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Over 2,000 killed and 130,000 injured on Thailand’s roads in 2021

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Over 2,000 killed and 130,000 injured on Thailand’s roads in 2021

 

Reuters.jpg

REUTERS FILE PHOTO for reference only

 

The year might be less than 8 weeks old but data released on Tuesday reveals the shocking amount of people who have been injured or killed on Thailand’s roads already in 2021.

 

According to Thailand’s Road Safety Collaboration, a non-departmental body aimed at improving road safety in the country, 2,047 people have been killed and 131,282 people injured on Thailand’s road since the turn of the year.

 

The stats include 64 fatalities on Monday, 5 of which were foreign nationals.

 

If the numbers of fatalities and injuries continue at the same rate, Thailand can expect in excess of 20,000 deaths and ONE MILLION injured on its roads by the end of the calendar year.

 

Thailand’s dangerous roads are of course no secret.

 

In 2015, a study by the World Health Organisation found that Thailand had the second highest number of road fatalities per capita in the world, second only to war-torn Libya.

 

And when it comes to motorcycle deaths per capita, Thailand ranks number one in the world.

 

In the same year, at a United Nations forum, the Thai government vowed to halve the number of fatalities by 2020, yet that a year passed the deadline and the authorities in Thailand are a long way short of their target. 

 

The news comes as Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) last week introduced new measures which it said would help improve road safety standards.

 

As of this coming Friday, anyone applying for a new license or renewing an expired license will need to provide a medical certificate stating they do not have any underlying medical conditions that may impair their driving.

 

The medical certificate will need to be issued by a doctor and a statement from the driver confirming their fitness to drive must also be submitted.

 

Applicants will then be required to undergo tests for colour blindness, eyesight and reaction  time. 

 

DLT director general Chirute Visalachitra said that as a driver’s physical fitness deteriorates with age the ministry needs to ensure the applicants’ driver ability is not affected.

 

A medical certificate will also need to be presented for anyone purchasing a new vehicle, the DLT said.

 

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-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-02-16
 
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  • You don't need Covid-19 to kill people here just put them on a a motor bike and it  will just happen .

  • But  ok for a secondhand  one, once  again useless  laws that wont be enforced.

  • OMG.....when I read this I thought it was a typo and they meant 2020........

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You don't need Covid-19 to kill people here just put them on a a motor bike and it  will just happen .

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OMG.....when I read this I thought it was a typo and they meant 2020........

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A lot of people buy new cars without a drivers licience so shouldn't that be addressed. I personally am partially color blind but that doesn't affect my driving, I still know what sequence the lights change and I have been driving for 45 years without an accident.

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2 minutes ago, smiggley said:

A lot of people buy new cars without a drivers licience so shouldn't that be addressed. I personally am partially color blind but that doesn't affect my driving, I still know what sequence the lights change and I have been driving for 45 years without an accident.

Yes, but we're different!

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29 minutes ago, webfact said:

A medical certificate will also need to be presented for anyone purchasing a new vehicle, the DLT said.

But  ok for a secondhand  one, once  again useless  laws that wont be enforced.

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When is the vaccin against nutty driving ready to be distributed in Thailand? 

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3 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Applicants will then be required to undergo tests for colour blindness, eyesight and reaction  time. 

 

alcohol also plays a part in a lot of crashes in Thailand .. it'll need more than a medical to cut the toll ..

In just 47 days?!?!

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2 hours ago, Surelynot said:

OMG.....when I read this I thought it was a typo and they meant 2020........

Me too!

4 hours ago, smiggley said:

A lot of people buy new cars without a drivers licience so shouldn't that be addressed. I personally am partially color blind but that doesn't affect my driving, I still know what sequence the lights change and I have been driving for 45 years without an accident.

It cannot be down to the person who buys the car.

I bought a car for my wife.

People buy cars for their kids.

It is the insurance companies that should ask to see the licences of the drivers.

when you see 10 kids on a motorbike not wearing a helmet, do you yell "Get off, you might die!!!! I'm saving your life!!!"

 

no.  we smile and maybe take a picture.

 

oh farang....... you have the potential to help the world!!!!  lol.   nah..... drink some beer

43 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

when you see 10 kids on a motorbike not wearing a helmet, do you yell "Get off, you might die!!!! I'm saving your life!!!"

 

no.  we smile and maybe take a picture.

 

oh farang....... you have the potential to help the world!!!!  lol.   nah..... drink some beer

Don’t engage in ethnocentrism if you can. It’s ugly and makes you look like a fool to the locals. Your culture isn’t “better” than theirs. Regardless of 10 people on a scooter. It’s their way of life...leave them to it. 

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Is the 2,000 number just the ones who died on the roads, not in the ambulance or in the hospital , as per normal reporting ,?

If yes,  then this figure is very very low 

The answer is simple.  Just ban motor scooters.

7 hours ago, Joinaman said:

Is the 2,000 number just the ones who died on the roads, not in the ambulance or in the hospital , as per normal reporting ,?

If yes,  then this figure is very very low 

Right, this means 13,000 per year wich is very low for Thailand.

This is with less traffic on the roads 

13 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

When is the vaccin against nutty driving ready to be distributed in Thailand? 

Yes, beer and lao khao obviously are'nt working! But then again, nobody seems overly concerned! The carnage continues unabated!

15 hours ago, smiggley said:

A lot of people buy new cars without a drivers licience so shouldn't that be addressed. I personally am partially color blind but that doesn't affect my driving, I still know what sequence the lights change and I have been driving for 45 years without an accident.

Some drivers go without an accident but cause many 

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So why all the concern about getting medical certificates? Do the statistics of those involved in road crashes indicate that the drivers were medically disadvantaged? If not, then this is a total waste of time and just another distraction to take the eyes off the real problems with Thai drivers. 

One law that has problems in Thailand is passing a vehicle when it is safe to pass. I have been pushed of  the road too many times by people coming from the opposite side wanting to pass.

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So again, with this many deaths / accidents where are the statistics?  Very easy to use stats to target the area that is abused.

  • how many drivers in deaths / accidents did not have a DL 
  • how many drivers in deaths / accidents were under age
  • how many people involved in motorbike deaths / accidents were going the wrong way
  • how many people involved in motorbike deaths / accidents did not have helmets on
    (include how many wearing non-approved helmets too)
  • how many people involved in motorbike deaths / accidents had more than 2 people on motorbike
  • how many drivers in deaths / accidents were due to the new medical standards for getting / renewing a DL
  • how many deaths / accidents were due to U-turns
  • how many drivers in deaths / accidents were intoxicated (alcohol / drugs)
  • add more categories to track here

One easy way to stop some of this is enforce people picking up school kids on motorbikes to have helmets on and the child to put a helmet on before allowing them to leave with the child.

 

And start counting all people that died from accidents (en route to hospital and in hospital after an accident) not just the ones that died on the scene.

4 hours ago, lujanit said:

The answer is simple.  Just ban motor scooters.

A little elitist. So the poor Thai family are not allowed transport?

The simple solution the problem needs to be taken away from the Thais especially the Thai Collaboration and DLT.  These people mean well put in charge but year after year they are more of the problem because you can't teach what you haven't been taught the reason year after year the silly ideas that makes no sense.

 

Organization like W.H.O should stop giving money each year to fix the problem yet the problem gets worse you can fix something by putting signs up and painting the floor.

Is it true if a person in Thailand is injured in a road accident and taken to a hospital where he/she later dies, they're not counted as a "road" death? 

Can't find a comparison to past years? Better? Worse?

 

Really need a sound basis for statistics, like per millions of Km driven.

 

 

63 motorcycle death toll
5 car casualties
Unknown car type 1 dead

 

91 % involve motorcycles, so attention should be focused there, stating the obvious.

 

5 foreigner deaths (children (not more than 15 years) - persons, 5 adults)

 

Would like some detail here? Breakout by country of origin. My best guess would be mostly migrant workers from nearby countries?

 

Definitely a MAJOR public health issue which I'm sure the Deputy PM/ Minister of PH is on top of.

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, Ventenio said:

when you see 10 kids on a motorbike not wearing a helmet, do you yell "Get off, you might die!!!! I'm saving your life!!!"

 

no.  we smile and maybe take a picture.

 

oh farang....... you have the potential to help the world!!!!  lol.   nah..... drink some beer

Its not strangers farang or otherwise who should be doing something, its the kids parents!!

The numbers of deaths reported is basically meaningless . Perhaps two separate numbers, those who died on scene and those who died in transit to or in hospital as a result of the accident.  Medical certificates to obtain/renew a driving license or to purchase a new vehicle are also of little value.  The ONLY thing that will ever stop carnage on Thailand's roads is police patrols on the roads stopping motorists driving dangerously before they cause or are in an accident.  Cameras may catch speeders and add to the coffers but do nothing to stop other forms of dangerous driving.  Many also learn to operate a motor vehicle being taught by friends or family members who are themselves dangerous drivers.  Start in ALL schools at about age 10-12 with some serious training to include the laws and why there are laws, what to do when a tire blows, brakes fail, driving through water and many other possibilities.  Prior to getting a license there should be 'on the road' training for several hours with a QUALIFIED teacher. 

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