A typical week on Thailand's roads

[Surasak]

The majority of Thai's cannot think ahead in any given situation, but on the road is a different story. On the road, they can get ahead by taking risks no ordinary person would dare or even contemplate. On the road, Thai's have to be first at all costs, even death, but they didn't see that coming in their haste to be first.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Always looking for that short cut ……. sometimes it works……. sometimes not !!

[mdr224]

The road there is so scary that you can do everything the right way every day you live there and still be killed by some idiot

[alien365]

As most fatalities include bikes, I'd say no.  There seems to be a lot more speed cameras around now on the larger roads that I think are starting to make people in cars slow down a bit. The current speed limit of 80/90 on most sections of these roads is simply too low though. As people slow down for the cameras and speed back up again, all they do in my opinion is generate money and cause traffic jams. A steady 110/120 would work a lot better in my opinion.

[Gottfrid]

On 10/7/2024 at 8:15 AM, anchadian said:

Never changes and never will.  Shame on Thailand's road safety:

THAI NEWS REPORTS: #RoadSafety summary for 29 September - 5 October 2024:

 

306 killed (43/day) & 17,057 injured in road accidents

34 children and 11 foreigners killed

80% of fatalities were motorcyclists

10,543 people have been killed and 642,620 injured this year

 

https://x.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1843086727248007491

 

I would say that your statistic numbers that you seem to blindly believe are wrong and the deaths are misinterpreted. Regarding the 34 children, I think they have counted the victims in the bus fire. Something that would mean, that during the time mentioned 20 children and 2 adults were killed in that accident. Something that makes it impossible to reach 80% motorcyclists in the fatalities.

[GmailJen]

Insurance is the key !   Nothing will change whilst Insurance remains in Government hands and DLT hands out Insurance like Candy .

[RocketDog]

On 10/7/2024 at 8:15 AM, anchadian said:

Never changes and never will.  Shame on Thailand's road safety:

THAI NEWS REPORTS: #RoadSafety summary for 29 September - 5 October 2024:

 

306 killed (43/day) & 17,057 injured in road accidents

34 children and 11 foreigners killed

80% of fatalities were motorcyclists

10,543 people have been killed and 642,620 injured this year

 

https://x.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1843086727248007491

 

It will never change because the Thai people are satisfied with the situation as it is now and they accept the losses to their family and friends.

[Elkski]

20 hours ago, HuaHinNew said:

Interesting to learn about the stunt team and those engineered poles they did the stunts on. They trusted science the first go. 

[trainman34014]

8 hours ago, rramsey said:

Thailand has a demographic problem: not enough young people. Given this fact, you'd think the government might make it a priority to preserve the young people that are already here. Here in Chiang Mai I'd guess that helmet usage is at 50-60% . I often see mother, father, and a child (or two) riding together. No helmets. What could go wrong?

I've lived 15 Klicks South of Chiang Mai for 20 years and in Rural area's helmet wearing is more like 5-10%.  They only wear helmets when they are riding to work in or around the City as they know the Cops will be out collecting Tea Money almost every day; they are not wearing them for safety reasons, only financial reasons. Around the Villages it's a case of how many of the family you can pile on including the Dogs and Cats !

[thailand49]

As long as a Thai is calling the shots it never will.

W.H.O. need to cease providing wasted money in the Millions to this country!

[gomangosteen]

Ambulance and emergency responder motorcycle in front of me at traffic lights this afternoon.

 

A helmet might be a sensible idea for motorcycle medical staff. Just maybe.

 

[johng]

56 minutes ago, gomangosteen said:

A helmet might be a sensible idea for motorcycle medical staff. Just maybe

Maybe it would interfere with her pretty hair bow  thingy  and in any case she has a ambulance right there in front of her what could possibly go wrong 😋 <--- notice this is a tongue in cheek post.

[spidermike007]

15 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

I'm surprised the RTP get away with such poor performance. 

 

They are a bit more proactive in Chiang Mai but in hindsight it was probably more of a money making venture.  Lots of tourists on scooters so a lot more 'road blocks' to check licenses and helmet wearing. 

 

I don't think the RTP gave a damn about the road safety but we're more concerned in getting a days worth of baht as fast as possible. 

The roadblocks really don't amount to anything but an annoyance, they give an tickets for not wearing a helmet but it doesn't seem to serve as a deterrent for most people.

 

Actively patrolling the roads is the deterrent, if the police acted like they do in many other countries and pulled people over for reckless driving, pulled people over for cutting in front of the three lanes of traffic, and doing incredibly ridiculous and reckless things, people would start to realize that there's a price to be paid for behaving like a fool, and putting other people's lives in danger.

 

Until that happens all bets are off. 

[connda]

It's been this way since I got here 17 years ago.  The Thai government has absolutely no will or desire to change it.  It could be done but they just don't want to. 

[it is what it is]

32 minutes ago, connda said:

It's been this way since I got here 17 years ago.  The Thai government has absolutely no will or desire to change it.  It could be done but they just don't want to. 

 

too worried about popularity. a few years ago the govt, very sensibly, stopped the dangerous practice of carrying people in the back of pick ups, people complained and the govt u turned. pathetic.