306 killed (43/day) and 14,480 injured in road accidents

[anchadian]

THAI NEWS REPORTS: #RoadSafety summary for 7-13 May 2023: 306 killed (43/day) and 14,480 injured in road accidents 17 children and 15 foreigners killed 82% of fatalities were motorcyclists 5,746 people have been killed and 296,501 injured this year

 

https://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/1657581541676171266

 

Here are the road accident statistics from the last seven days in #Thailand. It is shocking to see that 17 children died in road accidents. Why is this so high? What are the Thai government and police doing to bring this number down? Also note that 15 foreigners died in road accidents. I read yesterday that ten Russians died in Phuket this year so far. What can be done? Make it harder to rent motorcycles and cars? Enforce road laws such as wearing helmets on motorcycles? Making public transportation more affordable so people don’t have to rent vehicles?

Edited May 14, 2023 by anchadian

[transam]

Yes, the military gov did nothing to even make a dent in the figures, we can only hope that new gov blood can turn the tide and implement the rules that are not policed.

 

But saying that, to me folk here seem to think death by any means is OK cos the dead are just moving on........

[OneMoreFarang]

50 minutes ago, transam said:

Yes, the military gov did nothing to even make a dent in the figures, we can only hope that new gov blood can turn the tide and implement the rules that are not policed.

Do you blame the current government?

How much did previous governments reduce these numbers?

 

As far as I know the Thai traffic police is lazy since forever. And if there is no law enforcement then many people don't care about the laws. That shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

 

And how many Thai people see the number of traffic death as a problem? When I talk to them, even if someone from their family died, they see it as bad luck. How could it possibly related to bad driving, alcohol, etc.? TiT

 

 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

Thai accident threads always come back time and time again. 

So difficult to change outcomes with the road culture here being different.

 

Motorcycle accidents are always the top %.

The DLT's have made the bike test a bit more difficult in some ways but more training should be in place. 

 

Also law enforcement instead road blocks every now and then make them every day. 

Enforce age and time of passing test with cc restrictions should be in place.

[transam]

28 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do you blame the current government?

How much did previous governments reduce these numbers?

 

As far as I know the Thai traffic police is lazy since forever. And if there is no law enforcement then many people don't care about the laws. That shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

 

And how many Thai people see the number of traffic death as a problem? When I talk to them, even if someone from their family died, they see it as bad luck. How could it possibly related to bad driving, alcohol, etc.? TiT

 

 

 

 

I blame the present gov for not getting the police in order to fix things...

 

I am not interested in the previous government, they were voted out for not fixing things...????

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, anchadian said:

It is shocking to see that 17 children died in road accidents

I wonder how many of them were riding motorcycles.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I wonder how many of them were riding motorcycles.

............without a crash hat....................

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, transam said:

............without a crash hat....................

on the wrong side of the road, and under the influence of something......same as most of the adults killed

Edited May 14, 2023 by KannikaP

[transam]

Just now, KannikaP said:

on the wrong side of the road, and under the influence of something......

............and the bike belonging to dad..................

[OneMoreFarang]

17 minutes ago, transam said:

I blame the present gov for not getting the police in order to fix things...

 

I am not interested in the previous government, they were voted out for not fixing things...????

The previous government was not voted out, it was removed by coup.

And lots of people want an incarnation of the previous government back as the new government.

 

I don't think I ever read that any politician promised fewer traffic death.

I remember Thaksin promised to solve the Bangkok traffic problem within a couple of months. One of his strategies was to extend the time for green light at intersections ... (no, I am not kidding)

[OneMoreFarang]

18 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I wonder how many of them were riding motorcycles.

And I wonder how many parents changed their behavior after that. I guess about 0.0%. 

[transam]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The previous government was not voted out, it was removed by coup.

And lots of people want an incarnation of the previous government back as the new government.

 

I don't think I ever read that any politician promised fewer traffic death.

I remember Thaksin promised to solve the Bangkok traffic problem within a couple of months. One of his strategies was to extend the time for green light at intersections ... (no, I am not kidding)

1. Yes, voted out.............????

2. Traffic fatalities would have been on their agenda, we have read about their "tries" here.................????

3. Yes, many a daft idea who ever is at the helm............????

[KannikaP]

4 minutes ago, transam said:

One of his strategies was to extend the time for green light at intersections ... (no, I am not kidding)

Therefore extending the RED light for traffic going the other way. 555

[transam]

Just now, KannikaP said:

Therefore extending the RED light for traffic going the other way. 555

That wasn't my quote...............????

[KannikaP]

Just now, transam said:

That wasn't my quote...............????

Sorry, getting my replies mixed up. 

[Kwasaki]

18 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I wonder how many of them were riding motorcycles.

Can't be bothered to look and maybe not available but would be interested to see statistics of road accidents in categories like what vehicles, what age, cause of, so authorities can target vulnerable areas. 

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, Kwasaki said:

Can't be bothered to look and maybe not available but would be interested to see statistics of road accidents in categories like what vehicles, what age, cause of, so authorities can target vulnerable areas. 

It has been said several times that most of the Songkran deaths/accidents were men riding motorbikes aged 30-40, on straight roads, between 3 and 6 pm.

Make your own conclusions. 

[Kwasaki]

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

It has been said several times that most of the Songkran deaths/accidents were men riding motorbikes aged 30-40, on straight roads, between 3 and 6 pm.

Make your own conclusions. 

The general statistics of all the accidents that's just one. 

[Skallywag]

Polluting the air others breathe should not be allowed for personal reasons.  It is unhealthy for others and dangerous.  Delivery of foods and supplies to retail stores is necessary.  People whose job is to deliver food and supplies should be allowed only if someone cannot walk or bicycle to the nearest grocery store or restaurant.   

No more, "I want my "freedom" claims, or it is so "convenient" claims for burning fuel. 

Possibly allow people to rent an ICE car or motorcycle once a year to take a 2 week vacation if they cannot find a bus or van to take them where they need to go.  Same with air travel.   Change is good, laziness is bad 

How many likes will I get?   55555 

 

[ezzra]

Those are horrendous, unfathomable figures, an ongoing catastrophe on a mega proportion that no one seems to know what to do about it or stop it.

[Bangkok Barry]

52 minutes ago, transam said:

I blame the present gov for not getting the police in order to fix things...

 

I am not interested in the previous government, they were voted out for not fixing things...????

The last government was not voted out. It was removed by force. Part of the culture.

[Bangkok Barry]

5 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Those are horrendous, unfathomable figures, an ongoing catastrophe on a mega proportion that no one seems to know what to do about it or stop it.

As often as these threads come around I post this. The improvement that we wish for isn't going to happen, not in our lifetime or the next. See point 10 in particular. It's far, far too late to fix the problem.

 

There are many reasons Thais drive as they do.

1 - I have never detected any sign of common sense in a Thai, and I've been living here for over 25 years. I am not sure how you teach that, but anyway there is no movement to do so.

2 - The Thais have a Me First mentality that is deeply ingrained, and that is the last thing you want to see in a driver.

3 - The education system demands that you do not think for yourself but listen and obey, so Thais do not develop the necessary skills to actually think. That may result in my first point above.

4 - Learning to drive in a proper and responsible manner is quite difficult, and Thais do not do difficult. Thais do 'near enough', but on the roads that isn't 'good enough'. One mistake can cost lives, so being lucky enough to get it right most of the time isn't good enough either.

5 - They have absolutely no concept that the vehicle they are attempting to operate is a potential killer. No concept at all.

6 - Along with inadequate teaching of all things about how to drive properly and safely, there is no test to determine if you have reached a standard where you are not a danger to yourself and others before you take to the road.

7 - Thais do not seem able to join the dots, and realise that if, for example, they drive at 120 kms an hour five metres behind the vehicle in front, or drive at night with no rear light (or front light if they are driving on the wrong side of the road because they have no concept of the danger), then they would have no time to react if the vehicle in front brakes suddenly. Ask any Thai what their safe braking distance is and they would have no idea.

8 - There are zero police patrols to help prevent accidents by pulling aside selfish and stupid drivers. Their only presence is setting up road blocks which seems in my experience to have only one purpose - to check your tax disc is in the window and up to date.

9 - Police have absolutely no interest in enforcing the law even when they are static beside the road, watching kids three or four on a bike go by with no helmet, no license, no ability to properly control the bike they are on. And that goes also for the parents and schools who allow Thailand's future to play Russian Roulette every time they go out. The police know they get paid anyway, so why work?

10 - The government does nothing to resolve the road death/accident toll as nothing practically can be done. The problem began decades ago when Thais first began to drive in numbers. No meaningful test was introduced and enforced, and now it is far, far too late. It would mean retraining every driver (and who would do that - it would be similar to those who teach English not being able to speak the language themselves). And it would mean the drivers having to take a proper western-style test before gaining a license. And it would mean police patrols to catch those who drive as if they are playing a video game. Now, anyone can drive as they like and put themselves and others in danger as they know they have zero chance of being caught. They can drive that way with total impunity. And it would require said (non-existent) police to actually enforce the law. And not one of those things is possible in Thailand.

And that is why the government does absolutely nothing to address the problem, as it is out of control and without a fundamental change in the whole of Thai society and culture it cannot be remedied. The government knows that but can't say it.

To finish, nothing can or will change and survival on Thai roads will continue to be a lottery. All we can do is remember the words that were used in the 70s police drama Hill Street Blues as the force were sent out on patrol - 'Let's be careful out there'.

[dingdongrb]

1 hour ago, transam said:

I blame the present gov for not getting the police in order to fix things...

 

I am not interested in the previous government, they were voted out for not fixing things...????

Voted out? Since when did a coup contain a voting process?

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Why is this so high?

Thai people don't care about road safety.  No seatbelts, no helmets, kids riding loose in the back of a pick-up truck.  Many Thais even actively enjoy driving/riding dangerously.

 

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

What are the Thai government and police doing to bring this number down?

Nothing.  What could they do?

 

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Also note that 15 foreigners died in road accidents. I read yesterday that ten Russians died in Phuket this year so far. What can be done?

Nothing.

 

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Make it harder to rent motorcycles and cars?

How?

 

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Enforce road laws such as wearing helmets on motorcycles?

How?  The police can't be everywhere all at once.

 

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Making public transportation more affordable so people don’t have to rent vehicles?

Public transportation is already very affordable.  It's simply more convenient to have your own.

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, transam said:

Yes, the military gov did nothing to even make a dent in the figures, we can only hope that new gov blood can turn the tide and implement the rules that are not policed.

The previous governments didn't either.  Neither will the next one.

[BangkokReady]

1 hour ago, transam said:

I blame the present gov for not getting the police in order to fix things...

 

I am not interested in the previous government, they were voted out for not fixing things...????

You are obviously free to have that opinion, but everyone reading your comment will think that it is completely illogical and irrelevant.

 

If the previous governments did nothing about road safety, claiming the current government has done nothing to make the roads safer is meaningless as a criticism, unless anyone is claiming anything different.

 

Saying that the current government has done the same things as the previous governments is not the savage indictment you appear to think it is, even if you are "not interested in the previous government".  This stuff doesn't happen in a vacuum.

[stoner]

1 hour ago, Skallywag said:

Polluting the air others breathe should not be allowed for personal reasons.  It is unhealthy for others and dangerous.  Delivery of foods and supplies to retail stores is necessary.  People whose job is to deliver food and supplies should be allowed only if someone cannot walk or bicycle to the nearest grocery store or restaurant.   

No more, "I want my "freedom" claims, or it is so "convenient" claims for burning fuel. 

Possibly allow people to rent an ICE car or motorcycle once a year to take a 2 week vacation if they cannot find a bus or van to take them where they need to go.  Same with air travel.   Change is good, laziness is bad 

How many likes will I get?   55555 

 

it needs to go much much further than that :)