Road accidents claim 186 lives in first 3 days of New Year holidays in Thailand

[Percy P]

17 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Road accidents claim 186 lives in first 3 days of New Year holidays

 

 

The first three days of the notorious ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ of the New Year holidays saw 186 deaths and more than 1,600 injured in road accidents, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on Friday.

 

The road accidents occurred from December 29-31.

 

Thailand tends to see a huge spike in road accidents during long festival holidays because of the large number of people travelling from their places of work or business to their hometowns or to visit relatives.

 

“On December 31, there were 652 accidents with 67 deaths and 642 people injured,” said Chainarong Wasanasomsit, deputy director-general. “Accumulated accidents from December 29-31 are at 1,652 with 186 deaths and 1,654 injured.

 

“The most common cause of accidents is drunk driving (38.04 per cent), followed by speeding (34.36 per cent) and  Chiang Mai reported the most accidents with 63, while Nakhon Ratchasima had the most deaths at 13,” he added.

 

Chainarong added that the department had deployed officials at police checkpoints nationwide to provide roadside assistance as well as safety guidance, especially at mountainous tourist attractions which are mostly covered with fog that could limit visibility and could cause accidents.

 

“Officials have also been instructing travellers to follow Covid-19 preventive measures and maintain social distancing to prevent the outbreak from spreading inter-provincially,” he added.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400570?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

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But there's no social distancing to the number of passengers in the car and the number of passengers on a motorbike..

[Artisi]

14 hours ago, overherebc said:

Someone explain to me the thinking behind comparing Covid deaths and road accident deaths.

The deaths are the result of two entirely different reasons.

 

Think it is fairly obvious, think about the time, effort and expertise put into fighting covid as compared to the effort put into one of the major killers in Thailand, unnecessary road deaths. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Artisi

[Happyman567]

Saw the idiots in action this morning with their speeding and reckless driving Meaning outside the cop shop the tent is there again with its red posts outside What the hell are these tents with all the coppers sitting there with their phones supposed to be doing ? They def dont pull up the idiots speeding past them.

[ChrisKC]

15 hours ago, Stev Lam said:

Happy New Year Greetings. 

Sad to hear these road accidents during the holidays season....the number of road accident casualties are shockingly higher than COVID-19 deaths....:-((

You forgot all those dying of heart disease, diabetes, cancer... much of it caused by poor diet. What is the point of continuing to compare road deaths with covid or anything else? - it is irrelevant.

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

So the answer was reduce the number of drink driving tests

There really is no answer!

[Percy P]

8 minutes ago, Happyman567 said:

Saw the idiots in action this morning with their speeding and reckless driving Meaning outside the cop shop the tent is there again with its red posts outside What the hell are these tents with all the coppers sitting there with their phones supposed to be doing ? They def dont pull up the idiots speeding past them.

Yes, it's a case of let them get on with it .  I dont drive but it can be hazardous in just waiting for the bus

But my thoughts go out to the families  effected . Yesterday a new year calibration,   today left in desperation.

[Percy P]

21 minutes ago, Happyman567 said:

Saw the idiots in action this morning with their speeding and reckless driving Meaning outside the cop shop the tent is there again with its red posts outside What the hell are these tents with all the coppers sitting there with their phones supposed to be doing ? They def dont pull up the idiots speeding past them.

My be the cops think let them get on with it.

[Percy P]

4 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Yes, it's a case of let them get on with it .  I dont drive but it can be hazardous in just waiting for the bus

But my thoughts go out to the families  effected . Yesterday a new year calibration,   today left in desperation.

 I always travel by train were possible. But the southern  train I travel on as come off the track's a number of times.. But I consider its the safe way to travel . Late ness is a bugbear I've waited 2-3 hrs due to the lateness .

[Odysseus123]

27 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

There really is no answer!

That is very true.

 

 

[overherebc]

If you ask   'Do you think it's ok to drink and drive'?

The most likely answer will be

'Yes, it's ok because there is very little chance of being stopped and checked'.

Just sayin'.

[Bangkok Barry]

16 hours ago, overherebc said:

Someone explain to me the thinking behind comparing Covid deaths and road accident deaths.

The deaths are the result of two entirely different reasons.

 

I'll explain. They are attempting to limit the deaths from Covid but not from road accidents.

[jesimps]

16 hours ago, overherebc said:

Someone explain to me the thinking behind comparing Covid deaths and road accident deaths.

The deaths are the result of two entirely different reasons.

 

It's more that he's pointing out the government's attitude to the effects of covid and traffic accidents. They're putting a load of time and effort into reducing covid infections, but seemingly doing beggar all about the appaling situation on the roads. This in light of the fact that covid deaths are very few compared to the massive road death toll.

[overherebc]

24 minutes ago, jesimps said:

It's more that he's pointing out the government's attitude to the effects of covid and traffic accidents. They're putting a load of time and effort into reducing covid infections, but seemingly doing beggar all about the appaling situation on the roads. This in light of the fact that covid deaths are very few compared to the massive road death toll.

One can affect the economic situation the other doesn't.

They 'happen' because of unrelated reasons.

Edited January 2, 2021 by overherebc

[richard_smith237]

The WHO estimates Thailands road deaths at 22,000 per year - 60.3 per day. 

 

https://www.who.int/thailand/news/detail/19-12-2018-launch-of-the-global-status-report-on-road-safety-2018-in-thailand

 

It doesn’t matter what Thailand does, the figures are always close to this 60 per day. In the case of this report, 62 per day. 

 

The only thing which may have reduced road deaths at one point was the national lockdown (due to Covid-19). 

 

 

[Surelynot]

Just now, richard_smith237 said:

It doesn’t matter what Thailand does, the figures are always close to this 60 per day

Maybe the new, higher, speed limits might help them beat the 60 a day?

[Daveyh]

The deadly seven days fatalities that occurs every year comes as no surprise to anyone surely? The design & layout of roads, plus road signs. lighting etc have always been a major contribution to this. Also, the standard of driving & attitude comes a close second, hence this cocktail is explosive & shows no sign of improving. Taking a wild guess the final figure will be around 450 deaths & no one will even blink. It's the culture here, which no one is going to change ....... fact. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Daveyh

[cougar52]

183 people dead in the first days of the 7 days of New Year Holiday, but 3 people dead from Civid-19 and you close the Country. Something is seriously wrong with the Thinking here.

 

[bullseye66]

27 minutes ago, cougar52 said:

183 people dead in the first days of the 7 days of New Year Holiday, but 3 people dead from Civid-19 and you close the Country. Something is seriously wrong with the Thinking here.

 

I think it's a case of no thinking whatsoever. Country run by clowns.

[ChrisKC]

3 hours ago, Ventenio said:

they should close all the roads, lockdown.

 

if it saves just one life, it's worth it...... unless others can make money, then it's not

 

pollution, i think, puts TENS of millions of people in the hospital around the world, but fires and factories still burn.

 

;ldjflsk;jslf;jdlkfjdfkl;sf  will do as much good as me rambling about solutions.  

Ah yes, but how will our beer get delivered?

[smew]

Chinese virus: 61 deaths total

Road accidents 3 days: 186 deaths 

 

Concentrate on road traffic safety   

 

[Surelynot]

Just now, smew said:

Chinese virus: 61 deaths total

Road accidents 3 days: 186 deaths 

 

Concentrate on road traffic safety   

 

How many 'Chinese' virus deaths might there be without action being taken?......UK currently 74,000 deaths.....how many might have died in addition to this without action? Obviously, no one knows for sure, but I don't think no action is really a sensible route to take......likewise, not doing anything about the road carnage is not sensible,

[JRG23]

21 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

common cause of accidents

The common causes of accidents in Thailand are not drunk driving and speeding. No!

 

The common causes of accidents in Thailand are high levels of arrogance and ignorance.

If Thai men (and the vast majority of accidents involve men) were less arrogant and less ignorant and more humble and considerate of other people Thailand wouldn't have this ridiculously high death rate. That is the simple truth that Thais can't recognise.

[bbbbooboo]

17 hours ago, Bruntoid said:

Jesus wept will these ridiculous comparisons ever end ? 
 

Covid has the potential to wipe out everyone - drink driving doesn’t. 
 

Get it now ? 
 

and to claim Thailand wasn’t ‘effective’ in their handling of Covid is just stupidity on a plate ! 

Whenever did Jeebers weep?

[chris13f]

[br]. Since when. Has it been. A Buddhist New Year.now , I thought songkran  was there new year. . So the crash test. Dummies. Get two.  Seven deadly days. . Smart Move

[HandsomeTallFarang]

They simply don’t possess the right physiology to operate a speeding hunk of metal. Their brains are wired differently. They evolved to not need to worry about acquiring resources, because their environment was chock-full of them, whereas a person of European descent evolved to have predator-like vision and reflexes, perfectly suited for fine motor skills, depth perception and split second decisions, because resources were more limited and thus certain adaptations were borne from this survival necessity. 
 

Basically, in a nutshell, Thai superstition and a misplaced notion of pre-destination, poor depth perception and antiquated backwardness all culminate into the perfect storm of traffic fatalities. 
 

 

 

 

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, smew said:

Chinese virus: 61 deaths total

Road accidents 3 days: 186 deaths 

 

Concentrate on road traffic safety   

 

Both would be a better solution. 

[thailand49]

The problem isn't just about enforcement and education it is embedded into the culture when it comes to drinking and when and if they get serious they need to educate the entire Thai population.

 

I'm writing about this topic because one of my son friends who die today. He mostly isn't counted in the numbers since he didn't die at the scene but was unconscious and taken to the hospital and after treatment had a broken arm, leg, internal injuries and in a coma. He never recovered and die during the night.

 

My son is 23 years old this was one of his classmates from trade school, a good kid that we have known for a number of year. Since graduations them working we haven't seen much of him but for the pass 3 years him and a number of others class mate have come regularly to the house to eat and drink the past two years we had the count down get together at our house.

 

One major lesson I drill in my son head is drinking then going home. I lecture all of them if they want to use my house to party and drink do it with respect and in the end no one leaves drunk that they need to help and look after each other. They knew so did their parents know what my policy was and there were times I wake up and find them sleeping over this particular kid I found a number of times because my son made sure he stay and slept it off.

 

This year as we know due to the restrictions we didn't have a countdown BBQ instead it was just for us and a few friends no more than 6 guess. At this countdown party I guess  no one bother to stop him from getting on his bike in 15 years of living here with Thai it seem to be part of their culture? 

 

R.I.P Bear!

[Histavia]

21 hours ago, stereolab said:

Once again, the village has set up a tent complex for volunteers to sit in and watch Facebook. As ever, cars are simply driving through the cones sited on the road, no sign of a policeman with speed camera or breathalyser.

 

there is no evidence to suggest that the typical RTP roadside checks have any significant effect on the number of crashes with alcohol involved. 

In Thailand the figure is around 30% all year round. In places like UK, with a totally different approach the figure is about 18%.

Thailand doesn't have a proper procedures for alcohol testing and subsequent prosecution and fine collection or driving ban enforcement

[Scott Tracy]

20 hours ago, Thomas J said:

While it may not be your fault to catch Covid, it is also not the fault of accident victims who have their lives ripped away from them.  Many of them could be alive today if the government took as aggressive a posture on drunk/and under the influence driving as they have with Covid. 

 

This, to me, is a gross over simplification. It can be the fault of the accident victim who have their lives ripped away, as you put it. Running red lights, driving too fast for the conditions, driving faulty vehicles. Why is it always the responsibility of government that people drink and then drive? Is it governments that get in vehicles that have faulty brakes, is it governments that have micro-sleeps, run red lights, not wear crash helmets? Ride 4 up, let kids ride bikes? No. Personal responsibility has to start somewhere, and that's at home and school.

A culture change is needed. That comes hard in any country.

[Rancid]

22 hours ago, Bruntoid said:

Jesus wept will these ridiculous comparisons ever end ? 
 

Covid has the potential to wipe out everyone - drink driving doesn’t. 
 

Get it now ? 
 

and to claim Thailand wasn’t ‘effective’ in their handling of Covid is just stupidity on a plate ! 

I don't get it at all. Sorry, comments that covid could wipe out everyone demonstrates a complete ignorance of the virus and its level of virulence. In fact about 99% of people who catch it survive. Don't read so much into the media doom porn, they just use that to sell headlines or clicks.

 

In fact being on a Thai road you have a higher random chance of dying than from covid. We all of course take our chances with both but the roads are far scarier.