Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath joined police in speculating that a 15 year old boy in Chachoengsao, who drove a motorcycle into a ditch and killed himself, had been on the phone.

 

Muang district police in the eastern seaboard province found Siwat, a local boy, with head injuries having lost a lot of blood. 

 

Nearby was his Honda Wave with no plate. And a phone.

 

Friends said that he had a job as a welder in a car repair yard and was going home late.

 

He was about to do a U-turn to go under a bridge for the soi on the otherside that led to his home.

 

Police discovered that he had sent his last text at 22.03 on the Line application.

 

They believe that he was probably chatting or texting on the phone and looked down for too long.

When he loooked up he saw the ditch and it was too late. 

 

Investigations continue. 

 

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Another contribution to the gene pool

6 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Another contribution to the gene pool

Err not now

14 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Another contribution to the gene pool

Erm... quite the opposite - Pure Darwinism....

 

Hopefully the pendulum starts to swing the other way regarding phone use while riding / driving, but with the utterly slack enforcement here with major issues such as DUI I suspect the apathy towards law enforcement shown by those who should be enforcing the laws and the utter absence of social and personal responsibly that this issues will worsen.... 

 

How utterly stupid does someone have to be to ride a motorcycle while using a phone... and then there is drivers too... Yet, its not just a Thailand issue, we see videos from all over the world of idiots walking out into roads while walking reading their phones etc.... its a global pandemic of utter stupidity...  Fall off a cliff for a selfie anyone ?

... People are utterly stupid... the only reason fewer people in the UK do not use their phones while driving is because the when caught the penalties are enforced, so they learn to follow the rules or risk heavy fines. 

RIP at 15 so tragic.

5 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

RIP at 15 so tragic.

Indeed it is tragic and the authorities can definitely do more to reduce this sort of loss.

 

One of the best methods would be to teach road safety in schools... Many kids go to School in Thailand and are ‘rote taught’ (if thats the correct term) subjects which they will never need.... But life-skills are something every single child will grow up to rely on....  Teaching Road Safety (car / motorcycle / pedestrian), First Aid, Water Safety etc....  

 

... When nearly every single person in Thailand grows up to drive a car or motorcycle its astonishing that far more time is not given to an activity they will pretty much definitely undertake - Instead Thailand has a system where the vast majority are not even trained. 

 

Of course, this wouldn’t prevent all accidents but it ‘could’ place a significant den’t in the stats (combined with better enforcement of course).

 

These basic flaws contribute to the failing of safety at this most fundamental level. 

 

------

 

At least this wasn’t someone in a car wiping out a load of cyclists....

 

 

 

 

Darwinism.....

21 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Indeed it is tragic and the authorities can definitely do more to reduce this sort of loss.

 

One of the best methods would be to teach road safety in schools... Many kids go to School in Thailand and are ‘rote taught’ (if thats the correct term) subjects which they will never need.... But life-skills are something every single child will grow up to rely on....  Teaching Road Safety (car / motorcycle / pedestrian), First Aid, Water Safety etc....  

 

... When nearly every single person in Thailand grows up to drive a car or motorcycle its astonishing that far more time is not given to an activity they will pretty much definitely undertake - Instead Thailand has a system where the vast majority are not even trained. 

 

Of course, this wouldn’t prevent all accidents but it ‘could’ place a significant den’t in the stats (combined with better enforcement of course).

 

These basic flaws contribute to the failing of safety at this most fundamental level. 

 

------

 

At least this wasn’t someone in a car wiping out a load of cyclists....

 

Well i always thought as a parent it was my responsibility to teach my kids safety from a very young age. 

I agreed that it should be a lesson at school too. 

As a kid of 15 i did silly things too and survived somehow, unfortunately fate was not in favour for this kid, so sad. 

 

My brother was killed at 15 riding his bicycle in UK by a car driver, horrid time for my mother.

 

Thailand is trying it's best to hide any road death statistics, and they have been doing it for years, so much so that only WHO has some sort of idea of what the numbers are, and all that out of embedment and accountability to world community and it's own people not to show how hopeless they're in keeping people safe...

5 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Thailand is trying it's best to hide any road death statistics, and they have been doing it for years, so much so that only WHO has some sort of idea of what the numbers are, and all that out of embedment and accountability to world community and it's own people not to show how hopeless they're in keeping people safe...

The UK is so safety strict in many ways, Thailand has a different culture if Thailand was like the UK i wouldn't be here. 

29 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

The UK is so safety strict in many ways, Thailand has a different culture if Thailand was like the UK i wouldn't be here. 

I had employment in both the steel industry and the construction industry so I always applied the greatest respect to safety. That was 50 years ago; now when consumers are instructed in the accompanying literature of a microwave oven , not to stick their head in it I despair.

 

Common sense amongst other traits would save a lot of lives rather than a nanny state.  I was once fined in the UK for dropping a passenger off at a bus stop.  I was fined because stopping at a bus stop for an 'unauthorised' vehicle was deemed amongst other things to be a Health and Safety issue.

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Indeed it is tragic and the authorities can definitely do more to reduce this sort of loss.

 

One of the best methods would be to teach road safety in schools... Many kids go to School in Thailand and are ‘rote taught’ (if thats the correct term) subjects which they will never need.... But life-skills are something every single child will grow up to rely on....  Teaching Road Safety (car / motorcycle / pedestrian), First Aid, Water Safety etc....  

 

... When nearly every single person in Thailand grows up to drive a car or motorcycle its astonishing that far more time is not given to an activity they will pretty much definitely undertake - Instead Thailand has a system where the vast majority are not even trained. 

 

Of course, this wouldn’t prevent all accidents but it ‘could’ place a significant den’t in the stats (combined with better enforcement of course).

 

These basic flaws contribute to the failing of safety at this most fundamental level. 

 

------

 

At least this wasn’t someone in a car wiping out a load of cyclists....

 

 

 

 

Can't teach brain. The utter disregard for one's own safety and that of others is simply breathtaking here. And the kind of families such youngsters come from (welder with 15 years) may have a different set of life skills than the ones reading this and are usually not very receptive to road safety lessons. 

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

The UK is so safety strict in many ways, Thailand has a different culture if Thailand was like the UK i wouldn't be here. 

Thailand doesn’t need to be like the UK to also have a far more improved safety culture...

 

Thailand can easily maintain its identity without such disregard for life.

6 minutes ago, me4175 said:

Can't teach brain. The utter disregard for one's own safety and that of others is simply breathtaking here. And the kind of families such youngsters come from (welder with 15 years) may have a different set of life skills than the ones reading this and are usually not very receptive to road safety lessons. 

Which is why the ‘cultural shift’ starts with education at an early age.... 

 

It's difficult convincing adults that their carelessness needs to be altered... but children can do learn when educated correctly, whatever their socio-economic demographic. 

 

 

 

 

A troll post trolling about members speculating about the speculations posted in the OP has been removed as well as a reply. 

Darwin insisted that some species and some members of those species were more fit for survival than others. It would appear the roads here, and especially motorbike riders, are a perfect example of his theories in action. 

 

It takes certain qualities to survive on the roads here. Patience, being very conscious of your surroundings, driving defensively, avoiding talking or texting while driving a motorbike, avoiding excessive speed, especially in town, following basic traffic rules and laws and avoiding being overly stupid, at all times, are great aids in the art of survival. 

 

1 hour ago, DaLa said:

I had employment in both the steel industry and the construction industry so I always applied the greatest respect to safety. That was 50 years ago; now when consumers are instructed in the accompanying literature of a microwave oven , not to stick their head in it I despair.

 

Common sense amongst other traits would save a lot of lives rather than a nanny state.  I was once fined in the UK for dropping a passenger off at a bus stop.  I was fined because stopping at a bus stop for an 'unauthorised' vehicle was deemed amongst other things to be a Health and Safety issue.

Yes over the top health & safety issues in the building industry and the industrial roofing industry, made me decide to retire early. 

45 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thailand doesn’t need to be like the UK to also have a far more improved safety culture...

 

Thailand can easily maintain its identity without such disregard for life.

Goodluck to whoever tries to improve it. 

57 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Which is why the ‘cultural shift’ starts with education at an early age.... 

 

It's difficult convincing adults that their carelessness needs to be altered... but children can do learn when educated correctly, whatever their socio-economic demographic. 

 

 

 

 

Agreed. Education is the key but schools are too bizzy (sic) teaching/singing the national anthem or banging on about glorious wars won riding elephants. Maybe some unspeakable stuff too.

Trouble is that kids today are likely riding/driving similar to their parents.

Throw in the smart phones of today and it's a new ball game.

Kids from (say) 8 years+ roar up & down our village soi on their modified exhaust bikes.

No-one says or does a thing and I can't see that changing.

RIP to the youngster.????????

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

The UK is so safety strict in many ways, Thailand has a different culture if Thailand was like the UK i wouldn't be here. 

depends how highly you value human life i guess.

16 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

depends how highly you value human life i guess.

I was educated and lucky enough to be brought up in a better way i guess. ????

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Darwin insisted that some species and some members of those species were more fit for survival than others. It would appear the roads here, and especially motorbike riders, are a perfect example of his theories in action. 

 

It takes certain qualities to survive on the roads here. Patience, being very conscious of your surroundings, driving defensively, avoiding talking or texting while driving a motorbike, avoiding excessive speed, especially in town, following basic traffic rules and laws and avoiding being overly stupid, at all times, are great aids in the art of survival. 

 

You alps forgot one of the most useful things....luck. 

 

You can be as safe and careful as you like, but some idiot drivng a huge lorry or cement mixer being careless, and that could easily be game over.  

1 minute ago, jak2002003 said:

You alps forgot one of the most useful things....luck. 

 

You can be as safe and careful as you like, but some idiot drivng a huge lorry or cement mixer being careless, and that could easily be game over.  

Agreed.... But you also ‘make your own luck’....

 

i.e. is it bad luck if I slow and stop at traffic lights and the cement mixer behind is on the phone and tears through the lights cleaning me out ?.... OR, is it good luck that I rode defensively and instead of stopping in the middle of the lane, as I was the first bike to stop, I pulled to the side of the road out of the way ?

 

There are other facets which many put down to ‘bad luck’ which I put down to not being careful, such as hitting a large pot-hole... lorry pulling out on you etc...  (the lorry is nearly always going to pull out - just assume its going to happen and slow or go into the right most lane etc)....

 

Of course, it is the ‘catastrophic’ events which simply can’t be avoided... and that is just bad-luck, wrong place wrong time sort of scenario... that can happen in a car too (or course to a lesser degree of risk of injury). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thailand doesn’t need to be like the UK to also have a far more improved safety culture...

 

Thailand can easily maintain its identity without such disregard for life.

Goodluck to whoever tries to improve it. 

Indeed... its quite an 'uphill task’.... But it is one which no one seems to be prepared to take responsibly for.

 

Thai Authorities are so juvenile in their approach to such matters...  Those in positions of decision making power are repeatedly making announcements as if the mere mention on their name will have an impact on how the masses behave....  The utter hubris is not only comical it highlights an underlying degree of utter stupidity.

... There are simple measures that can be taken, no one in those positions of power are interested to take the steps to make things safer. There exists either a genuine lack of understanding or as mentioned above, the arrogance and hubris makes them believe all they need to do is make an announcement and the rest will fall into place... it clearly doesn’t... so lets have a ‘crack-down’ and announce another ‘hub of something or other’ to peddle the idea that something is being done.  

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Police discovered that he had sent his last text at 22.03 on the Line application.

Should put that on his grave marker...

4 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

RIP at 15 so tragic.

So avoidable.

RIP, he was just a kid. His death should be a lesson and learning for other kids but it doesn't work like that here. 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

You alps forgot one of the most useful things....luck. 

 

You can be as safe and careful as you like, but some idiot drivng a huge lorry or cement mixer being careless, and that could easily be game over.  

Yup. My missus does not drive but happily blames me when some wingnut doin' 160+k decides that it is HIS/HER soi/highway to do whatever they want.

Being aware of your surroundings is your only real survuval plan. 

Luck certainly plays a huge part in road survival here.????????

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Agreed.... But you also ‘make your own luck’....

 

i.e. is it bad luck if I slow and stop at traffic lights and the cement mixer behind is on the phone and tears through the lights cleaning me out ?.... OR, is it good luck that I rode defensively and instead of stopping in the middle of the lane, as I was the first bike to stop, I pulled to the side of the road out of the way ?

 

There are other facets which many put down to ‘bad luck’ which I put down to not being careful, such as hitting a large pot-hole... lorry pulling out on you etc...  (the lorry is nearly always going to pull out - just assume its going to happen and slow or go into the right most lane etc)....

 

Of course, it is the ‘catastrophic’ events which simply can’t be avoided... and that is just bad-luck, wrong place wrong time sort of scenario... that can happen in a car too (or course to a lesser degree of risk of injury). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am sure that jak2002003 is aware of these scenarios and a hundred others.????????

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Friends said that he had a job as a welder in a car repair yard and was going home late.

If a 15 year old is welding your car, no wonder they fall apart