of Thailand's highways department has revealed data from the Highway Accident Information Management System (HAIMS) for the month of November. 

 

Thaivisa cautions that accidents on the main highways represent only a fraction of the true figure for death, injury and total accidents in all roads in Thailand, accepted as some of the most dangerous in the world. 

 

Thai Rath said in their headline that Chonburi (that contains Pattaya) was the "champion" province and Route 7 that runs from Bangkok to Pattaya was the worst road in the country for accidents.

 

Sorayuth Songsirilai said that in November there had been 1,335 accidents on his highways.

 

Of these there had been 241 deaths and 1,222 injuries involving 2,219 vehicles. The Highways' Department had suffered losses of 12 million baht as a result.

 

Compared to November 2019 accidents were 10% up, deaths 5% down, injuries 9% up and 19% more vehicles had been involved. 

 

Causes of accidents were speeding 69% (927 accidents), cutting in front at close quarters 8% (108), microsleep 6% (74) and defective equipment on vehicles 3% (37).

 

Accidents happened on straight stretches 71% (954 times), bends 11% (144), intersections 6% (78).

 

Vehicles involved in accidents were pick-ups 35% (783 times), cars 28% (621) and motorcycles 16% (366).

 

Worst region was the north with 25% of accidents followed by the North East 17% and the South 16%. 

 

The top three worst provinces for accidents were Chonburi followed by Suphanburi and Bangkok metropolitan area. 

 

The worst road was Route 7 with 51 accidents in November. 

 

Other information for total accidents reported by Thaivisa recently indicates that nearly a million people have been injured on the roads this year. The death at the scene of accidents is likely to exceed 15,000 making it worse than 2019.

 

But the real death toll when all accidents are correlated is well in excess of 20,000 per year a figure that has been admitted in the past by DPM Prawit Wongsuwan. 

 

Accident activists regularly put the figure between 24,000 and 26,000 per annum. 

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-12-18

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

 

Those bloody Tourists...wait, what, there are no Tourists, it's us...really, nah, no way it's us, the numbers must be wrong... phew!!! And we close the country for COVID.  There is no solution to stupid...

[champers]

I see no figures for drunk driving. It would be interesting to know what percentage of accidents on Highway 7 are for journeys from Pattaya to Bangkok and vice-versa and which days of the week they occur.

I have a theory with no statistical back up; it is that a big volume of visitors come to Pattaya; and Bang Saen; on weekends to sit on the beach to eat seafood and drink beer and/or Thai whiskey. They arrive sober but return to Bangkok driving under the influence. Sunday would be the day when this behaviour is most prevalent, so I might expect that there are more accidents than normal on Highway 7 heading to Bangkok on a Sunday evening. Or am I talking tosh?

Edited December 19, 2020 by champers

[RJRS1301]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Yeah. They overestimate the vehicles abilities (i.e. braking distance, quick acceleration, how it handles in a curve, etc) and they overestimate their own driving skills as well. A problem not uncommon in other countries as well, especially amongst younger drivers (hence why many places have a "graduated driver" program that requires many months of training and practice and driving under restricted limits before they can get a "full" license).

My ex g/f use to drive on unlit highways, well over the speed limit and overdriving her headlights without having a clue what that meant.
I swear, when stopped her headlights barely illuminated 10 meters in front of her car - on high beams ! 
I told her to get them adjusted and she somehow got the notion that it couldn't be done. Then it was "they are old lights". Then it was "they can't change them" (because there weren't any replacement lights to be had).

One time, on the section of the 3240 between highways 36 and 331, we saw an overloaded pick-up do the "swerve, counter-swerve, counter-counter-swerve, into the ditch" routine. My first instinct was to pull over and check if anyone was hurt. I was actually reaching for the door handle when I was forced back into my seat as the g/f slammed on the gas pedal and blasted past the truck (which was firmly planted nose down in the ditch).
(She said she was scared that the truck might come back out of the ditch and onto the road, which it obviously couldn't. Her instinct was to get away from the area as fast as possible so she wouldn't have to get involved or be inconvenienced by having to give a statement or anything.)

Look at the stats and you see 2 things. Most of the accidents were the result of speeding, and most of the accidents apparently occurred on "straight" stretches of road/highway.

And most of them probably the result of the drivers overestimating their abilities and the abilities (or limitations) of their vehicle.

People are taught to steer a car, especially in automatics they are not taught to "read" an engine as you are in a manual

Mostly people are not given defensive driving skills, or placed in controlled skid, wet weather, or sleet conditions. 

One can get an auto licence then purchase a high performance vehicle with restrictions, and head off onto traffic, often with disasterous results

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by RJRS1301

[Rimmer]

Off topic post removed

[grego49]

On 12/18/2020 at 10:43 AM, mikebell said:

'Causes of accidents were speeding 69% ' So the Government raises the speed limit. 

Speeding is easily deterred with cameras and draconian punishments, oh, and a police force.  Pattaya's police are the most inept in the country; they don't work after dark/weekends (long ones)/holidays/ when it's raining/ when it's hot, in fact ...

You can add Kanchanburi police too.cheers

[ronnie round head]

On 12/18/2020 at 8:24 AM, sungod said:

And drivers overestimating their own capabilities!

took my driving test in chonburi and i know why are there are so many accidents thai drivers do not now how to drive simply

[tinca tinca]

On 12/19/2020 at 11:10 AM, RJRS1301 said:

People are taught to steer a car, especially in automatics they are not taught to "read" an engine as you are in a manual

Mostly people are not given defensive driving skills, or placed in controlled skid, wet weather, or sleet conditions. 

One can get an auto licence then purchase a high performance vehicle with restrictions, and head off onto traffic, often with disasterous results

 

 

velly true.....

[Litlos]

Those extra holidays and all the Bangkokians coming down to Pattaya are working out. Would be interesting to see if the North vs South numbers are the same or a lot worse going North.

 

Cheers

 

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[Cake Monster]

On 12/18/2020 at 9:19 AM, jacko45k said:

There are perpetual roadworks where traffic is channeled, many many HGVs and impatient drivers speeding or trying to. The standard is very bad on that road and i am not surprised in the least. I wonder how far Hwy 36 is behind which certainly does have the dangerous U-Turns. 

Route 36 has carried the label of " Death Highway " for a number of Years now.

This road is truly appalling even among Thai standards