Lax Law Enforcement Cited for Alarming Road Fatalities in Thailand

[digger70]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Advocates are raising concerns about insufficient enforcement of road safety laws, which they believe is significantly contributing to Thailand's staggering road fatality rate. On average, the country registers around 48 road deaths daily.

DUH,,,, We know that already for at least 50 + Years.

Time that the government does something about this maybe in the Next 50 Years

[spidermike007]

Absolutely correct. In all the years I have been here, I have never seen anyone pulled over for speeding or recklessness. Get the useless highway patrol to actually patrol the highway. 

 

How about 30 days in jail, for any highway patrolman found in an office, instead of out there on the highway? Roadblocks accomplish very little, except clog the highways. It is a lazy approach.

 

If I decide to cut you off on a highway, when you are going 120kph, and I am making a u-turn, and there was plenty of room behind you for me to make a safe turn, is that an error, if it results in a horrific, fatal accident, and I take the lives of you and your family? 

 

Sometimes an error is wearing white after Labor day at a formal event in New York City. And sometimes an error is invading Russia before the oncoming winter.

 

What if I waited four seconds for the highway lane to be completely clear, rather than just barge into it now, and risk everything? 

 

I don't make the kind of errors that result in bad accidents, much less fatalities. Why? Because I am very, very careful on the road, and very, very respectful of other drivers, their lives, and those of their families. That is a choice that results in NOT making very many terrible mistakes.

 

 It most certainly has something to do with the inability to visualize. Neither the future, nor the hypothetical. What will happen in this scenario? What about this? What about that? What are the inherent risks involved in piloting my bike, car or truck onto the safety lane of a major highway, in the wrong direction, with big trucks coming at me at 100kph? Or onto a lane of a major highway, with oncoming traffic going 120kph? Is it worth sacrificing my life, or my ability to walk for the rest of my life? How will my death affect my kids? Hold on, what about the lives of my wife, kids and sister who are in the vehicle with me, and I am responsible for their safety. Wow. That would be a big loss. An entire family. Maybe I should act like an adult, and be prudent and careful.

 

I don't think many Thais ever ponder thoughts like this. Why, I can't imagine. It is likely something we will never understand about their nature. I often like to say the best way to understand these differences in attitude and intellect, is to realize Thailand is NOT a foreign country. It is a distant planet.

 

[Nickcage49]

The police are largely absent here. I see crimes committed in plain sight and they do nothing.

[herfiehandbag]

I noticed yesterday a new (to me at least) police outfit/livery escorting the obligatory VIP van towards Chiang Rai Airport, en route no doubt for the midday flight to Bangkok, after a weekend in the Casinos of the Golden Triangle.

 

Previously it was "Highway Patrol" cars in maroon and beige.

 

Now it is silver cars, marked as "Police Commandos"!

[kimothai]

I've read so many articles about the dangerous roads in Thailand and that they need to do this and that.  Nothing ever happens.  I quit reading these articles about roads.  It was like that before I got here and will like that long after I'm gone.......sadly!

[bigt3116]

6 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

On reality the death rate is much higher than the daily 48. That is because Thailand counts only the deaths at the scene, not those who died on the way or later in hospitals.

 

Bar stool myth

 

In Thailand, a road death is classified according to internationally accepted definitions, which generally refer to any death resulting from injuries sustained in a road traffic crash. Specifically:

Official Classification: A road death includes any person who dies either immediately or within 30 days of a road traffic crash as a result of injuries sustained in that crash.

Practical Challenges in Reporting:

Underreporting: In practice, there may be discrepancies in recording road deaths due to delays in medical care, incomplete data collection, or misclassification of causes of death.
Some deaths that occur outside the initial crash scene, such as at a hospital or later at home, might not always be attributed to the original crash in some records.
 

[Rampant Rabbit]

6 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

Just maybe, those speed limits aren't to annoy you, but to protect the public from you... I'm sure you like thailand, because of the almost no limitations... but hey, they do account for over 25,000 deaths, every year, and that's only those who die, on the road, not once put into an ambulance, or from injuries once in hospital.... but hey, I'm glad you are happy.

• Insufficient evidence

  A 2018 report found that while accident rates tended to fall in 20mph zones, the same was true of comparator zones that remained at 30mph. The report also concluded that there was insufficient evidence to judge whether the 20mph limit reduced casualties. 

   

   
• Police say they don't have evidence

  In September 2023, North Wales Police said they didn't have evidence that the 20mph speed limit had reduced casualties. 

   

   
•  

[NoDisplayName]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

On average, the country registers around 48 road deaths daily.

 

But those are only the victims that expire at the scene of the accident.

 

Anyone so much as loaded into an ambulance retaining a faint pulse, and then passing, is not counted in the road death sadistics.

[quake]

53 minutes ago, Nickcage49 said:

The police are largely absent here. I see crimes committed in plain sight and they do nothing.

 

Well,  they are hardly going to arrest themselves,  are they. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

6 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Maybe you can tell my Thai wife why you're in favour of lax law enforcement on Thai roads. Her brother was helping at the scene of an accident when he was killed by a speeding drunk driver. Clung on to life for a week in ICU before succumbing to horrific injuries. His mother attempted suicide whilst grieving for her dead son.

sure, it  will end up in a  wholly nanny state where ridiculous over the top measures are introduced on  society often only with the sole result of increasing income for the state.......amongst other things. Ask the Welsh how they enjoy theuir 20mph speed limit...............which theyre now slowly  starting to remove and the cost of millions to change all the road signs, money that couldve been better spent. If you want that in Thailand  good for you. I dont.

What youll get down the line is stuff like the ridiculous Welsh speed  limit, half a million people signed a  petition against it...........ignored, Wales has a population of just 3million

Edited 5 hours ago by Rampant Rabbit

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, bigt3116 said:

 

Bar stool myth

 

In Thailand, a road death is classified according to internationally accepted definitions, which generally refer to any death resulting from injuries sustained in a road traffic crash. Specifically:

Official Classification: A road death includes any person who dies either immediately or within 30 days of a road traffic crash as a result of injuries sustained in that crash.

Practical Challenges in Reporting:

Underreporting: In practice, there may be discrepancies in recording road deaths due to delays in medical care, incomplete data collection, or misclassification of causes of death.
Some deaths that occur outside the initial crash scene, such as at a hospital or later at home, might not always be attributed to the original crash in some records.
 

🥱🥱🥱Thai reality is different🥳

[cardinalblue]

8 hours ago, kwilco said:

so that's you cure for Thailand's road safety problems - a sweeping racist generalisation?

I try to stay away from saying Thai drivers this or that but I have been driving in Thailand over 20 years. I can say that I put poor drivers in the 20-25% of all drivers on the roads. Don't know if Thai or foreigner but I observe daily road violations from minor to major to poor judgement errors...Never have seen enforcement proactively to concurrently happening...So the drivers go unpunished thus will continue these illegal/poor decisions in their future behaviours..

 

What Thai police need to do is make a list of top ten most dangerous driving behaviours and enforce..Can be done but the lack of will, lack of police training and providing the necessary resources to accomplish the mission. 

 

The culture refuses to accept how bad driving behaviours are in this country....That is the first step 

[jcmj]

While I agree with the other comments I also know that there are many foreign idiots driving around with no clue about the laws. And like some Thais they don’t care and know that the police are not out patrolling. 

[chilli42]

There is no enforcement of the road safety laws at all as far as I can see. Many think it’s about driver education. Sure that will help a bit but it’s not a solution. People respect what you inspect. A diligent focus on enforcement of the existing laws will get driver attention and compliance.  I have no clue what the the police here do (beyond directing traffic)  if it’s not about enforcing the law.

[cardinalblue]

39 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

sure, it  will end up in a  wholly nanny state where ridiculous over the top measures are introduced on  society often only with the sole result of increasing income for the state.......amongst other things. Ask the Welsh how they enjoy theuir 20mph speed limit...............which theyre now slowly  starting to remove and the cost of millions to change all the road signs, money that couldve been better spent. If you want that in Thailand  good for you. I dont.

What youll get down the line is stuff like the ridiculous Welsh speed  limit, half a million people signed a  petition against it...........ignored, Wales has a population of just 3million

You are comparing apples and oranges and cherry picking one particular bad example to a culture that goes completely unregulated and unenforced on their roads..Targeted and practical enforcement needs to start. You can also throw in an improved road infrastructure like eliminating face to face u-turns and putting smart signals instead of u turns on heavy volume road with speed limits of 90 Km...craziness.....Thai road infrastructure today mirrors the 1950's...It has nothing to do with being a nanny state but rather Thai authorities don't want to spend/invest the money necessary to reduce accidents/near accidents. 

[kwilco]

8 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

On reality the death rate is much higher than the daily 48. That is because Thailand counts only the deaths at the scene, not those who died on the way or later in hospitals.

Every time someone tries to say this - they are WRONG! - there is no time limit set for accounting for road deaths - where do you think they got the statistics from???

Edited 3 hours ago by kwilco

[kwilco]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I have never seen anyone pulled over for speeding or recklessness

Why would you? Would you stop and ask?

I understand you are such a perfect driver and would never have been stopped, not even s speeding ticket - but that doesn't make you a good judge of the 40 million or so road users in Thailand.

[Andycoops]

Law enforcement is a joke here full stop.

My Thai uncle had to pay 20,000 baht for the police to arrest a man in our village who had committed several burglaries.

Despite several villagers also joining the case.

He spent 2 days in the local cells and was released.

A truely corrupt and pathetic police force.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, cardinalblue said:

I try to stay away from saying Thai drivers this or that but I have been driving in Thailand over 20 years. I can say that I put poor drivers in the 20-25% of all drivers on the roads. Don't know if Thai or foreigner but I observe daily road violations from minor to major to poor judgement errors...Never have seen enforcement proactively to concurrently happening...So the drivers go unpunished thus will continue these illegal/poor decisions in their future behaviours..

 

What Thai police need to do is make a list of top ten most dangerous driving behaviours and enforce..Can be done but the lack of will, lack of police training and providing the necessary resources to accomplish the mission. 

 

The culture refuses to accept how bad driving behaviours are in this country....That is the first step

 

Like most people, you are looking at it from the wrong angle
Worldwide, most accidents are caused as a result of "human error" - but you need to understand what that actually is.
Human error is for all practical purposes a constant - the same in any country.
Road Safety is a public health issue and has to be dealt with by the authorities.

 

To get a realistic viewpoint of road safety in Thailand you can't just rely on personal, anecdotal evidence as it is too full on cognitive errors.
This is the problem with most opinions expressed on Thai rod safety - they are based on the premise "I drive so I must be an "expert"".

then they decide they have a single solution - they pick out some issue they see as "wrong" and try to imply that is "they" did something about it everthing would be OK or improve - they are fai;ing to understand the full picture - as are the media and local authorities.

I too have been driving for over 20 years in Thailand and have driven extensively in Europe Australia as well as America and even Morocco. The length of time I've been driving and the mileage covered would put be above the average Thai driver.
This is only important if it is accompanied with a good knowledge of road safety and how it works. This is not guaranteed by just "driving" - you need to understand the statistics and the theory behind road safety and it is NOT just about driving - that is the first mistake commentators make.
Also people talk about Thai driving in some kind of universal sweeping tones - this is of course racist but wildly inaccurate. Half the vehicles on Thai roads are 2-wheelers - if you are in a 4-wheeled vehicle you re statistically LESS likely to die than in a 4-wheeled vehicle in the States - yet so many people accuse Thai drivers of being "the worst". They are of course just making assumptions based on their own cognitive biases.
Most Thai drivers are experienced at driving in  Thailand, most foreigners aren’t and they are culturally unaware and inept as well.

  

 

Edited 3 hours ago by kwilco

[kwilco]

Many people either don't understand why or try to deny that their comments on road safety in Thailand are basically racist. All you need to do is review the use of the third person plural - a typical racist trope. ..with the overuse of the third person plural ("they," "them," "their") in racist discourse they attempt to generalize and dehumanize groups of people. This rhetorical strategy can create a sense of "othering," portraying the targeted group as monolithic and distinct from the speaker or their intended audience.

Edited 2 hours ago by kwilco

[geisha]

12 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Having spent 4  months in the UK and seeing the ridiculous speed limits especially in Wales where you can go from 60mph (100kmh) to 20mph (32kmh)  then to 40mph to 60mph in the space of a few hundred yards and  for going over that by 4mph = ticket and 4500 baht fine + 3  points on licence Im ALL for a  lax  approach and long.........long may it continue.

Many of the speeding laws are there to catch the total moron driver who goes fast past a  school at 4pm and ends up catching the guy doing 10-20mph  over at 3am in the morning.

The real problem is not the speed its the total an utter lack of concentration.

Anyway I for one  hope it doesnt become like Europe..............just re taxed the car yet again with unpaid speeding tickets.

What a ridiculous post. Why don’t you compare the 1700 deaths a year on UK roads to the 18 000 in Thailand ? The rules are there to save lives. 
thailand must start from the beginning with obligatory driving lessons, real driving tests, big fines and confiscation of cars/ bikes/ taxis and tucs and especially lorries and buses . Regular safety checks , speed limits, cameras that work on every crossing, manned pedestrian crossings , the list is long. 
It’s not only the 18000 lives that are taken, but the ones who do not die at the scene ! This is not reported in Thailand , devastating life long disability, families ruined and their rice and soup taken away. Poverty. Thailand is still living in the dark ages where driving is concerned.

Shame on all the countries leaders , politicians, authorities, who have NEVER lifted a little finger to stop this. 

[giog]

I see a lot of indifference on Thai roads: you should drive in the left lane but a very high percentage of vehicles with four or more wheels, including the police, travel in the overtaking lane. You honk and flash them and they put on their right indicator to let you know that they are staying there, forcing you to overtake them incorrectly and risk finding a car that is driving regularly. They fine those who do not wear a helmet but I have never seen cars stopped and fined for driving in the overtaking lane...!