Campaign needed to educate Thai drivers about stopping at red traffic lights

[webfact]

 

A campaign should be launched to educate drivers about the rights of pedestrians and not encroaching on zebra crossings or crossing red traffic lights, said Air Vice Marshal Ittaporn Kanacharoen, secretary-general of the Medical Council of Thailand, in his Facebook post.

 

He said that all the traffic lights at zebra crossings, which are now being installed across Bangkok, will be useless if drivers do not stop their vehicles.

 

Workers are now installing the lights at the zebra crossing in front of the Bhumirajanagarindra Kidney Institute Hospital on Phaya Thai Road, where an eye specialist, Dr. Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, alias Doctor Kratai, was fatally struck by a large motorcycle being driven by a police officer.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/campaign-needed-to-educate-thai-drivers-about-stopping-at-red-traffic-lights/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-07

 

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[it is what it is]

 

good luck with that.

 

still, have to try i guess.

[Meat Pie 47]

4 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

 

good luck with that.

 

still, have to try i guess.

It will never happen in my life time

[smedly]

how many years have there been traffic lights in Thailand and suddenly they need to be told to stop on red

 

is this a joke 

[Hayduke]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He said that all the traffic lights at zebra crossings, which are now being installed across Bangkok, will be useless if drivers do not stop their vehicles.

 

Brilliant....the Air Vice Marshall is truly an observant and insightful fellow.

 

 

[Geoffggi]

What can you expect when previously it was reported by the authorities that going the wrong way along a one-way street or going through a red light was a minor offence - You reap what you sow 

[cnx101]

40 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

What can you expect when previously it was reported by the authorities that going the wrong way along a one-way street or going through a red light was a minor offence - You reap what you sow 

Always the same, just for show after something has already happened, will be forgotten after a few weeks.

[bikerlou47]

Stopping on RED is not a problem in Pak Chong. The problem is GO when it is GREEN!

[hellohello123]

I think we need to make the traffic lights a bit less complicated

 

I mean 3 colours is wayyyyyyy too many, maybe reduce it down to 2

[bluemoon58]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A campaign should be launched to educate drivers about the rights of pedestrians and not encroaching on zebra crossings or crossing red traffic lights

Yet more buffoonery! Thai drivers should be getting educated on ALL aspects of driving, not just red lights. In my opinion, what Air Vice Marshal Ittaporn Kanacharoen is really saying is, Thais have very little common sense if they don't know how to use a red light. Either that or they just don't give a <deleted>...!!!

 

[kotsak]

My brain exploded when I read "Educate Thai drivers about stopping at red traffic lights". IF they need to be educated for such basic rules then the whole education system is a total failure (which is far worse than what we thought). Hopeless..

 

 

 

 

[Paul Henry]

In any other country this would be a standard prerequisite to getting a drivers licence.Still most other countries don't hand out drivers licences like Thailand.

[jaiyen]

Position police at every zebra crossing and prosecute all drivers that dont stop.  Oh, that is too easy !

[Nicholas Paul KNIGHT]

Simple, fine 5000 baht for each offence payable on the spot or vehicle impounded until paid ,  and if you get three fines, then automatic disqualification for 12 months, BUT that will need enforcement....bit difficult with the RTP rarely exiting their Police Stations 

[Swampy999]

12 minutes ago, kotsak said:

My brain exploded when I read "Educate Thai drivers about stopping at red traffic lights". IF they need to be educated for such basic rules then the whole education system is a total failure (which is far worse than what we thought). Hopeless..

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that, when I read the article I was lost for words but you have summed it up perfectly.

[willr]

It won't matter, disqualification of licence, they drive without one anyway.

[vandeventer]

3 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

Brilliant....the Air Vice Marshall is truly an observant and insightful fellow.

 

 

Yes, the people crossing will be like Deer in their lights. Drivers are to scared of getting rear ended by the driver behind them.

[SAFETY FIRST]

Here in Pattaya the local cops seem to only be interested in booking the foreigners. 

 

The cops riding the white marked PCX & NMax don't bother pulling over the Thais for breaking the road rules but make an effort to pull me over and give me a ticket. 

 

No wonder there are so many deaths, the system is broken, always has and won't be fixed until the police are trained properly. 

[generealty]

If they fine drivers who do not stop then after a few fines take their vehicles and either impound them until they pay a really hefty fine or failure crush their vehilcles. Short shock treatment might be only way.

[rwill]

Educate all you want but with no enforcement it doesn't matter.

 

Even the intersections with cameras that send tickets in the mail don't work because they don't currently enforce paying them either.

[hellohello123]

27 minutes ago, kotsak said:

My brain exploded when I read "Educate Thai drivers about stopping at red traffic lights". IF they need to be educated for such basic rules then the whole education system is a total failure (which is far worse than what we thought). Hopeless..

 

 

 

 

If they're struggling to understand the concept of stopping at a red light, 

Teaching them not to drink and drive might be harder than teaching a dog  quantum physics

[prakhonchai nick]

18 minutes ago, Nicholas Paul KNIGHT said:

Simple, fine 5000 baht for each offence payable on the spot or vehicle impounded until paid ,  and if you get three fines, then automatic disqualification for 12 months, BUT that will need enforcement....bit difficult with the RTP rarely exiting their Police Stations 

Enforcement + 10,000Baht minimum, + impound vehicle for 3 months IN EVERY CASE

[Asquith Production]

Just now, prakhonchai nick said:

Enforcement + 10,000Baht minimum, + impound vehicle for 3 months IN EVERY CASE

Most Thais dont have 10000 to pay for fines. So where do you go from there? Sell there property? Throw them in prison and fill the prisons with traffic offenders. You have to have a realistic system in place for it to work otherwise it will fail.

[Classic Ray]

Part of the problem is red does not mean stop, if you are turning left, whereas in most countries red always means stop.

 

They should install green or flashing amber filter arrows to authorise left turns, but no one will pay for that.

 

plus zero enforcement by red light cameras allows people to ignore red lights.

[sikishrory]

Remove the countdown clocks from the traffic lights and put covers around the lights so they can't be viewed from the side. That will fix the issue of thais going 3-5 seconds too early. 

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Campaign needed to educate Thai drivers

Isn't the education system hopelessly broken?

[kamahele]

Tough enforcement might be needed in addition to education. Stop a lot of drivers and issue heft fines and the word will get out.

[actonion]

If they need educating   WHY     do they have a Driving licence.....

 

The Educated need Educating too

[chalawaan]

The only education they ever got at school? "Respect my authoritah!" Well, they sure reaped what they sowed going down that 18th Century path...

[CharlieH]

What they need is to address the root of the problem not parts of it.

 

Full and correct driver training, a proper profficiency test to obtain a licence and REAL consequences enforced by the Police for not complying.

 

This "do what you like" and 200bt fine may have worked 100 yrs ago, but is grossly inadequate and totally inappropriate for todays society.