Thailand Faces High Road Fatalities as Songkran Safety Measures Launch

[10baht]

4 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

They could take the one positive action of going full DEVCOM 1 on enforcing and educating about motorcycle helmets over an extended period, and I don't mean the last week of the month when the BIB's rent money is due. 

It's DEFCON , BTW. But riding on the wrong side of the road against traffic, not looking past their front bumper and lack of ancticipation are huge problems.

[digger70]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai government has initiated a national road safety campaign coinciding with the Songkran festival period, from April 11 to 18. Led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, this initiative mobilises volunteers and sets up nationwide checkpoints to curb road fatalities during the high-travel holiday season.

All talk and no Action What about the rest of the year hey? Kill kill kill 

It's Time that  they  are getting their priorities straight . 

Enforce the Laws . Just start with Traffic laws and corruption.

That should keep them busy  24/7  for a Decade or more.

[keysersoze276]

4 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

It's not as if the government actually try to do anything about it.  They could take the one positive action of going full DEVCOM 1 on enforcing and educating about motorcycle helmets over an extended period, and I don't mean the last week of the month when the BIB's rent money is due. 

 

If they went full media promotion, schools enforcing it, parents pilloried, public shame, no fine - instead confiscation of smartphone, they could easily enforce a cultural change.  

 

Trouble is, it would require a functioning police force.  Oh well....

 

 

Full DEVCOM 1?  WTF is that?

Public shame?  Have you ever been in a major city in Thailand during Songkran?  There is no shame!  

 

[kevin612]

i currently live in thong lor, around 10pm-12pm every night , Thai boys between age 10-13 are driving motorbikes . Crazy as hell

[newbee2022]

27 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

This is a complete myth. It's been reported many times over the years that deaths, on the way to, or reported from hospitals are added later as the arise.

 

But newbees wouldn't be aware of that would they, so they just follow the herd.

Link please

[Dmaxdan]

28 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

This is a complete myth. It's been reported many times over the years that deaths, on the way to, or reported from hospitals are added later as the arise.

 

But newbees wouldn't be aware of that would they, so they just follow the herd.

 This very forum and numerous other media outlets have reported on many occasions that Thailand only includes those who die at the scene in their official figures. This has nothing to do with newbies. 

[black tabby12345]

5 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

but too many also drive without license.

 

Very  true.

I often see the kids well under the license age(seeming primary schoolers) riding motorcycles).

 

In 1970s, I have seen 12-13 YO drive 4t truck(carrying crops) in US Midwest.

But their region is very scarcely populated and very little traffic in rural roads, unlike urban Thailand.

[Captor]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Nowhere else in the world have I seen people consistency take the kinds of chances and risks in the road, that they take here, with their whole families in the car. Nowhere. When they could have waited three seconds to make the uturn or turn onto the highway, and have a completely clear path, they instead choose to take a tremendous risk by cutting right in front of me, while I am doing 120kph. It is beyond comprehension. I see it all the time. My eyes do not lie to me. This rarely ever happens to me in the US.

 

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 in New York City. And sometimes an error is invading Russia before the oncoming winter.

 

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.

Also the whole U-turn system is dangerous itself. Never seen that system before in other countries... It's a death trap!

[black tabby12345]

When expats are here long enough, we automatically come to know that defying laws(other than the case of serious crime) is part of Thais'  life.

 

I have heard that the health department banned the roadside sale of hand squeezed fruit juice more than 2 decades ago. But that sort of trade is still commonly seen even today.

 

And the enforcers of law themselves, are quite reluctant to implement the little details of their legislation, unless they are apparently benefited to do so.

 

[Gottfrid]

28 minutes ago, black tabby12345 said:

In 1970s, I have seen 12-13 YO drive 4t truck(carrying crops) in US Midwest.

But their region is very scarcely populated and very little traffic in rural roads, unlike urban Thailand.

Ok, but there are no excuses for that, as it´s very wrong and come with high risks.

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, ChrisKC said:

I think, irrespective of your comments re people taking risks, 120 KPH is speeding!

Regardless of what the posted speed limit is 120 on a four-lane divided highway, with good road conditions is perfectly safe. 

[Phuket Pete]

Unroadworthy vehicles, never passed a test, speeding, jumping red lights, drunk driving, no lights, no License, but no problem !

 

Concentrate on big issue, falang no helmet. 1000 baht fine. If you want receipt you have to come police station - maybe wait 3 hour !

[Aussie999]

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

That´s because over 80% of the population float the rules, drive drunk, wear no helmet and are speeding. Not that the Thai driver license and poor education does anything better, but too many also drive without license.

And let's no forget schools can ride motorcycles, with passengers, with no training, no licence.

[Aussie999]

5 hours ago, Snig27 said:

 

It’s an oft-repeated myth that Thailand only counts deaths at the scene of the accident. The stats are bad enough and shameful without that sort of fact-free exaggeration. 

You need to get your facts correct, it is true, only deaths, the scene, are counted.

[Aussie999]

2 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

Mind you, it's not only the locals.  Just followed a muppet Russian tourist (actually probably on a student visa, because it was his own personalised Vmax "wannabe" scooter) up Thappraya Road from Jomtien. I was behind him at the U-turn just past Rompho and he couldn't make the turn - he had to paddle it. Obviously zero riding skills - I undertook him.

 

He then fangs it past me and about ten other scooters as we depart the Thepprasit lights, makes multiple gap choice errors, brakes on and off a dozen times, counterbalances the wrong way as he attempts to weave at speed between the cars, probably should have died three times.

 

Then he stops at the U-turn at the top of the hill, and proceeds to paddle it around - again.  I undertook him - again. 

 

These are the ones that will get you. 

As it is Thai's that form the majority best to stick with that, as tourist numbers are insignificant compared with Thai's.

[Purdey]

Some Thais have told me the reason they will u-turn in front of oncoming cars is that (a) the onus is on the oncoming car to brake and (b) when someone drives into the back of your car it is their fault.

[kwilco]

5 minutes ago, Purdey said:

Some Thais have told me the reason they will u-turn in front of oncoming cars is that (a) the onus is on the oncoming car to brake and (b) when someone drives into the back of your car it is their fault.

so your theory is if they stop that the death rate per 100k awill drop to the same levels as in Europe?

 

[Don Giovanni]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A recent World Health Organisation (WHO) and Statista report has placed Thailand among the top countries for road accident fatalities, recording a staggering death rate of 25.4 per 100,000 people annually. This drastically surpasses the global average and places Thailand alongside nations like Guinea, Libya, and Kenya in terms of road traffic mortality.

Jesus wept.

 

Thais only have themselves to blame.

 

The Don.

[ChrisKC]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Regardless of what the posted speed limit is 120 on a four-lane divided highway, with good road conditions is perfectly safe. 

That is beside the point: Your original comments suggests there are risks involved.

 

Making up your own rules is no better than Thai drivers

 

Most drivers speeding hog the outside lane that makes risks of UTurns even more dangerous.

 

You might like to understand correctly, that you are the main condition on the road.

 

Not to mention a  small matter of breaking the law.

[Humpy]

We have police cash points, sorry, check points, in our area throughout the year. All the cones are placed on the road about 30 minutes after the school kids, 3 on a bike, no licence, no helmet, have parked their parent's motorbike outside the school gates.  The afternoon check points have the cones removed just before the school kids make their way home, each carrying a drink including the driver !!.   The roundabout traffic signs in our area are placed 1 meter from the roundabout. Are electric bike accidents/deaths included in the stats ? 

[markus]

Where is the exact source, i.e. the link ❓

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

This is a complete myth. It's been reported many times over the years that deaths, on the way to, or reported from hospitals are added later as the arise.

 

But newbees wouldn't be aware of that would they, so they just follow the herd.

 

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

Link please

 

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

 This very forum and numerous other media outlets have reported on many occasions that Thailand only includes those who die at the scene in their official figures. This has nothing to do with newbies. 

Until recently, maybe 4 years ago or so, a comprehensive road death tally. was reported on a daily basis on this forum during these holiday periods.

 

Those reports, in tabular form should the 'deaths on the day' as reported by the police and it also reported subsequent deaths as reported by hospitals. Those subsequent deaths were added to the totals as and when they were received by the compilers. So it was quite clear that they do not only report 'deaths at the scene'.

 

Finding a link to those reports would be a mammoth task now and I'm not even going to bother trying. I'll leave it to Googles AI to do the heavy work.

 

'Thailand's road death statistics are collected from various sources and compiled by the Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Public Health. Data is gathered from death certificates, Police Information Systems reporting traffic injuries, and central motor vehicle insurance registries. This integrated approach, supported by ThaiHealth and WHO in Thailand, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of road traffic deaths'. 

 

 

[Purdey]

1 hour ago, kwilco said:

so your theory is if they stop that the death rate per 100k awill drop to the same levels as in Europe?

 

There is no theory. Why would you think that?

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

 

 

Until recently, maybe 4 years ago or so, a comprehensive road death tally. was reported on a daily basis on this forum during these holiday periods.

 

Those reports, in tabular form should the 'deaths on the day' as reported by the police and it also reported subsequent deaths as reported by hospitals. Those subsequent deaths were added to the totals as and when they were received by the compilers. So it was quite clear that they do not only report 'deaths at the scene'.

 

Finding a link to those reports would be a mammoth task now and I'm not even going to bother trying. I'll leave it to Googles AI to do the heavy work.

 

'Thailand's road death statistics are collected from various sources and compiled by the Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Public Health. Data is gathered from death certificates, Police Information Systems reporting traffic injuries, and central motor vehicle insurance registries. This integrated approach, supported by ThaiHealth and WHO in Thailand, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of road traffic deaths'. 

 

 

These data differ. Depends where and when they are collected. So reported data give an approximate figure only.

But I agree it doesn't matter actually. Thailand is the most dangerous country in Asia when it comes to road fatalities.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, Purdey said:

There is no theory. Why would you think that?

I don't, I'm using "reduction ad absurdum" to show how pointless your response is - as you say you have “no theory” – it's just a pointless comment - That kind of anecdotal reasoning completely misses the point. Road safety in Thailand is a systemic issue — it’s about infrastructure, enforcement, education, and cultural attitudes on a national scale. Sharing hearsay about why some people might make dangerous driving decisions doesn't help move the conversation forward. If we want real change, we need to focus on the root causes and effective solutions, not justify reckless behaviour with unverified personal anecdotes.

[kwilco]

There’s a lot of “sealioning” going on – whilst this isn’t a form of argument, it is a form of passive aggression, maybe a bit of clarification on sources, statisitcs and references will help to keep them quiet.
There are so many cliches and common misconceptions expressed on this forum when it comes to road safety statistics in Thailand. 
A common myth floating around is that "deaths not at the scene are not counted." This simply isn’t true. While the Thai police release figures during holidays, these numbers are typically not presented as final statistics. The media often misrepresents or oversimplifies these figures, especially when comparing them to international standards. There is no limit on when you can be included!
As Mark Twain famously said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The key takeaway here is that statistics are tools to help us understand a situation; they are not indisputable facts. How they are interpreted and presented is crucial.
When discussing road safety in Thailand, it’s important to distinguish between the sources of data. The most commonly referenced statistics come from the Thai police and the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the media often misrepresents WHO data by only quoting one set of Statistics, that is DEATHS per 100,000 population, which can mislead the public. Collisions and injuries are largely ignored
To understand properly how poor Thai Stats are, we can compare Thai road safety data with more reliable systems, such as those from the UK government, which offers comprehensive and transparent traffic data (check out the UK Department for Transport website for a good reference).
Thailand’s road safety statistics are, unfortunately, incomplete, inconsistent, and sometimes inaccurate. This is partly due to poor data gathering and collation methods. While organizations like WHO do their best to make sense of the data, it’s often missing key details in some categories, and the methods used for data collection in Thailand can vary widely. The media are completely useless at interpreting these stats, preferring headlines to a good overview.
That said, it's still fair to conclude that, despite these limitations, the available statistics on road safety in Thailand are alarming and show a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
But there are more stats to consider than just deaths and deaths per 100k population
Key Stats to Consider:
•    Deaths per 1 million inhabitants
•    Serious injuries per 1 million inhabitants
•    Minor injuries per 1 million inhabitants
•    Deaths per 10 billion vehicle-KM
•    Deaths per 100,000 registered vehicles
•    Registered vehicles per 1000 inhabitants
Main Data Sources for Thai Road Safety:
1.    Royal Thai Police (POLIS)
2.    Department of Highways (DOH)
3.    Department of Land Transport (DLT)
4.    Thai Road Accident Data Center for Road Safety Culture (ThaiRSC)
5.    Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand (EMIT)
6.    National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM)
7.    Thailand Road Accident Management System (TRAMS)
8.    Injury Surveillance (IS) - Ministry of Public Health
9.    Trauma Registry - Ministry of Public Health
10.    WHO and Global Status Reports on Road Safety
While these sources collectively provide a more accurate picture, they are rarely used or even acknowledged by mainstream media outlets. It’s essential that we push for better data transparency and awareness to address Thailand’s ongoing road safety crisis.

 

PS - The Papers are releasing figures every day - these are mostly via the RTP - and have poor in depth quality.

PPS - By comparison the UK has 900 collisions per day - against over Songkhran in Thailand 260 per day - now that needs interpreting! The Death rater in UK is about one twelfth of that in Thailand....

[Alidiver]

Thai statistics on fatal accidents only count deaths on the road.
Subsequent fatalities in hospital are not included.
Drink driving, crash helmets, jumping red lights are not policed. Poilce only use check points which everyone avoids.