Thailand Road Carnage: More booze bans and checkpoints needed - look at lockdown success

[DefaultName]

No point in checkpoints unless the police do their jobs correctly.

[Ginner]

5 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

Thailand definitely needs to more drastic measures to keep the road deaths wayyy down.  There has been a much stronger response to covid which has causes less deaths here.

Nothing will change until they start dishing out much stronger sentences' Not point banning them for 2/3 years as most drive with no licenses and insurance  already. They have to introduce jail time minimum 1 year for your first offence up to 10 years for 2nd,3rd exct . But know this government it will bring in prohibition. The PM hates the breweries anyway.

 

[malthebluff]

Make the test much harder and compulsory licence and insurance.plus age limits and then get the police to enforce 

[mikosan]

5 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

14,353 total covid attributed deaths

In 18 or so months, as opposed to 20000+ road deaths last year, so certainly less.  If they enforced ALL traffic regulations, not just DUI, as vigorously as they have the COVID rules, then that would be drastically reduced.  That said, we're all aware that actually the COVID regulations haven't really be vigorously enforced at all, particularly the sale of alcohol in restaurants and closed bars.  But that's another story.  Also, I imagine that curfews actually reduce the road deaths, because of the massive reduction of traffic on the roads, maybe Rungarun Limlahaphan of the Thai Helath Promotion Foundation, should have incorporated that into her study.  I bet she would be a fan of those as well. 

[mikosan]

1 hour ago, Golden Triangle said:

I have a few farang mates who are quite capable of getting 3 speeding tickets on one trip from Pattaya to BKK ????

Only 3? 555

[mikosan]

1 hour ago, Joinaman said:

does anyone pay these speeding tickets ? Think i have paid one about 6 years ago, never paid one since

 

I can't believe I have never actually received one.  I love this country.

[Dr Rodrigues Pereira]

I have been visiting Thailand for nearly 40 years , sometimes 2 and 3 times each year. 

I always rent cars  - even in BKK - and have criss-crossed the country from North to South dozens of times. 

I saw many accidents happening,  but fortunately never got into one. 

I know that people tend to drive like crazy, so all I do is what is called "defensive driving" . 

Um other words,  always expect the unexpected.  Always drive with an eye on the road and an eye on the mirror. 

Regarding the article and under the pandemic circumstances,  I would say the lady doesn't have a clue about the things she is talking about  ...

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, robblok said:

Less traffic means less accidents, seems far more of a cause then less alcohol. At least logically but can't back this up. Of courese alcohol has something to do with it too.

This country is on a war footing with alcohol, blaming it for everything and banning sales at any opportunity. What the government completely misses is that the problem is with education, or the lack of it. Thais often do everything to the max - loud music, speeding, extreme violence and drinking to get drunk. It's the culture. There is no moderation in their behaviour.

There is also little to no education on the consequences of drink-driving. Why do they not show what happens when drunk people take to the road, mangled bodies and blood, every night on tv during their endless and mindless soaps. How about having a Thai 'superstar' laying sprawled on the road covered in blood? I can't think of anything else that might get them to think anything other than 'it won't happen to me'.

[Bangkok Barry]

10 minutes ago, Dr Rodrigues Pereira said:

 

I know that people tend to drive like crazy, so all I do is what is called "defensive driving" . 

Um other words,  always expect the unexpected.  Always drive with an eye on the road and an eye on the mirror. 

 

The roads could be such a pleasure to drive on - largely of good quality, largely devoid of heavy traffic - if it wasn't for the locals and the way they like to drive as if they are playing a video game. Instead, as you say, you have to be on your guard the whole time.

[bristolgeoff]

Another spokesman saying something about the yearly road deaths.it goes on everyday we all know the reasons no helmets or license.young kids have bikes to get too school u see them everyday.that will never change  no matter what the system is in thailand.My friend in issan had no license and now her daughter is over 10 will be during the same,riding a scooter to school soon,but the mother will make her have a helmet at lest.To thais this is normal  and this will not change like the road toll

[G Rex]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

She said the lessons from lockdown were clear - more alcohol bans and more checkpoints meant fewer deaths. 

She obviously is an advocate for alcohol bans.

For the last 18 months traffic volumes have been obviously smaller.  Less cars on the road must equate to a reduction in accidents.  Curfews must reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road at night. This is not rocket science - casualty numbers should fall.

 

'She also noted that when alcohol checkpoints were stopped last year the number of DUI cases rocketed.'

Alcohol checkpoints were stopped during curfew times - so there should have been less people out and about, and hence less DUIs - makes no sense.

 

Her deductions are obviously wrong.

The issues with regard to driver training, vehicle safety and maintenance, drugs, speeding and zero policing must be taken into account here.

[thwo]

just legalize weed 100% and roads will be safer just as in US !

 

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

SIMPLE. Ban Small Mopeds & Sidecars. Saves 50% Road Carnage ( 10,000 lives) annually. Cant afford even a used Large Moped ( 150cc +) ? Share.. and Enforce Laws. ……Huge Neg. Impact on Thai Economy (10%?) which simply doesn’t register with Govt.

 

JAIL on First Offense of No License/ No Inspection Tax/ No Insurance/ No Fitness  ( Drink / Drugs/ Overload) / No Helmet.

 

PROBLEM: Only the Poor affected. Simply cant afford safe legal transport…..clearly these lives are Worthless to authorities here.

 

SOLUTION: Alleviate Poverty & Westernize Education. Liquidate the ridiculous top man landholdings to pay for it all. Use Outside Experts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thailand49]

As noted, sorry young lady you don't have a clue what you are talking about!  In my opinion there isn't one Thai that comes from the same school of driving know or has the power to fix and lower the numbers.

 

The only reason the numbers were down last year was because of the lock down due to the pandemic as soon as it was over and no curfew the number start to rise again. Around 20,000 that number haven't been seen ten years if it wasn't for Libya, Thailand would be number ONE year in year out

 

The only way this can be fixed or reduce is to use the Emergency Power Act give it to a outside person who has full power to make the changes and remove anyone I mean anyone who refuses!  Get the thousands of DLT personnel out of the offices who are bumping into themselves doing nothing.   Nothing will ever change if a Thai is in charge you can't change something if you have no clue as to the problem.

 

The Thais have taken a luxury invented in the West with it's rules and made everything unrecognizable killing the greatest asset of their nation T.I.T.  Driving is a privilege a vehicle is consider a weapon education through enforcement is full time 24/7 not once a month to get your rent paid. When the Thai leaders are serious and leave the honor system behind give me a call and if you do you won't like what you will get and that includes the guy at the very top!????

[Phulublub]

6 hours ago, 2long said:

But 50,000B is a huge amount for some people (fair punishment) and a tiny drop in the ocean for others (no deterrent at all).

How about confiscating the vehicle... which can then be auctioned.

 

PH

 

[rupert the bear]

where i live theres a zebra crossing and  traffic light and a police box.the lights are red ,u wait to cross and pieces of #$%^ try to drive you down,if you retort some wanna fight,obliged one some time back.police...no where to be seen,its absurd and dangerous,people are stupid selfish and arrogant.thats the main cause.police and arrogance are the main problems but even after many yrs these dumb idiots still cant come up with a tv campaign of public service adds to educate drivers backed with a police precense.theres so may cops in this state ...so do something...your job perhaps! its pathetic but mirrors society and their values.they complain about this govt but behave exactly like them if given a chance to exploit power which is what every senior position in govt police etc is,dumb and dumber from the top down

[rudi49jr]

7 hours ago, robblok said:

 

Less traffic means less accidents, seems far more of a cause then less alcohol. At least logically but can't back this up. Of courese alcohol has something to do with it too.

I’m sure alcohol has something to do with it, but the main reasons for the many accidents are that many Thai drivers (cars and motorbikes) have no driving skills and no knowledge of traffic rules, or at least they totally ignore them, and it’s all just me first, me first, me first!!

And the RTP does not enforce traffic rules. Just look at every traffic light in Thailand (where there’s quite often a police box on the corner), even after it has turned red about 4-6 drivers feel it’s perfectly okay to drive on and run the red light. Madness.

[Rampant Rabbit]

Drove up  to Nonthaburi today from BKK 2  checkpoints  blocking the road  causing tailbacks, absolutely  no one manning them at  all, face saving as  usual.

[Rampant Rabbit]

8 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

And the RTP does not enforce traffic rules.

And  drive as  badly as the rest of them.

[zoltannyc]

Unfortunately this article based on false correlation or better say correlation does not imply causation.
Icecream consumption is down and less foreign tourist maybe these are the ones that caused the drop in traffic related death?

[Rampant Rabbit]

6 hours ago, connda said:

"Look!  Totalitarianism is great.  Heavy-handed state repression saves lives.  Let's embrace a fully totalitarian state.  That will keep the commoners in line by golly."

Creepy in its connotation for the future.  ????

its  always a  difficult   line and they end  up  like in the Uk stopping sensible  people doing almost anything due to the morons  in society which the laws then cater for. Always aiming at the lowest fruit.

[JonnyF]

The General doesn’t drink. He hates alcohol.

 

If it weren’t for tourists he’d have banned the serfs from drinking and sent them back to the fields where they belong already. 
 

I hope the Junta fanboys are enjoying Thailand 4.0 ????.

[kennw]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

sure just ban all vehicles - problem solved lol

 

how do these people get these jobs ?

80% of road accident deaths are motor cyclists, Thats where they should start, Helmets, road law enforcement (red lights?) one way streets, big bike speeding, weaving in traffic, on roads where bikes are banned, need any more? 

[hackjam]

There just does not seem to be a will or desire to do anything about those high numbers. It just seems to be acceptable as the norm.

And its so deep routed. Many vehicles on the go are unroadworthy. Then there is the driver behavior, many just drive in a totally reckless manner, because there is no deterrent. And its mainly all the same type of vehicle-pick up trucks, lowered and extremely noisy.  A proper MOT would help, combined with vehicle confiscation if unroadworthy. 

Another big problem I note in and around Pattaya is brain dead parking, that then causes a dangerous situation with the overtaking. And 9 time out of 10, there is an adequate parking space nearby but laziness' and "this my shop, I park here" attitude. 

I really dont see the need to clamp down on some poor soul on a beat up scooter trying to chisel out a living but those kids on big bikes driving reckless speeds in built up areas should be hounded.

There just seems to be little or no deterrent in Thailand.  

[BostonRob2]

7 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

It is not the alcohol.. it is the bad driving education or lack of education of it.....

I think you need to join the AA. And I don't mean the Automobile Association.

[futsukayoi]

7 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

Just slap a 50,000 baht fine, and a years driving ban on all those who are caught drinking and driving.

 

And if you kill someone then you should be given a minimum 10 year prison sentence. 

 

Everybody knows drink driving is wrong, so all offenders should be heavily punished. There are no excuses! 

 

 

 

 

This is Thailand so obviousy these rules would only be for the likes of us not the rich or influential.

 

[futsukayoi]

7 minutes ago, kennw said:

80% of road accident deaths are motor cyclists, Thats where they should start, Helmets, road law enforcement (red lights?) one way streets, big bike speeding, weaving in traffic, on roads where bikes are banned, need any more? 

90% of motorcyclists are probably killed by car drivers who give them no consideration at all.  

[KeeTua]

12 minutes ago, futsukayoi said:

90% of motorcyclists are probably killed by car drivers who give them no consideration at all.  

90% of motorcyclists killed haven't a clue what defensive driving is.

[G Rex]

20,000 deaths per annum is shocking.

17,000 deaths is not insubstantial.

With lockdowns, curfews, restaurant & bar closures - if alcohol was the major factor in road deaths, I am sure we would have seen a much bigger reduction in the road carnage here. 

[natway09]

I have been harping for 31 years that they MUST put mufti  cops on the highways 

in the traffic  actually watching behaviour & lack of driving skills  & risks of speeding in particular during or after rain. Driving from BKK to Tak which I do often I would see at least 25 drivers that should not be on the roads.

Having the Highway brown cars parked on the side will & does achieve nothing.

A cop once told me that it is against human rights ,,,,,,I say Garbage !!!!

Then he said no budget for the fuel,,,,Does he have any idea what 17,000 deaths plus injuries cost this country a year????? The fuel for 300 mufti cars would not even be 20%