.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png.8488ab72b8bb2e508209bfe3211b6e08.png)
-
Recently Browsing 0 members
- No registered users viewing this page.
Announcements
-
Topics
-
-
Popular Contributors
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
-
-
Latest posts...
-
0
Company Manager Dies in Road Crash After Farewell Party
Picture from responders. A company manager lost his life in a fatal crash after attending a farewell party to mark his departure from the company. The incident occurred early morning on 2 February, when his vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a tree in Tha Chana District, Surat Thani. At 07:55, Police Lieutenant Jare Khamaew, an investigator from Tha Chana Police Station, was alerted to a pickup truck accident near Thakrachai Bridge in Moo 10, Samo Thong Subdistrict. He immediately reported the incident to his superiors and proceeded to the scene. Upon arrival, police found a white Toyota Vigo pickup truck registered in Surat Thani in a roadside ditch along Highway 41. The vehicle had sustained front-end damage. The driver, later identified as Mr. Sitthiphong 36, was found deceased in the driver’s seat. According to acquaintances, the deceased was a manager at a well-known transport company’s Tha Chana branch. The previous night, colleagues had organised a small farewell party to celebrate his departure from the company. Though known to be reserved and not a drinker, it is suspected that he may have been feeling unwell or fatigued, leading to the crash. Initial police investigations suggest the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. Authorities have transferred the body to Tha Chana Hospital for a post-mortem examination before handing it over to his family for religious rites. -- 2025-02-03 -
102
Road Safety in Thailand – a summary of Perceptions and Reality
Road safety is a science – you can’t address it as an after dinner conversation. Your response is the exact opposite of a scientific approach—it relies on anecdotal evidence, personal frustration, and broad generalizations rather than data or research. While no one denies that enforcement plays a role in road safety, dismissing all Thai drivers as 'stupid' and 'selfish' is not only offensive but also completely unhelpful in addressing the real issues You talk about lack of enforcement – This is a legitimate issue, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Many countries with high road safety still have strict laws and active enforcement. The question is, why isn’t enforcement effective in Thailand? That’s where we need to focus—not just stating the obvious, but looking at why the system fails and how to fix it. Then comes the stereotyping – “unbelievable stupidity and risk-taking’ – these are totally subjective - Blaming accidents on ‘stupidity’ ignores the actual causes behind risk-taking behaviour. Poor driver education, inadequate infrastructure, lack of consequences, and cultural attitudes toward traffic laws all contribute to unsafe driving. If drivers don’t fear penalties or haven’t been trained properly, reckless behaviour becomes more common—not because people are inherently ‘stupid,’ but because the system doesn’t discourage it. “Selfishness”? – that is a human trait, (just look at this thread!) not a uniquely Thai characteristic. Road safety issues exist worldwide, and in places where people drive more cautiously, it’s often because of the introduction of the Safe System and a scientific approach to road safety based on detailed analysis. Strict law enforcement, better education, and societal expectations—not because people are inherently more considerate. They have to be scientifically introduced. The idea that Thai drivers are uniquely selfish is just lazy stereotyping that ignores the deeper systemic problems at play. the rest shows you don't understand anecdotal evidence - as I said, the plural of anecdote is not data. -
5
THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Monday 3 February 2025
Gunfire Erupts in Pattaya Beach Brawl Near Police Station Picture courtesy of Siamchon. A violent altercation broke out in central Pattaya early morning on 2 February, as rival groups of youths clashed near Central Beach Festival mall, less than 50 metres from Pattaya City Police Station. The incident escalated when a firearm was discharged, though fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Full story:https://aseannow.com/topic/1350629-gunfire-erupts-in-pattaya-beach-brawl-near-police-station/ -
0
Gunfire Erupts in Pattaya Beach Brawl Near Police Station
Picture courtesy of Siamchon. A violent altercation broke out in central Pattaya early morning on 2 February, as rival groups of youths clashed near Central Beach Festival mall, less than 50 metres from Pattaya City Police Station. The incident escalated when a firearm was discharged, though fortunately, no one was seriously injured. The chaotic scenes unfolded at approximately 02:50, when a group of young men engaged in a heated confrontation that soon turned physical. Eyewitnesses reported that one individual, dressed in a grey shirt and black trousers and carrying a black motorcycle helmet, was seen fleeing for his life. Around ten others pursued him, shouting, "Catch him! He shot my friend!" The chase ended when the fleeing man was cornered and brutally beaten by his pursuers, who punched and kicked him repeatedly. Onlookers, including local residents and tourists, intervened, urging the attackers to stop. The injured man was subsequently handed over to Pattaya police. Nontakan, 22, a key witness and involved party, stated that he had been summoned to the scene by "Nick Paekong" to resolve a dispute. As he stood on the beachfront pavement, his adversaries arrived in a car. One suspect allegedly grabbed him, struck him with a firearm, and fired a shot that narrowly missed his ear. The bullet, however, struck a parked motorcycle, causing damage. Realising the situation was spiralling out of control, Nontakan's friends rushed to his aid. The gunman and his accomplices attempted to flee in their car, leaving one of their associates behind. The stranded man was subsequently overpowered, assaulted, and handed over to police. The apprehended suspect, a 19-year-old identified only as "Wave," was found in possession of a small packet of cannabis. He claimed the meeting was meant to be a peaceful discussion with a former friend, "Ice," who had distanced himself from their group. Wave insisted that he had no prior knowledge of Nick carrying a gun and was unaware that the situation would escalate into violence. By 09:00 Pattaya police had located and detained the suspected gunman, 24-year-old Aniwat, alias "Nick Paekong," at his residence in Nong Ket, Bang Lamung. He admitted to firing the weapon but claimed it was only a homemade firearm. However, police remained sceptical, particularly after discovering damage on the affected motorcycle. Forensic officers from Chonburi Province have been called in to analyse the bullet fragments and gunpowder residue. Meanwhile, both Aniwat and another suspect, "Four," have been charged with attempted murder and assault. They are now in police custody, awaiting legal proceedings. -- 2025-02-03 -
297
Russia’s economy is doomed
So why did they bother packing victory parade uniforms? Russia had a 10 day plan to seize Kyiv, and then complete the full annexation of Ukraine by August 2022. What's your evidence that Russia was not trying to annex all of Ukraine. Putin's speech on 24 February 2022 is not evidence. -
102
Road Safety in Thailand – a summary of Perceptions and Reality
Not being rude in any way but you apply far too much science and complicate matters unnecessarily. In my, and I'd guess, a lot of other people's opinions, based on their posts here and on other previous threads, there are only 3 major factors that cause the majority of road accidents in Thailand. These factors are not arrived at scientifically, they are the result of real world observations made by people who have driven in Thailand for many years and they are: 1. An almost total lack of enforcement. 2. The unbelievable stupidity and risk taking of Thai drivers. 3. Selfishness. Enforcement? There is very little, I'm not going to write volumes, most of us here are very aware of that fact. Stupidity, risk taking and selfishness? I'll give 3 of the worst examples I've seen: A). Supidity. Several years ago I was heading towards Bangkok on Highway 2, somewhere around Muak Lek. The road there varies between 3 and 4 lanes I believe and the traffic is fairly fast moving. There are fruit stalls at the side of the road (asking for trouble). I was in the outside (r/h) lane doing around 110kmh I'd guess and I'd describe the traffic as medium. The Toyota Fortuner in front of me suddenly decided he needed some fruit, screeched to a halt (how I managed to stop I know not) then indicated left and crossed the other lanes to the fruit stalls - causing the traffic in those lanes to also brake sharply. Some cars slewed across at an angle but miraculously, nobody hit him. B). Risk Taking. One of the roads leading from Buriram, onto the 24 and onwards to Highway 2 for Bangkok is the 218. Its a normal 2 lane (1 in each direction) road that in the UK would be classed as an A road. It can be quite busy, the traffic generally drives fairly fast and there are few major bends. I've seen several near misses on the 218 over the years, usually the result of frustration when following a slow moving truck and overtaking when its not safe to do so. On this occasion I was approaching a left hand bend, not major but sweeping enough that if you are more than 100m from it, you cannot see around it. The road is also lines with trees and bushes that also add to the lack of visibility around the bend. Just beyond the bend there is a r/h turn. I'd guess there were maybe 8 - 10 cars in front of me when brake lights came on and the traffic stopped. It wasn't possible to see around the bend (in any way) to know the reason for the stop. I queued for a few seconds - maybe 20 and a small queue built up behind me. Looking in my mirror I saw a pick up truck approaching at speed, overtaing the queue behind me. He continued on, past me and round the bend followed by a loud bang/crunch. When the traffic started moving again it became clear what had happened - a car had been waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before turning right - all perfectly normal. Until that is, this idiot, who in no way could see the cause for the queue, came speeding around the corner passing the queue. The right turning car had just started to make the turn when he was hit in the driver's door by that moron. (Note: the 218 may well be a dual carriageway now) 3). Another regular act of stupidity is on the expressways in Bangkok. On any day of the week, as you approach an exit you will get people coming down the left hand margin - in effect undertaking you. If you are leaving at the exit and are in the real l/h lane you're going to be in big trouble if you make that exit without checking your l/h mirror. I don't know what the Highway code says about using your l/h mirror when you are exiting a motorway in the UK (which many expressways are the equivalent of) but until I first drove in Thailand, I don't think that was something I'd ever done. Since driving in Thailand its something I do all the time. Nothing scientific is needed to analyse any of that - simple enforcement and the change of mindset that accompanies being heavily fined or losing your licence would deal with the majority of the above examples, given time. However, there will still be things that you can't change so easily - I cite the thing you'll see many times per trip in built-up areas - motorcyclists pulling out of side roads on your left without even moving their head and therefore, not checking their right. Not sure even proper training would fix that - I'm a biker and my basic survival instincts just wouldn't let me do that. Its as if they have a bracket between their head and the handlebars locking the 2 together and holding their head straight forward. As other people have said, you will see things on Thai roads that you just don't see elsewhere. Until recently I was driving 50,000 miles per year in the UK and I've never seen anyone do such stupid things - ever!
-
-
Popular in The Pub
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now