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130
UK Migrants in taxpayer-funded UK hotels accused of rape, assault, theft, and other crimes
That'll be a yes 😄 These people - not all but many - are living in hotels with everything laid on. A great way to make money I'm sure. -
123
The Expat Paradox: An Appraisal of Westerners in Thailand
@kwilco Let’s to though some of your links. Here is the first one I clicked on https://tdri.or.th/en/2020/11/road-accidents-biggest-health-crisis/ Thailand’s roads are the deadliest in Southeast Asia and among the worst in the world, according to the World Health Organisation. About 20,000 people die in road accidents each year, or about 56 deaths a day -
123
The Expat Paradox: An Appraisal of Westerners in Thailand
here's a summary of perceptions of road safety in Thailand Road safety in Thailand, 25,000 deaths and counting; an overview of perceptions and reality. "Carriages without horses shall go, and accidents fill the world with woe." -Mother Shipton (circa. 1530) 1 - An overview of the state of Road Safety in Thailand Hello? Is anybody actually working towards improving road safety in Thailand? Most of what is published in the media about road safety in Thailand is just stuff and nonsense. Successive governments’ approaches are fundamentally flawed as is the public’s perception. A few myths need exploding. This is not about blaming “bad drivers” it’s about Road Safety… a public health problem. Thailand needs to understand modern thinking on road safety. The traditional approach laid responsibility with individual road users, but now it is realised that responsibility is with traffic system devisers.[1] Most foreigners who comment of road safety just use it as an excuse to criticise Thai people in general. Nothing to do with road safety. It’s time to end the blame game and start really reducing casualties. We need to recognise that “bad driving” is not necessarily the primary cause of accidents it is rather, a failure of the road system that results in death or serious injury, “Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-road public transport” – wiki [2] One thing everyone can agree on is that the death rate on Thai roads is too high. But the general perception of why this might be and what is really happening is usually way off the mark. ROAD SAFETY AND MEDIA REPORTING “Road traffic crashes are often covered in the media simply as events—not as a leading killer of people and an enormous drain on a country’s human, health and financial resources. By framing road safety as a health and development story, with data and in-depth information, journalists have the opportunity to affect the way these stories are told and potentially to help shift public behaviour and attitudes, influence policy and therefore contribute towards saving lives.”[3] Road safety has been studied as a science for more than 75 years. It’s not just about “driving” – it is about “road safety” and in Thailand a change is needed. People, including the authorities, foreigners, and locals must revolutionise how they perceive the roads in the Kingdom. Before things can improve, Thailand needs to adopt a program that uses an evidence-based road safety strategy that includes all components needed for road safety operations – from “infrastructure improvement, communication and advocacy to enforcement”[4]. As yet, this has not been successfully established. It also isn’t just a matter of looking at “deaths”, the one statistic that is continually pumped out by the media, it isn’t the whole picture and just serves to perpetuate myths. Countries which have improved their road safety performance don’t just rely on single statistics, they use a wide range of criteria to help their programs. They don’t just use crash data collected by the police either, they have a wide range of sources such as the health sector data and insurance companies .[5] The categories of statistics usually include serious injuries, minor injuries, per 10 billion vehicle kilometres, per 100.000 registered vehicles and vehicles per 1000 inhabitants. In Thailand this is largely ignored by the authorities and the police. In Thailand, even basic analyses don’t take place. Crash report forms in Thailand are a rarity. These are typically completed for collection of quite detailed information on a crash. Without this information, one can’t even start to tackle Thailand’s road safety problems. (traditionally they were a paper-based form, but now computer-based systems are used), Key information includes: location, time and date; those involved (road user type, age, gender, injury sustained); details of the road (e.g. intersection, speed limit, curvature, traffic control, markings); details of the environment (light conditions, weather, road surface wet or dry etc.). Account of the crash (vehicle movement, objects struck (including off-road), and contributory factors such as speed, alcohol use or driver distraction);vehicle factors (type of vehicles involved).[6] “Road traffic injuries are a major public health problem in Thailand. The number of mortalities, morbidities and disabilities are huge, greatly affecting the individual victims, the families, society and the nation as a whole.” - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23130465/ It costs the Thai economy trillions of baht every year. …and it isn’t that the advice and a solution isn’t available. There are many organisations – national and international that have offered successive governments advice on road safety; the advice is usually the same but still they are largely ignored…. These are just some of the many organisations and sources that successive Thai governments and the general public have ignored…. Some of the organizations include… · The World Health Organization (WHO) - https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/thailand/roadsafety/overview-en-final-25-7-19.pdf?sfvrsn=f9d7a862_2 · Save the children Thailand - https://thailand.savethechildren.net/sites/thailand.savethechildren.net/files/library/Save the Children’s Work in Road Safety - The 7% Project_1.pdf · ThaiRoads Foundation - http://www.thairoads.org/en/ · International Road Assessment Program (iRAP) and Chulalongkorn University - https://irap.org/2018/11/new-thai-centre-of-excellence-chulalongkorn-university/ · The Embassy of Sweden is coordinating a group called “the Embassy Friends of Road Safety (EFRS) - https://scandasia.com/tag/the-embassy-friends-of-road-safety-efrs/ · Thailand Road Safety Observatory, TRSO -=http://www.atransociety.com/resources/pdf/pdfResearch2013-2018/2014/Project2014-006(Dr.Paramet).pdf · Arrive Alive - Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan (2005–2010) - https://www.adb.org/publications/arrive-alive-asean-regional-road-safety-and-action-plan-2005-2010 · ASEAN TRANSPORT STRATEGIC PLAN 2016-2025 - https://www.itf-oecd.org/asean-transport-strategic-plan-2016-2025-and-progress-road-safety-initiatives · EU/ASEAN - https://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/eu-and-asean-exchange-knowledge-and-best-practices-road-safety_en · Australia, Safe System Solutions - https://www.austrade.gov.au/news/success-stories/australian-consultancy-helps-improve-road-safety-in-thailand · Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety - https://www.bloomberg.org/public-health/improving-road-safety/ · Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning(OTP), Ministry of Transport - https://www.mot.go.th/about.html?dsfm_lang=EN&id=12 · Thai RSC. - Accident road safety Data for Thailand - http://www.thairsc.com/eng/ · World Bank - https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/03/26/working-towards-improving-road-safety-and-saving-lives-in-thailand Key Thai Govt Departments · the Royal Thai Police, · Ministry of Education, · the Departments of Highways, · Rural Roads and Land Transport under the Ministry of Transport, · the Department of Disease Control under the Ministry of Public Health, · the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, and · the Road Accident Victims Protection Company. There are solutions – both personal and national. Personal ones are not that hard; just think about how we REALLY drive in relation to others and what we REALLY see. The national solution is a different matter. It involves wholeheartedly embracing the “Safe System”[7] – until this happens there will be no significant improvement in road safety in Thailand. When we realise that countries like Sweden, New Zealand and other EU countries are now aiming for a ZERO road death tally, we can appreciate how far behind Thailand is. What is road safety in Thailand? Before road safety can be effectively addressed one needs to understand what road safety is about and what the problems in Thailand really are. Only then can we do anything about it. Nobody is suggesting that the roads of Thailand are as safe as Europe’s, for example, which are among the safest in the world . However, what those dangers really are is largely a subjective view clouded by personal perception, anecdotal evidence and a misunderstanding of the statistics available. What people “see” is not actually hard evidence, it is subjective and usually misleading and they may not be quite as good a driver or witness as they think they are. So, who cares? Just blame everyone else. The “road environment”[8] in Thailand is different from most people’s home countries; but despite what seems to be the opinion of many foreigners, the situation in Thailand cannot simply be put down to a superabundance of “stupid” drivers. There is no such thing as a racially based tendency for any people or nationality to drive any worse or less skilfully than any others – and that includes Western expats. Idiot drivers form the same proportion of almost all societies regardless of race creed or colour. – it’s human nature that dictates this and it is what a society does do to contain those “idiots” that differs from country to country. It helps to begin by acknowledging that road safety as put forward by WHO and others is not about “bad drivers”, it’s a health and safety matter. As road users, we are all part of, but not the sum total of problem – this is where successful road safety campaigns have started from. It needs to be understood that there is a matrix of ROAD SAFETY related issues that need to be addressed holistically. Also, a major constituent of road safety, not all of it, in any country comes from YOU the driver not just “other drivers” - can you adapt YOUR driving to ensure a reasonable level of safety for you and your passengers? It’s not a matter of blaming others - ask yourself how shouting at other motorists from the “safety” of your car will change anything. In the end, there is a whole raft of improvements that need to be put in place. Over 90% of crashes involve “human error” – this is not simply reckless driving or stupidity by minority of drivers, it is common to all of us and inevitable. It’s usually very small occurrences that any driver can make. It’s inevitable human nature and can’t be stopped. The principal behind road safety science is to mitigate the results of this as near as possible to ZERO. What is “human error”? Human error is not “bad driving”, it is a normal occurrence. It has been shown that human error falls largely into one of three principle categories[9]. First is a perceptual error. Critical information that is below the threshold for seeing - the light was too dim, the driver was blinded by the glare, or the pedestrian's clothes had low contrast. In other cases, the driver made a perceptual misjudgement (a curve's radius or another car's speed or distance). Or in Thailand, just tinted windows! Second and far more common cause is that the critical information was detectable but that the driver failed to attend/notice because his mental resources were focussed elsewhere. Often times, a driver will claim that s/he did not "see" a plainly visible pedestrian or car. This is entirely possible because much of our information processing occurs outside of awareness. - (Mack and Rock, 1998)[10] Third, the driver may correctly process the information but fail to choose the correct response ("I'm skidding, so I'll turn away from the skid") or make the correct decision yet fail to carry it out ("I meant to hit the brake, but I hit the gas"). Thailand has had a lot of advice from road safety organisations both home and abroad, but somehow this advice does not get taken and is overruled by the archaic “we know best” prejudices of successive ill-informed governments who fail to understand the basic concept of “human error” as opposed to “blame”. 2 - Perceptions “The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.” – Dave Barry When it comes to road safety – “seeing is believing” is most definitely NOT the case…. The 2 main enemies of clear thinking on road safety are confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance…… It is important to overcome them…. confirmation bias (“confirmation bias,” the tendency people have to embrace information that supports their beliefs and reject information that contradicts them). E.G. – if you decide that drivers of pickup trucks are very rude, very time you see one doing a manoeuvre you don’t approve of you say “look, see what I mean” – but subconsciously you ignore the other vehicles and drivers doing the same. cognitive dissonance (Sometimes learning new information can lead to feelings of cognitive dissonance. For example, if you engage in a behaviour that you later learn is harmful, it can lead to feelings of discomfort. People sometimes deal with this either by finding ways to justify their behaviours or findings ways to discredit or ignore new information.) E.G. – when you find out that statistically your belief about Fortuner drivers isn’t true – you ignore the evidence because it conflicts with your long-held belief and continue to pick out Fortuners as culprits. A common sign of cognitive dissonance is asking for citations (sealioning) rather than accepting the point or finding a proper reasoned argument against it. Overcoming these prejudices helps to get a realistic appreciation of the reality of the situation in Thailand and then to assess one’s personal driving skills. To understand road safety, it is advisable to drop the concept of “bad drivers” altogether and consider it in terms of human error within a Road Safety environment; a holistic approach to Thailand’s road environment” … and then consider how YOU fit into this either as a road user or even just a bystander. It can require a bit of soul-searching but in the end might make Thai roads safer for yourself and others. Perceptions in Thailand seem very skewed as is reflected in government policies and most comments you see in the media – whether the main news or social media. Most of the advice you see on driving in Thailand seems to be based purely on the “blame game” aimed at “other” (Thai) drivers and nape of the neck dictums from politicians trying to look as if they are doing something. - This has long been a discredited view in road safety science. Preconceptions and prejudices: - Foreign drivers in particular in Thailand often get overwhelmed by the unfamiliar traffic environment. This transmutes itself into criticism of other (native) drivers who seem far more comfortable on the roads. This quite often takes on a very aggressive and condescending nature. Comments by foreigners on road safety in Thailand are mostly just derogatory. Rather than any critical thinking or research, people simply use either anecdotal evidence or personal observation e.g. false (or politician’s) syllogisms[11] that don’t make for a well thought out, sound argument. Most of this advice I’d suggest is ill considered and at times downright wrong. Add to this a lack of experience by those handing out advice or any real knowledge of the factors contributing to road safety in Thailand (or anywhere else in the world for that matter) and the result is not so much opinions as assumptions and wildly inaccurate assertions. Just because someone can operate a car, doesn’t make them an “expert” on road safety. Many ignore the issues of road safety and focus on what they see as “bad driving”, and then conclude that driving in Thailand is that it is a prohibitively perilous thing to do and that this is largely down to Thai people being useless drivers. In fact, Thais have grown up in the Thai driving environment and are much more accustomed to it than most foreigners. They have the skills for survival. It is often foreigners who fail to understand and adapt to a new driving environment and try to stick to the old rules and conventions that dominated in their old home country…. they do so at their peril. Driving by the rules – your rules – is just not the right way to drive in Thailand. It is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. What they consider to be experience is in reality brainwashing or conditioning. Statistically, driving in a 4-wheeled private vehicle is a lot safer than people would have you believe. The road death rate for these in Thailand is just about the same as it is in the USA. Most of the opinions that appear on chat web sites etc., are by people who issue a series of tirades and vitriol against Thai drivers. Virtually every opinion is thoroughly negative. Many posters also suggest that because the roads are too dangerous to consider driving oneself, a driver or public transport was preferable. This is of course highly illogical as they have already accused Thai drivers of being the “worst in the world” so why would they let one drive them? On one hand they admit they aren’t competent enough to drive on Thai roads and then say all Thai drivers are dangerous and no good at driving??? What is more important is how competent a driver YOU are and how good is your ability to understand, acclimatise and adapt to the driving environment in Thailand. My experience is that many foreigners, even those who have lived in the country for a long time fail to grasp these concepts. “Thai roads are dangerous and all Thai drivers are reckless morons”. – so are you! Just take a moment to consider how people who say things like this see themselves and other road users. They have pre-set ideas about how others should or do drive and when they see a mistake of any kind it just serves to confirm this, but they are oblivious to any evidence to the contrary – this is a combination of confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance combined with a Dunning Kruger[12] effect appreciation of their own driving skills. How people form their opinions on driving can be quite tenuous. Yet they then talk as self-appointed authorities on the subject without any logic, reason or evidence. When it comes to some subjects, people quite unreasonably consider themselves to be “experts” – Healthcare, Teaching and education and Road safety seem to be prime examples of this – · Because they went to hospital, they are be “experts” on healthcare · because they went to school, they are “experts” on education · because they can drive a car, they are “experts” on road safety Everyone seems to think they are superb drivers and better than all those other road users. Expert - a reverse fallacious appeal to authority, often used by people to attack the messenger rather than the message. People without any argument seem to believe that they can discredit anyone who says something they don’t agree with or didn’t know, by suggesting they aren’t an “expert” or asking them why they think they are an “expert”. As if any opinion other than an “experts” must automatically be invalid.[13] People accept archaic ideas on road safety without question but things have moved on and this is reflected in the dramatic drop in traffic injury figures of countries that have adopted the “new” thinking. E.g. the “Safe System”. The problem is that if someone is told something they haven’t thought about before and even if it is backed it up with logic and reason, cognitive dissonance kicks in and they ignore even the most powerful evidence. In Thailand, the default position for foreigners is to turn on the vitriol when talking about their fellow road users... they automatically exclude themselves from the equation and whilst implying that their driving skills are far superior to those of any Thai people. It also seems that many foreigners who don’t even drive themselves like to get in on the act and get just as vociferous. However, it does underline that road safety isn’t just about driving, it’s about ROAD USERS - and that includes everyone on or near the road, pedestrians, stall holders, elephants, gammons etc etc……. On the whole though, if we were to believe everything the non-Thais posting on chat forums said, we wold have to conclude that almost everyone is better than the average driver! Which is mathematically impossible... Detailed anecdotal descriptions of how “bad” other motorists driving achieve nothing. Without analysis, all they do is reinforce those people’s prejudices about driving in Thailand - i.e. blaming people or even the entire nation, rather than considering the underlying causes. There is also the temptation to attempt simplifying matters by looking for one single solution for the whole problem; a sort of road safety panacea. A few common truths about how motorists see themselves versus other road users “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” - George Carlin “ ….. there are only three types of drivers; the too fast, the timid and oneself.” ― Virginia Graham, Say Please “There are two things no man will admit he cannot do well, drive and make love.” – Stirling Moss “The survey by Michelin North America found that the majority of Americans don’t trust other drivers and say they witness unsafe driving behaviour regularly. At the same time, an overwhelming majority - 81 percent - remain supremely confident in their own abilities behind the wheel.” [14] These were some observations resulting from research done by the Centre for Transport and Society - UK.... The public know that driver behaviour is a major contributory factor in the vast majority of road accidents... (Cauzard, 2003) - But there is a consistent view that OTHERS drive in a riskier manner than individuals themselves do - (King and Parker, 2008) It’s not just driving, older children and adolescents think they have good attitude and skills towards road safety but believe that others especially those in their peer group do not - (Tolmie. 2006). Individuals do not believe they are dangerous on the roads but at the same time fervently believe others are. • I am not likely to be responsible for an accident; others are likely to be responsible. Therefore, little I can do. • Hence, less likely to need to “plan to avoid them” • Campaigns aimed at dangerous driving are for “other” drivers not themselves. • Such campaigns re-emphasise this difference (2CV, 2008 and Flaming Research, 2008) • The third-person effect (Davison, 1983). • High support for enforcement, engineering solutions and education • But not for themselves - for other people. However, the reality can be a long way from these benighted perspectives. 3 - Statistics Mark Twain said (along with a few others), “There are lies, damned lies and statistics” The way statistics are usually gathered is by internationally recognised methods[15], but Thailand has had dreadful statistics gathering and collation. Their statistics are incomplete inconsistent and inaccurate – Organisations like the WHO have to try and make sense of them, but in some categories, the statistics simply aren’t available. How they are gathered and applied in Thailand can be very haphazard. Having said that, it is fair to conclude that the stats for Thailand however vague, are genuinely frightening and there is a serious road safety problem in the kingdom. Other Statistics may include · Deaths per 1 million inhabitants o Serious Injuries per 1 million inhabitants o Minor injuries per 1 million inhabitants · Deaths per 10 billion vehicle-KM · Deaths per 100,000 registered vehicles · Registered vehicles per 1000 inhabitants [WHO] A crash report form is typically completed (traditionally a paper-based form, although recently computer-based systems have been used), allowing collection of quite detailed information on the crash. Key variables typically collected include: · crash location (including geographic coordinates); · time of day, day of week, month of year, year; · information on those who were involved (including road user type, age, gender, injury sustained); · details regarding the road (whether at an intersection, speed limit, curvature, traffic control, markings); · details on the environment (light conditions, weather, road surface wet or dry); · information regarding what happened in the crash (vehicle movement types, objects struck (including off-road), and contributory factors such as speed, alcohol use or driver distraction); · vehicle factors (type of vehicles involved).[16] Efforts to systematically reduce crashes in Thailand have been stymied by lack of accurate, data, including geo-referenced crash and health outcome data to support targeted interventions. Michael Bloomberg said, “If you can’t measure it, then you can’t manage it”. “In a nutshell, we need an integrated and standardised database system on road accidents that can be used across all agencies involved. This database system is necessary for the National Road Accident Prevention and Reduction Policy Commission to meet its goals more effectively.” – TDRI[17] There are quite a mix of stats available about road safety in Thailand but the ones you usually see in the media are firstly from the Thai police and later from the WHO. The Thai police could almost be dismissed out of hand and the WHO is usually misrepresented as they only quote only the set of stats relating to DEATHS out of 100,000 population. If you want to get an idea of how pathetically incomplete Thai road safety stats are just compare them with a brief look around the UK government web sites – for example - https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/downloads The Thai police give out statistics too soon to be accurate and they fail to follow up or record minor or serious injury categories. Their analysis for RTIs is just not in any way comprehensive or scientific enough to draw any reliable information from. All they do is take a few details, make a pronouncement and declare the case closed. Nothing is useful for future analysis. WHO – gather stats pertaining to deaths per 100k, serious injuries, and minor injuries. They also gather statistics relating to the number of vehicles owned the mileage they cover. These are vital to get a good picture but totally ignored by the media. When it comes to the WHO categories, there have been no figures for Thai injuries that comply with international norms/standards i.e. - they should be in 3 grades - fatalities, serious injuries and minor injuries - this was not done until the last 2 or 3 years when some statistic gatherers appear to have been trying to correct this situation. Collecting Data A crash report form is an essential starting point Key variables typically collected include: · crash location (including geographic coordinates); · time of day, day of week, month of year, year; · information on those who were involved (including road user type, age, gender, injury sustained); · details regarding the road (whether at an intersection, speed limit, curvature, traffic control, markings); · details on the environment (light conditions, weather, road surface wet or dry); · information regarding what happened in the crash (vehicle movement types, objects struck (including off-road), and contributory factors such as speed, alcohol use or driver distraction); · vehicle factors (type of vehicles involved).[18] Crash data can be extremely useful to a number of agencies and individuals, including: • traffic engineers – in the identification, analysis and treatment of existing risks and the prevention of future risk problems; • policy-makers – at national, regional and local levels in setting crash reduction targets, developing road safety action plans, and monitoring performance; • police – in the identification of problem locations and times for enforcement; • health sector – for resource planning, injury surveillance, health promotion and injury prevention interventions; • research community – in preventative studies and in testing and improving the effectiveness of road safety treatments; • insurance companies – in setting insurance rates and premiums; • vehicle manufacturers – in the development of safer vehicles; • prosecutors – in the use of data as evidence. These are the main data sources for road safety statistics in Thailand 1. Police Information System (POLIS) - Royal Thai Police 2. TRAMS - Ministry of Transport 3. E-Claim - Road Victim Protection Company 4. Injury Surveillance (IS) - Ministry of Public Health 5. Trauma Registry - Ministry of Public Health 6. 19 External Causes of Injury - Ministry of Public Health 7. Information Technology for Emergency Medical System (ITEMS) - Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand 8. Emergency Claim Online (EMCO) - National Health Security Office 9. OP/PP Individual Record - National Health Security Office 10. Death Certificates - Ministry of Interior They are seldom used or even acknowledged by the mainstream media. Filter this information through a media that is uneducated and archaic in their thinking and you get a picture that is at best blurred and out of focus or at worst, downright misleading. This is not to say that the road death situation in Thailand isn’t lamentable but it cannot be addressed with appropriate action until proper and accurate information is available. Traffic in Thailand has changed exponentially in the last 3 decades…. In 1980, there were just 600,000 cars on the streets of Thailand's capital, by 1990 the number had risen to 2.3 million and now it’s around 5 million daily – it’s hard to imagine the numbers involved in this exponential growth. . .. Thais nationwide are now driving in the region of 37 million cars and 22 million motorcycles on roads that have been rapidly built with scant regard to safety. Government subsidies to industry and road building, resulting in a massive expansion of the road infrastructure played a part. Today, it is estimated that there are more than 5 million cars on Bangkok’s streets alone. Unlike other countries who are trying to establish a solid infrastructure for public transport, Thailand has gone down the road of the individual motorist, at least in part because it has developed this large motor industry of its own. It seems that during this development, those in power were ignorant of road safety science or just thought they personally knew better. Although statistically safer than private vehicles, the public transport system is poor in both quality and performance and lacks infrastructure and finance. The lack of legislation means a “professional” driver is likely to be a hungover guy burnt out by amphetamines waiting for the next hangover to start. Despite the reputation of minivan drivers in Thailand, they are still statistically safer than a car or motorcycle. However logic would suggest that by driving yourself you are at least in control of speed and drink and drug intake whilst making the journey. One important thing to bear in mind is that drivers and passengers in a 4-wheeled private vehicles are statistically as likely to die as in a similar vehicle in the USA. 80 % of Thai road deaths are vulnerable road users[19] and 73% of all deaths are motorcyclists, both drivers and passengers. 13% are cars and pickup trucks. (see fig.2) The factors in RTIs in Thailand are actually very similar to everywhere else in the world. World statistics clearly show that if you are poor, you are more at risk UK had around 131,220 casualties of all severities in the year ending June 2020 – [UK gov.org.UK], deaths = 2.9 per 100K [wiki] There is a caveat that these figures may be under reported. – UK Govt. Thailand had around 170,000 casualties of all severities - 2020 – [Statista] – deaths = 32,7 per 100k [wiki] If these figures are comparable then it would show that the difference in number of accidents is not that big, it is the number of deaths that varies significantly. Why would that be? I’d suggest it’s because Thailand has not adopted the Safe System approach… and the “The 5 “E”s. Even the types of offences are around the same and in similar proportions it’s just the results can be more severe. …. Speeding • An increase in average speed is directly related both to the likelihood of a crash occurring and to the severity of the consequences of the crash. For example, every 1% increase in mean speed produces a 4% increase in the fatal crash risk and a 3% increase in the serious crash risk. • Death risk for pedestrians hit by cars rises (4.5 times from 50 km/h to 65 km/h). • In car-to-car side impacts the fatality risk for car occupants is 85% at 65 km/h Incidentally – the THAI NATIONAL SPEED LIMIT is 90km per hour. On “motorways” and some highways it is 120kmh – Recently 4 lane highways with median and barriers have been upgraded to 120 kph – a controversial move that will quite probably lead to an increase in deaths and injuries. Express ways around BKK and Pattaya still have an 80 kmh limit. Urban limit is 50 kph but it is seldom signed – you are meant to tell by the street lights. Driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances. Most countries are between 20 and 30% - Thailand is allegedly at the top end. Of course, alcohol also increases the likelihood of other types of offences e.g. Speeding etc… · Driving under the influence of alcohol and any psychoactive substance or drug increases the risk of a crash that results in death or serious injuries. · With drink-driving, the risk of a road traffic crash starts at low levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and increases significantly when the driver's BAC is ≥ 0.04 g/dl. · Thailand’s legal blood alcohol limit (BAC) per litre of blood is 0.5 grams. Any driver who’s held a licence less than five years can’t exceed 0.2 grams. · In the case of drug-driving, the risk of incurring a road traffic crash is increased to differing degrees depending on the psychoactive drug used. For example, the risk of a fatal crash occurring among those who have used amphetamines is about 5 times the risk of someone who hasn't. Non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints. Still the main conveyance of the poor, Thailand is particularly slack on enforcing existing motorcycle laws – in particular, the wearing of crash helmets – no wonder that 73% of deaths are on motorcycle users. (fig.2) • Correct helmet use can lead to a 42% reduction in the risk of fatal injuries and a 69% reduction in the risk of head injuries. • Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of death among drivers and front seat occupants by 45 - 50%, and the risk of death and serious injuries among rear seat occupants by 25%. • The use of child restraints can lead to a 60% reduction in deaths. Distracted driving – this is in fact causing rising death rates in countries in Europe that until recently had low and declining death rates – the mobile phone has a lot to answer for. Thailand is no exception. There are many types of distractions that can lead to impaired driving. The distraction caused by mobile phones is a growing concern for road safety. • Drivers using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone. Using a phone while driving slows reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), and interferes with keeping the correct lane, and keeping safe following distances. • Hands-free phones are not much safer than hand-held phone sets, and texting considerably increases the risk of a crash. Unsafe road infrastructure – This is a major problem in Thailand where there seems to be an absence of road and traffic engineers – many to the new Highways and Motorways being built are no up to standard and just encourage more traffic and more speeding. The design of roads can have a considerable impact on their safety. Ideally, roads should be designed keeping in mind the safety of all road users. This would mean making sure that there are adequate facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Measures such as footpaths, cycling lanes, safe crossing points, and other traffic calming measures can be critical to reducing the risk of injury among these road users. Unsafe vehicles – Again safety checks on vehicles in Thailand are at best cursory and often open to bribery. Another problem with Thai vehicles is that many older vehicles are of very primitive safety design, and this even applies to new vehicles in particular pickups that are intrinsically less safe the standard family sedans and variants, many people think they are “safer” in big, heavy vehicles when in fact these often are capable of much more damage both to other road users and even those inside a poorly designed cab. Variation in size is a big factor on Thai roads. Family cars pickups sidecars three wheelers motorcycles all have different heights weights and sizes and speeds on roads Safe vehicles play a critical role in averting crashes and reducing the likelihood of serious injury. There are UN regulations on vehicle safety that, if applied to countries’ manufacturing and production standards, would potentially save many lives. These include requiring vehicle manufacturers to meet front and side impact regulations, to include electronic stability control (to prevent over-steering) and to ensure airbags and seat-belts are fitted in all vehicles. Without these basic standards the risk of traffic injuries – both to those in the vehicle and those out of it – is considerably increased. Inadequate post-crash care Figure 1 - https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Golden-hour-in-a-car-accident_fig2_224185142 Emergency doctors and trauma surgeons are taught that trauma patients presenting within the “golden hour”, the first hour after an injury, are associated with better outcomes. Delays in detecting and providing care for those involved in a road traffic crash increase the severity of injuries. Care of injuries after a crash has occurred is extremely time-sensitive: delays of minutes can make the difference between life and death. Improving post-crash care requires ensuring access to timely prehospital care, and improving the quality of both prehospital and hospital care, such as through specialist training programmes. Inadequate law enforcement of traffic laws If traffic laws on drink-driving, seat-belt wearing, speed limits, helmets, and child restraints are not enforced, they cannot bring about the expected reduction in road traffic fatalities and injuries related to specific behaviours. Thus, if traffic laws are not enforced or are perceived as not being enforced it is likely they will not be complied with and therefore will have very little chance of influencing behaviour. Effective enforcement includes establishing, regularly updating, and enforcing laws at the national, municipal, and local levels that address the above-mentioned risk factors. It includes also the definition of appropriate penalties. WHO world statistics • Approximately 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. • The United Nations General Assembly has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030 (A/RES/74/299) • Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product. • More than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. • 93% of the world's fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 60% of the world's vehicles. • Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 years. Every year the lives of approximately 1.3 million people are cut short as a result of a road traffic crash. Between 20 and 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury. Thailand WHO stats Reported road traffic fatalities (2016) 21 745 b (79% M, 21% F) WHO estimated road traffic fatalities (2016) 22 491 (95% CI 20 265 - 24 717) WHO estimated rate per 100 000 population (2016) 32.7 Figures on WIKI are displayed thus…. Deaths per 100k inhabitants per yr. Deaths per 100k motor vehicles per yr. Deaths per 1 billion vehicle km per yr. Thailand 2020 injuries – (new categories) 97.24 thousand minor 31.99 moderate 36.74 Serious 0,55 serious 3.94 deaths 220 k accidents The economic and social implications for Thailand are far reaching. Thailand suffered losses estimated at Bt 500 billion in 2019 from road accidents and over 80 per cent involved motorcycles, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report. Approximately 39 per cent of the deaths are family heads. This means that the death of one person puts 2.43 people per family in trouble. It is also a loss for Thailand's demography as the country enters an ageing society, Thai minister said. - http://www.thairsc.com/eng/ Figure 2 - https://www.thaiwebsites.com/caraccidents.as Figure 3 - https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Death-by-road-user-categorize_fig4_325871293 Apart from referring to what we see on the roads (seeing is believing?? - I think not!) - many people like to cite statistics when talking about driving. The problem here is a tendency to cherry-pick stats that seem to back your own point of view, and there’s a wide range to choose from! Pretty much a statistic for every point of view, and changing someone’s mind once these misconceptions are embedded is dam near impossible. Statistics and their interpretations vary – the abstracts below show a wide range of figures- In July 2013 Asian Correspondent.com stated - “In 2011 almost 10,000 people died on Thailand’s roads. In Britain, which has a comparable population, the UK government figure came in below 2,000. If anything, this gap has now widened. Here are the UK govt figures on reported road casualties in Great Britain for the year ending June 2018. · 1,770 reported road deaths · 26,610 people killed or seriously injured · 165,100 casualties of all severities, a decrease of 6% In March 2013 the Nation wrote, “Up to 26,000 people are killed in road accidents every year in Thailand, which puts the country in the 6th spot in terms of road casualties. Of those killed, up to 70 or 80 per cent are motorcyclists or their passengers.” The figure remains more or less the same in 2018. It is only recently that injuries have been recorded, e.g. minor or serious injuries as recognised by international road safety statisticians; this means that figures are incomplete and have no history. The UK Foreign Office had a smaller number at around 9000 p.a. - “68,582 incidents resulting in 9,205 deaths involving both Thai residents and tourists in 2011.” The figures above show there’s a lot of variation (50 to 100%) but a lot depends on how they are compiled - for example if you drive your car into a field and hit a tree, the stats aren’t actually applicable to the Dept. of Highways...if you drive into a house and injure a family watching TV, they aren’t actually road users, so do they qualify? If you don’t go to hospital or die in hospital too long after the event, depending on the compiler, could affect whether or not the deaths or injuries are recorded. The 30-day rule is a myth, though – the Thai police report deaths at the scene directly after a crash, but these statistics need to be updated by the end of the year. Again, the worrying aspect of many of these statistics in the media is that they deal only in road deaths, which are not seen in context of population, mileage travelled, proportional car ownership, type of vehicles, population size to roads available road and weather conditions etc. Collisions and other incidents with serious or light injuries are not included either. Stats are nowadays usually presented as 3 categories; deaths, injuries both “serious” and “minor”. Stats can be confusing to say the least, and it is tempting to deduce from this that the roads of Thailand are nothing but an unavoidable bloodbath. This is an interpretation panders to a sensationalist view. One also needs to consider who are becoming statistics. There is one aspect that keeps coming up and is relatively constant, and that is that a very large proportion fatalities consists of motorcyclists; over 70%. (fig.2) This massive percentage in Thailand can be attributed to the country still having a huge number of motorcycles, 22 million, and a growing number of 4-wheeled vehicles. This is a deadly mixture. Link that to a national reluctance to wear crash helmets and the results are inevitable. “a recent survey showed that only about 28 per cent of teenage motorcyclists and about 49 per cent of adults wore helmets. Bangkok had the highest number or 80 per cent of helmet wearers, while only 20 per cent of motorcyclists in Beung Kan, Lamphun, Chaiyaphum, Narathiwat and Nakhon Phanom were found wearing helmets.”[20] Many foreigners who drive in Thailand do so on a motorcycle. For the most part, they are on holiday and the temptation not to wear a helmet or protective clothing is obvious. In the last few years there has been an increase in car hire and car ownership by expats. Since 1996, all motorcyclists and passengers have been required by law to wear a helmet. The UK Foreign Office released this warning to either expats and visitors to Thailand. “After deaths from natural causes, road collisions are the most common cause of death for British nationals in Thailand and cause a high number of hospitalisations. According to FCO staff in Thailand, the majority of them involve motorcycles and scooters.” [21] Conversations on road safety is usually biased towards only 4-wheeled private vehicles but one needs to remember that the vast majority of deaths are on motorcycles, so this needs to be taken into consideration when assessing the risks of driving in person. Motorcycles comprise just about half the vehicles on Thai roads. Most foreigners involved in incidents are usually either self-drive motorcyclists or passengers in some form of public transport; bus, van or taxi. When it comes to driving oneself, most foreigners do so on a locally hired motorcycle. Expats however are increasingly driving 4-wheeled vehicles. There is also a misconception that long journeys are more dangerous than short ones, e.g. famous last words; “Don’t need a helmet, just going to the shop” - Statistics indicate that well over half of accidents happen within 5 km from origin; 80% within 30 km. Drivers of a cars or pickups, compared to motorcycles, are in a much safer position. For example using Wikipedia figures, this rough calculation puts matters into perspective … Death rate USA - 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants about 15% is motorcyclists. = 3.6 per 100k = 4 wheeled death rate 8.8 per 100k Death rate Thailand - 32.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. about 75% are motorcyclists = 24.5 per 100k = 4-wheel death rate = 8.2 per 100k These figures would indicate that the death rate in 4-wheeled vehicles is actually LOWER in Thailand than the USA[22] It’s worth bearing in mind what a “road user” actually is . It’s a lot more than just cars, trucks and motorcycles. If you are going to look at driving in Thailand you really have to include EVERYONE and everything that uses the roads or the sides of the roads; not just other car drivers but pedestrians, animals, and those wishing to advertise - billboards, snack bars elephants, buffaloes, and of course the range of vehicles involved, from bicycles, hand-pushed carts “rot khen” to slow moving sidecars, “sky-labs” and tuk-tuks, buses, trucks and heavy plant. Roads develop their own environment, People are drawn to roads to make a living, and in Thailand this is particularly unregulated. All this has to mingle with fast-moving vehicles. So, as a driver of a vehicle, what factors need to be considered that may contribute to a road traffic incident • Drivers - ARE a major contributing factor – contribution is never 100% one-sided. • Environment - Weather etc., the gradient, town or country? • Vehicle - did the vehicle work or contribute to the seriousness of the incident? • Road - Construction, surface engineering etc. • Other - pedestrians, animals, landslips, floods. It’s easy to see that most of these factors are going to be more extreme in Thailand, but it does not mean they are insurmountable or inevitable. 4 – Driving SKILLS Worldwide driving skills Wherever in the world you drive, certain levels of skills are required but what should these skills include? Many people will blithely state they are a “skilled” driver - but if asked what skills they have the answer is usually pretty vague. It’s not something that is thought about very much. Driving skills are largely universal; not pertaining to any particular country. In order to drive safely, you need 2 sets of driving skills - physical and mental. I’ve précised a checklist from the UK police of the kinds of driving skills - If you can’t readily tick ALL of the physical skills then perhaps you should review some aspects. Defensive driving skills - The expression “defensive driving” can be unhelpful. It is frequently misinterpreted and gets confused with “slow”, “indecisive”, “timid” and “hesitant”, all of which are to be avoided. “driving to save lives, time, and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others.” – wiki [American National Standard Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operation] Defensive driving is a particular style of road driving that utilises a variety of techniques and tactics to keep you and everybody else safe on the road. Physical skills In terms of the basic physical tasks required, a driver must be able to control direction, acceleration, and deceleration. For motor vehicles, the detailed tasks include: • Starting the vehicle (how about hill starts?) • Choosing the correct gear • Operating the pedals with one's feet to accelerate, slow, and stop the vehicle, • On a manual operating gears and clutch • Steering the vehicle • Generally operating important ancillary devices on the car such as indicators lights wipers. • Observation skills - looking for hazards and changes in the driving environment. Mental skills. Avoiding or successfully handling an emergency driving situation - this is particularly important when driving in Thailand.... and where most foreign drivers fall flat on their face. The following basic skills are required: • Making good decisions based on factors such as road and traffic conditions • Evasive manoeuvring • Proper hand placement and seating position • Skid control (usually an acquired skill) • Steering and braking techniques • Understanding vehicle dynamics The key to driving anywhere in the world is observation and anticipation. “Expert advice” – for no real reason the police in most countries are regarded as primary road safety experts – this has had mixed results. The UK police have taken the job seriously devoting whole sections of the force to learning about road safety. In Thailand the approach has been far more haphazard. The UK police first produced “Roadcraft” in the 1950s in order to train their officers, and in the last two decades have radically reappraised the approach to driving. Many other organisations and individuals use this book too - civilian organisations (e.g. RoSPA), Advanced drivers and private road users as well. The book has a useful road safety acronym: - mind you as a mnemonic it falls a bit short…. “IPSGA ... · I = Information received from the outside world by observation, and given by use of signals such as direction indicators, headlamp flashes, and horn; is a general theme running continuously throughout the application of the system by taking, using and giving information; · P = Position on the road optimised for safety, visibility and correct routing, followed by best progress; · S = Speed appropriate to the hazard being approached, attained via explicit braking or throttle control (engine braking), always being able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear on your side of the road; · G = Gear appropriate for maximum vehicle control through the hazard, selected in one shift; and · A = Acceleration for clearing the hazard safely. The taking, using and giving of Information is, arguably, most important and surrounds (and drives) the five phases IPSGA. It may, and often should, be re-applied at any phase in the System.”[23] Apply this to driving in Thailand. If you expect to drive in Thailand and show others just what a good driver you are and give a lesson on how to drive properly - forget it! You’re just going endanger yourself, your passengers and other road users. In order to survive the roads of Thailand, it is essential to observe and adjust, to drive safely, one has to READ and react to the traffic not expect others to drive as they do “at home”. A lot of this is gained through experience, but it also comes from common sense, knowing one’s vehicle and gauging how others are driving, and getting ready for it. A lot of this is subliminal - e.g. driving a vehicle that has a “manual” gear change. In reality, the process of changing gear is automatic; the driver seldom actually thinks about or consciously plans changing gear, it is done subliminally. These are skills that many don’t use or even have at home because the advanced road engineering makes it less necessary. The roads are designed to be more controlling of how we drive. Here are some observations on the realities of driving in Thailand that may surprise an unwary driver... What about a semi in the offside lane that signals right and then swerves out to the left? Well any Thai driver would know that the vehicle is about to do a U-turn at a break in the median . fortunately these U-turns on older dual carriageways are being phased out or redesigned with a U-turn lane on the right. However they ae often poorly designed and end up creating tail-backs in the offside “fast” lanes. Priority on the left. The following is from a translation of the Thai highway code. “If, when entering a junction, there are other vehicles, the driver must let such vehicles go through first. If two vehicles enter a junction from different directions at the same time, the vehicle on the left side has a right of way, except when there's a designation of "principle roadway" in which case the vehicle on the principle roadway has a right of way.”[24] This essentially gives priority to traffic from the left. As “principle roadway” is seldom marked or even clear it can wrong foot a lot of foreign drivers but it is deeply engrained in Thai driving culture “He just came out in front of me” – is not an excuse – he did it because he can. In fact, this rule (in priority to the right form) exists in Europe – anyone driving in France in the 1960s or 70s will have a tale to tell about this. Now the roads are clearly defined and marked but not so in Thailand. Mirrors - (and indicators) One of the most common statements after a collision is “I just didn’t see him” - WHY?? Drivers (including foreign) tend to ignore their mirrors. Vehicles these days have good mirrors in the vehicle and on BOTH sides. They are there to provide a constant image of what is happening all around the car, Some drivers only use mirror’s when they EXPECT to see something. In Thailand it is highly likely that on any road there will be vehicles both sides of you and most of the time this is quite legal. When mirrors are used properly this is not a problem. Just because it doesn’t happen at home doesn’t mean it won’t happen here...this is your responsibility - You should be checking your rear view every 5 to 10 seconds - regardless of the traffic. Like so many actions you do when driving this should be subliminal ... If you are not up to it don’t complain just don’t drive. This leads to the second common mistake and that is the use of indicators…. I’ve noticed people making all sorts of manoeuvres without indicating – if asked why, you can bet they will answer “because there was nothing there” – this is precisely how “I just didn’t see him” or “he came out of nowhere” collisions happen. You can never be 100% sure what is coming up behind you. A note on tinted windows - Thai people in general like to avoid eye contact and confrontation whenever possible - and avoid loss of face - if a Thai driver makes a mistake it is very unlikely that they will look at you after even to apologise - they will most likely turn and look the other way and drive off. One factor that seems to escape a lot of visiting drivers Thailand is the Thai love of tinted windows. In bright sunny, hot climates they have a cooling effect (this is grossly over estimated by the tint companies, BTW) - but it would seem the main purpose on Thai roads is to avoid eye contact with other road users. A lot of decisions we make whilst driving in traffic in temperate home countries are made after looking at other drivers - there face or hands can often communicate a lot - in Thailand however, many cars have excessively tinted windows, so at a junction the chances of communicating visually with another driver are virtually nil - all you will see is a black window - inside someone is looking back but is receiving less than 50% of the light available and those outside receive none... This means that many courtesy signals that we are used to giving other drivers are rendered invisible and thus impossible. .... All the more reason to be aware and make your intensions on the road clear to other road users through your vehicle’s positioning and use of indicators. Of course, a lot of these problems are not purely Thai but they may be new to those who only have experience of driving in their home country. Horns and flashing of headlights means the same in all countries – it advertises your presence to other motorists. However different countries have different subtexts – in the UK it normally also lets the other motorist know you are giving way to them. In Thailand it means the opposite – they you are coming through. Sounding your horn also is to signify your presence. In the UK, it is quite common and has various meanings depending on the length/frequency of sounding. Thailand in private vehicles the horn is seldom used – if it is, it can signify quite a strong reaction. I sometimes get the impression that many Thai motorists would rather collide with another vehicle before sounding their horn! Reverse parallel parking – Not a common skill in Thailand and therefore seldom anticipated by other road users. You may find that whilst positioning yourself to do this a vehicle will come right up behind you. Prepare for this by indicating, stopping early and edging forward. Even then you may find the motorist behind still hasn’t worked it out. The wonderful thing about pickups is their big wheels allow the driver to mount the curb and park nose in. Lines taken on junctions and contraflow – I explain this later in “Rivers and canals are synonymous with Thai life and culture” (Batra, 2014). 5 - Driving and dealing with the LAW – “Only 28 countries, representing 416 million people (7% of the world's population), have adequate laws that address all five risk factors (speed, drink-driving, helmets, seat-belts and child restraints).”[25] Although Thailand may claim to have these laws a combination of inadequate metrication and enforcement means they are pretty ineffective. It is important to keep a calm and respectful attitude upon getting pulled over in Thailand. As the Land of Smiles is known for its people having a subdued attitude, raising your voice and arguing will only cause you further problems. Shouting out the driving laws of your own country in English or any other language will only have an adverse effect on the situation. There is a fundamental flaw with Thai law; the court system is so long-winded it simply doesn’t work with small cases such as motoring offences. So, the police tend to take on the role of judiciary and try to solve problems as quickly as possible. This usually involves no legally recognised evidence and scant reference to the law, but involves money changing hands to those the police believe to be the injured party and a “commission” to the police for sorting it out. NB - If you ever have the misfortune to be involved in an incident, the first thing to do – is CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE company. They will quickly send an agent to the scene. Then make sure emergency services are contacted and the police. Your insurance agent will act as intermediary on your behalf. Paying fines and Corruption Many foreigners grossly underestimate the extent of corruption in Thailand. From the highest in the land to the lowest, it is not only endemic but also epidemic. Recent surveys suggest that 60% of Thai people believe that corruption is acceptable as it oils the wheels of bureaucracy. Most Thais accept paying cash on the spot, often with no receipt. When driving you will almost certainly have an encounter with the police or sometimes the army. They will either set up roadblocks or just random checks. The purpose of these “checks” is seldom anything more than a cash raising exercise. Is it just coincidence that most police checks take place within walking distance of a police station? Police are increasingly using speed cameras. How well or regularly they are calibrated is also unclear. Motorists are not always stopped on the spot, police have started to send out speeding tickets to registered owners of vehicles they have caught on cameras. There is no doubt that this practice is getting more commonplace nationwide. It is less likely fines paid this way go directly into the pockets of corrupt officers as the payments are receipted, so perhaps this is a good thing. Renters - Be prepared to get a letter from your car hire company when you get home! Many motoring “offences” are “detected” at police checkpoints, but they tend to concentrate on just one offence at a time. The most common “prey” for the police is motorcycles. As these vehicles are notorious for non-compliance, they are the most productive to stop. Many bikes are untaxed, uninsured etc. so they are fruitful pickings for the local police). Helmet laws can be unenforced for weeks and then a plethora of “checks” will be set up, usually around the corner from some lights. Hordes of motorcyclists can be seen standing on the curb phoning a friend for the 100 or 200 baht “fine” they have to pay in cash usually without a receipt. (Nowadays, you may see a booth set up so tickets can be written out presumably to give the impression of being bona fide.) Bikes are largely driven by people with low income who are unlikely to have friends in high places. There is an unspoken hierarchy: expensive (imported) cars are the least likely to be stopped, as they are most likely to have influential friends. Some car-drivers with “connections” will carry the laminated name card of a high-ranking police officer for use in such circumstances. Couple of phone calls and an uppity officer is put in his place and the problem goes away. On 4 wheels the prime targets are pickups (usually old) and trucks, these are often un-roadworthy or overloaded etc. Commercial vehicles are profusely ornamented with “Lai Thai” artwork images and patterns. These are largely to give protection, good luck and speed...check out the mud-flaps.... you’ll often see Al Pacino who fought against corrupt cops in Serpico - this is to ward (warn?) off the police who are endlessly taking tea money off drivers before they can complete their journey. So, what about run-of-the-mill private road users? You will certainly come across a checkpoint from time to time. Does being a foreigner affect your chances? Well it can work both ways depending on the individual officer. Some may not want the hassle of dealing with a foreigner who doesn’t realise he has to pay a bribe and protests his innocence (Don’t try this). Others may see you as a potential mark for a larger “fine”. You can also simply be pulled over - in what seems a highly dangerous practice an officer walks out in front of the car and signs you onto the side of the road - I’ve noticed that some people just seem to drive on and pretend they didn’t see.... not recommended! Do you need to have committed an offence? ... It helps, but not essential; they will pull you over for a “check” - then they may decide what you have done wrong - it can be something like “speeding” - the absence of a speed camera doesn’t seem to have any bearing on this.... or it may be something like “being in the wrong lane”, this observation may well have been made with your vehicle out of the officer’s line of vision. Of course, once they have you stopped they may find a few other “infractions”. I have been stopped occasionally over the last 20 years or so but it doesn’t always result in a fine and only once became acrimonious. That was between my passenger (a Thai medical practitioner) and the rather bemused officer; it resulted in no payment. Negotiations? Sometimes polite haggling works. This is a lot easier without showing a wallet full of money, so that’s why it is best to have a couple of hundred baht lying around. I once was stopped by an officer asking for the usual 200 baht. I asked if 100 baht would suffice, he said “no” as he “had a friend”. On another occasion I was asked why I had a boat on the roof - my Thai passenger explained it wouldn’t fit in the car. This explanation seemed to satisfy the officer as no fine was paid that time. This stoppage usually takes no more than 5 minutes and it’s all done, if you elect not to “pay the fine” then you will probably spend the rest of the day in a local cop-shop filling in forms and the “real” fine may well be higher. So, most people elect to assume that what they are paying is “legit” - even though it flies in the face of all reason, but when faced with the alternatives, the easy way out becomes very compelling. I find that I get to pay less often as the years go by. Possibly because my Thai language has got better and I can engage in some small talk. Working for a BOI company also may help. Insurance When you pay road tax you also have to buy the compulsory national 3rd party insurance. This is only a few hundred baht - it doesn’t cover much, it only covers death or injury to 3rd parties and then only for a few thousand baht. In short you can legally drive but you really aren’t covered at all. It is quite possible any vehicle you have the misfortune to collide with may only have this cover, so your own insurance is important here. For more cover you have to pay; normally about 10 to 20 thousand baht per annum. One thing that you will find is that most insurance companies include a bail bond in their cover. This is down to the way you need to behave in the event of an incident. As said, the first thing you need to do is contact your insurance company and they will immediately send a representative out to the spot. He will deal with the police and other parties on your behalf. In more serious cases the police have been known to lock everyone up until they can sort out what happens - this is why it is so important to have your bail bond at the ready. (It is also the reason why so many commercial drivers lope off into the bush after an incident). Driving licence I don’t want to get bogged down in minutia here so the comments on documentation insurance etc. are kept brief. There’s plenty of advice on the Net. It is recommended that you get an IDP International Drivers Permit before you come to Thailand. These are accepted most readily by authorities, roadside police and car rentals. In fact, Thailand used to accepts several countries’ licences, so long as they have a PHOTO and are in English, but the police may not do this now and insist on an IDPs. After 3 months in Thailand you’ll need to get a Thai driving licence. As many insurance companies won’t cover drivers fully after that. Separate licences for motorcars and motorcycles. “The foreign licence must either be in English, or be accompanied by an official translation into English or Thai. The licence needs to have been issued by a country that has a treaty with the Thai government allowing the mutual acceptance of driving licences”. UK - drivers note you need a PHOTO licence.[26] The current treaty is the 1968 Treaty of Vienna – this requires an IDP to accompany your licence. 6 - THAI CULTURE and HISTORY Thailand is in love with the car and the pickup and the motorcycle - it is a transitional society; rapidly changing from agricultural to industrial. Thailand has a motor industry ranks around 11th in the top twenty of world producers... That’s above the UK. Thailand has its own peculiar problems. Sakdina is the archaic cast system that dominated Thailand until the 20th century. It still hasn’t been fully swept away and it manifests itself in many aspects of Thai life, including the roads. Thailand has one of the world’s most unequal societies, and even its roads have a rigid hierarchy, with the poor far more likely to be killed in accidents than the well-off and well-connected.[27] The concept that any race or nation has a greater proportion of stupid drivers is just not valid. Other societies are simply better at stopping their stupid ones from being stupid. There may a lack of enforcement and training, different driving conditions and customs, but to dismiss all Thai drivers as innately or racially stupid is really showing a profound lack of understanding of both Thailand AND driving. The term “culture” is often used by racists to support these sort of generalisations and stereotypes, but it isn’t culture it’s a racist cliché. Culture means growth, it’s not static, it changes all the time but it often has roots deep in the past. Sweeping generalisations based on race/nationality just don’t cut the mustard. Driving Habits in Thailand When it comes to actually driving, there is a lot of behaviour that is unfamiliar to foreigners; the key is to adjust to it as soon as possible. E.G. - flashing lights, horn and hazard lights; these are indeed often used in circumstances that differ from “the West”. However bear in mind that they all have well-defined general functions, there are just regional variations. Internationally - Horn and flashing lights are to indicate your presence and the hazards are to indicate that your vehicle is stationary in a “hazardous” position. All other uses, West or East are in fact just implied or inferences that we draw from the particular situation we are in at the time. Then there are the tales of U-turns, traffic going the wrong way on dual carriageways and all those other “crazy” things that are accepted as everyday driving over here - no lights, no bodywork, no wheels, no looking, whatever... it really doesn’t take that long to work out and adjust to what’s happening or going to happen - if you fail to adjust, “som nam naa” - your journey may well come to an abrupt end. Some knowledge of Thai culture can help explain some of this. The expression “it’s Thai culture” itself has to be treated with some circumspection. It’s a get-out for all sorts of ills and quirks. In practice, it’s usually just a cover up for someone’s own latent prejudice or even racism. Just a justification for a prejudice. However, a background knowledge on how certain aspects of Thai cultural or religious life connects to driving helps to understand and anticipate some of the foibles you are likely to encounter on the road. I’ve mentioned the Thai acceptance of corruption in authorities. I’ve also alluded to the superstitions, icons and emblems on trucks etc. but how does this affect every day driving? In Western countries we have grown up with the car for over ¾ of a century, most of Westerners are 3rd 4th or even 5th generation drivers. Driving is accepted as an integral part of life. Our “national psyches” are geared to this, as are our road systems and behaviour on them. Some of the systems we are used to can date back to those great road-builders the Romans (who it seems probably drove on the left). In Europe before the arrival of the motorcar, we already used a lot of roads and had established some basic highway codes and practices - the roundabout has its roots in C18th Britain, born out of the need to manoeuvre horse and carriages in front of rich housing projects. Driving on the left, which was legally established in the early C19th in the UK, is said to stem from the way we handled horses. Driving on the right was introduced by Napoleon who needed this at least in part to move large cargo carts along the roads of France. Thailand is different. In Thailand, ask any car driver if their parents had a car and the vast majority will answer in the negative; mass motorised transport is a relatively recent thing here, it has taken hold rapidly together with Thailand’s rampant industrialisation. Including a huge protected motor industry. The number of motor vehicles has leapt from 2 million in 1981 to 27.5 million in 2010. By now the total is over 40 million over half being motorcycles. Before this, the main form of transport in the Kingdom was by river. There were of course some hand or animal pulled carts but these were very localised and in much smaller numbers than Europe where an elaborate road system had existed alongside rivers for centuries. Many of the roads in Thailand were built or improved in the C20th for military purposes by the Japanese and then the US in the 50s and 60s. The first “real” road in Thailand was Charoen Krung Road, built in 1860s by Rama IV and helped to service the European quarter in Bangkok. This marked the beginning of the change from river to road transport. Thailand currently only has less than 200 km of motorway (compared to 3700 km of motorway in UK), but has announced plans to extend that to nearly 5000 km; a rather controversial plan that was first conceived in the 1990s. The Old Highways Most of the old highways connecting BKK to the rural cities were built with US aid during the Vietnam war in the 50s, 60s and early 70s to supply its military bases and to facilitate the movement of troops and arms. There were 4 main highways in Thailand that were developed largely after the war into the 1950s. mostly with American help although the chief Thai engineer was trained in the UK. 1. Phahonyothin Road (Highway 1)[28], - Bkk to Tachileik, Burma – started before war. 2. Mittraphap Road (Highway 2)[29] - the first Thai highway to use both asphalt and concrete. It received the name "Thanon Mittraphap" on 20 February 1957. 3. Sukhumvit (Highway 3)[30] – Bkk to Cambodia. Phra Bisal Sukhumvit was trained in the USA and was responsible for starting the highway system in the 1930s and 40s. he was responsible for a rapid increase in Thailand's road infrastructure during the 1930s and 1940s. Not a supporter of the Japanese, he also developed a few roads in Thailand during WW2. It was probably the Japanese who consolidated the “drive on the left” rule for Thailand. 4. Phetkasem Road (Highway 4)[31]. – Longest in Thailand finished 1950; the A4 was finished in the 1950s under the charge of an English trained Thai engineer Rivers Before WW2 - rivers were the main transport routes in Thailand. The power and influence that the “river” still has on daily Thai life should not be underestimated. “Rivers and canals are synonymous with Thai life and culture”[32] (Batra, 2014). The canals date back to well before the founding of Bangkok in 1782 and were the primary means of transportation, a source of food and water, part of ceremonies in particular Loy Krathong[33], and many other activities. Before Bangkok, the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya was dubbed “Venice of the East” by the first European visitors in the 17th century. Important structures, such as markets and temples, were built on the river and canal banks. This in turn influenced the development of the city and its layout. With the introduction of the automobile and roads, the role of the canal system in Thai life was reduced but things like the rules of transport remained embedded in the Thai psyche. As roads took over, buildings were constructed facing them and canals have been paved over to become streets.” [34] Long-tail boats, Thailand’s version of gondolas, were the mainstay of Thai transport; they literally kept the Thai economy afloat. Originally the boats were mostly skulled with some small sails. The relatively still waters of the delta rivers and canals being suitable for these flat-bottom boats to glide over the surface. So, Thailand’s transport history and development was for centuries predominantly centred on rivers. Thai water culture influences all aspects of Thai life. “Kuaytiao reua” boat noodles restaurants still have a boat for display or shape their counters like boats. Buildings like temples, schools, hotels and condominiums are frequently built in shapes that mimic boats. Decorations on Vehicles The roads are no different - The ornate decorations on buses, trucks and other vehicles have most of their roots in the decor of boats and barges. The iconography of symbols on commercial vehicles is a fascinating topic of its own. Mandalas, Gods of speed and those icons of Serpico to ward off corrupt police. Taxis and many private vehicles have ornate shrines in the front that are just the same as the boats with offerings to Mae Ya Nang. You will also see various other icons. Yants, similar to tattoos are usually drawn above rear-view mirrors by monks who bless the vehicle. Images of Thai kings, often on a bank note, decorate dashboards on taxis and other commercial vehicles. Goddess Mae Ya Nang “Many Thai people believe Mae Ya Nang to be a female spirit that resides in the body of the boat, it is also said that Mae Ya Nang is the Goddess of journeys. By paying respect to Mae Ya Nang passengers can expect her protection and a safe journey”. Thailand imports and then “adapts”. Adding bits of tradition and culture to whatever it is they have taken a shine to...the car is no exception. Look inside any truck bus, taxi or car in Thailand and you’ll see evidence of this. Steering wheels, the rooves, and dashboards are adorned with symbols and rituals taken from boats - Garlands hang from the “stem” - the rear-view mirror - shrines to Mae Ya Nang. And so it goes on almost every car, truck or bus.. The general public still pay at least a nodding respect to Mae Ya Nang and it obviously influences their attitude to driving. (NB in Europe, the West and Catholic countries, saluting of spirits under bridges and the ubiquitous St Christopher medals in cars). At every traffic light you can be offered a garland of Jasmin flowers (Malai)[35] to hang of your mirror to show respect to this goddess. (BTW - it’s 20 baht a time and give them the old one for recycling) “I’m in a boat” Anyone who has owned or moored a boat will recognise the similarities with the double or three deep “mooring” in car parks and the moorings for boats on a bank or jetty; vehicles are left with no brake on so they can be pushed out of the way like any boat at a mooring. The proposition that the Thai national psyche is orientated towards river transport is to me particularly appealing. It could indeed account for a lot of road traffic behaviour that seems to show an abundance of those characteristics. In towns it flows much more as if on water than on asphalt. Even out on the open road you can see behaviour that fits more with navigating a boat on a river than the western idea of driving a car. The sweeping lines taken around bend across the lanes of traffic, no sudden halts just gentle drifting out into mainstreams. Swinging into the current from a tributary (side road) - The contraflow traffic moving slowly alongside the bank (i.e. - hard shoulder or central reservation) sheltering from the oncoming current… moving off so slowly so as not to upset the load…and of course parking nose first - putting in the bow and hoping the stern will drift in round behind, all are perfect examples of how to handle a boat on a river. The Thai driver - anthropologically speaking at least, seems to be in a boat. When this culture is added to the speed capability of road-going motor vehicles, you get a potentially unsettling mixture of fluidity and danger. So, next time you’re out driving, just keep repeating to yourself “I’m in a boat, I’m in a boat, I’m in a boat” and you may be pleasantly surprised to see how it all comes together! 7 - The solution - the “SAFE SYSTEM”[36]… What can be done to address road safety issues and the concomitant traffic injuries? – Road traffic injuries can be prevented. Governments need to act to address road safety in a holistic manner. This requires involvement from multiple sectors such as transport, police, health, education, and actions that address the safety of roads, vehicles, and road users. Effective interventions include designing safer infrastructure and incorporating road safety features into land-use and transport planning, improving the safety features of vehicles, improving post-crash care for victims of road crashes, setting and enforcing laws relating to key risks, and raising public awareness. The solution lies in the “Safe System” [37] What is the Safe System approach? “An integrated approach to road safety. It is important to be clear what this means, it is not a matter of specific targets, dates or timelines. It is a commitment to the idea that road deaths and casualties are not merely the result of poor driving, centrally relevant though that is, but of a transport system as a whole, from signage to road user education, from enforcement to infrastructure design and construction. The effect of this approach should be to raise standards and improve coordination, so that avoidable road deaths and injuries are reduced to an absolute minimum.” [38] The Safe System approach: not about blaming the driver, it’s about accommodating and anticipating inevitable human error… Unlike the traditional approach to road safety, the Safe System approach recognises that human error is no longer the single cause of accidents. Rather, a failure of the road system is the cause of many collisions that result in death or serious injury. It also shapes interventions to meet the long-term goal of zero deaths and serious injuries, rather than relying on traditional interventions to set the limits of any long-term targets[39]. The Safe System approach to road safety aims to ensure a safe transport system for all road users. Such an approach takes into account people’s vulnerability to serious injuries in road traffic crashes and recognizes that the system should be designed to be forgiving of human error. The cornerstones of this approach are · safe roads and roadsides, · safe speeds, safe vehicles, and · safe road users, all of which must be addressed in order to eliminate fatal crashes and reduce serious injuries. RoSPA– In the UK The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents attempts to minimise accidents in all fields…. “Roads are essential to our everyday lives. We all use them in some way, by driving, riding, walking or travelling as a passenger, and we depend on them to obtain goods and services. … Unfortunately, this comes at a price, which includes people being killed and injured. However, road deaths and injuries are not inevitable. The last few decades have demonstrated that effective and comprehensive road safety strategies can reduce the number of people killed or injured on the road, despite increasing traffic levels. Great Britain now has one of the best road safety records in the world - but with around five people still dying on Britain's roads every day there is much more to be done.” - RoSPA In Thailand there has so far been no effort to adopt the “Safe System”. Successive governments have taken a piece-meal approach with various unresearched dictums that really have no effect other than making a particular nabob look as if he is doing something. An example of this is the yearly campaigns to curb deaths at New Year and Song Khran- the reality is however, that death rates over the holiday are usually slightly lower anyway – probably due to the absence of commercial traffic – the campaigns themselves seem to have no significant effect whatsoever. One has to bear in mind that as it stands, road deaths and injuries cost the Thai economy trillions of baht every year. WHO estimates Thailand's losses from road accidents at Bt 500 billion, or losses due to accidents were estimated at 3 per cent of gross domestic product.[40] The changes required to bring about a change in this dire situation can be categorised in terms of 5 “E”s … The 5 “E”s The main pillars of the Safe System can be defines as follows: - The 5 “E”s of road safety. For over 3 decades Thailand has had various “Road Safety Action Plans” and has espoused the virtues of the 5 “E”s (it has to be said with little effect) ... but without them, Road Safety in Thailand is doomed. 1. Education 2. Enforcement 3. Engineering 4. Emergency 5. Evaluation 1. Education This is fairly self-explanatory - people need to be told/shown how to drive and given the “tools” to share the road with other users – This goes way beyond a solitary driving test when people first start driving. UK had several government TV campaigns in the 60s and 70s. Clever well thought out ads with a bit of humour that weren’t condescending and helped to establish the country as a safe place to drive. (Do you remember the elephant in the fog?). Education of drivers continues throughout their driving life. The first people to educate in Thailand would be the police. 2. Enforcement Again self-explanatory - but Thailand has the added problem of ingrained corruption, graft and bribery which impedes this, no matter how many laws are passed. The laws need to be reasonable applicable and equitably enforced too. The police and courts need to be trained to deal with it 3. Engineering: - most critics of (Thai) road safety usually ignore this aspect of road safety. It falls into 2 categories …. A - Vehicle engineering - Safer car design and engineering: - car safety is both “passive” (seat belts, airbags and construction etc.) and “Active” (braking steering, handling, traction control etc.) these two are really interdependent now with so much computerised and hi-tech features on modern vehicles.[41] · Anti-locking brakes (ABS) · Side impact bars · AVCSS – “Advanced Vehicle Control and Safety Systems" · Electronic stability control (ESC) · Traction control · Air-bags · More reliable engine, tyres and components · Vehicle dynamics in general (they vary from UK and Thailand) Of course, roadworthiness checks are vital - but totally unenforced in Thailand. B - Road Engineering - The design and construction on the roads, bridges, junctions, road surface, camber, drainage etc. · The use of barriers and median (e.g. Armco), the removal of roadside hazards - e.g. trees or boulders on the side and centre of roads. The clearing of billboards and vegetation that obscure drivers’ vision · Traffic - the use of lines, signs, bollards etc. etc. to dictate how and where the traffic flows and at what speed - virtually non-excitant in Thailand and seldom noticed by drivers in countries that make good use of it. · Better infrastructure and engineering · Better road surfaces · Better signage · More forgiving · Traffic calming · Shared space - keeping various road users apart is key to safety in some situations - if they are separated they can’t collide. Like so many things on the roads in Thailand, the only reason that U-Turns happen is because the roads ALLOW it.... this is a design and engineering problem (and a cost reduction exercise), not so much a driver problem. 4. Emergency - What happens in the event of injury... this is a major factor in who lives or dies. It has been well documented that the time between accident and getting treatment is crucial in the survival of RTI victims. Treatment on the scene and reducing the time it takes to get the patient to hospital is vital. Thailand still has NO EFFECTIVE UNIVERSAL EMERGENCY SERVICE!! Ambulances have no standard equipment levels and what comes to your aid at an accident could be anything from a boy-racer pickup truck through van to a partially equipped ambulance. Paramedics are seldom fully trained. 5. Evaluation - How do we ascertain if measures are effective and what new ideas can be implemented. Most governments have agencies of some sort that after engaging any road scheme, whether it is construction or a safety campaign, review in detail every aspect of that project; effects on local population, environment, accident statistics etc. etc. Statistics are gathered and monitored and appropriate action taken. - Whereas Thailand may nominally have such bodies their effectiveness is just about zero. Road safety in Thailand is left largely to ill-thought out, baseless pronouncements made by members of the government with little better to do. Statistics collected in Thailand are incomplete, amateurish and don’t eve correlate with international conventions. Conclusion The future As for the future, road safety in Thailand needs to change and change big time…. In order to improve there needs to be a total rethink by all involved from government right down to the humblest road user. A total change of attitude and policies. A war zone: - The Safe System HAS to be adopted and adopted wholesale. This will involve different roads, different police, different driver attitudes and a governmental sea change – so in the meantime we need to learn to understand the Thai road environment. If the government fails to adopt the Safe System, then the death toll on the roads of Thailand will continue to exceed a country at war. Adopting the Safe System in Thailand is the only effective, long-term solution. BUT it requires a massive commitment from the authorities and the problem is getting bigger the longer they procrastinate. It requires · An overhaul of road design and construction · Reform of the POLICE – with a properly trained traffic police. · The legal system has to be reforms to deal with, hand out and collect enforced penalties. Corruption needs to stop · The public need a full continuous health and safety campaign in all media – a driving test is not enough. · Emergency services need to be homogenised and run on a central system. · All accidents reported need to be thoroughly analysed, calibrated and put onto a databased. This could take years, but only then will there be a significant reduction in death and injuries on Thai roads. It will cost and requires pollical reforms and the will of the ruling military-based government to see that change is necessary. Driving yourself now? In the immediate future the roads aren’t going to get dramatically safer overnight, but if you do decide to drive, the benefits are manifold. Make your own schedule, stop where you like. No time table to stick to, discover parts of the country that trains, planes, minivans and buses could ever be booked for. No pissing into your empty water bottle on long bus journeys (unless that’s your thing!), no trying to get comfortable whilst next to overweight flatulent sleeping strangers who have gorged on nam prik, carry your belongings in the car not on your back or under the floor of a bus where it gets rummaged through by porters. To keep safe, you need to truly assess your own driving abilities. If you aren’t a confident driver at home, then why should you be in Thailand? If a lot of the stuff above is new to you, then I’d suggest that you need to think hard about adapting. It’s not really down to “just driving” in Thailand, it’s a lot more and although it should be the same as anywhere in the world, this is an environment that will test your skills to the limit. Thai roads are dangerous - particularly for motorcyclists, but if you are a competent driver, and armed with some knowledge of the overall Thai driving environment, you should be able to have a safe and enjoyable journey.... and a few experiences to talk about at home. So, don’t blame others, take control yourself and have a safe trip. Contents - 1 - An overview of the state of Road Safety in Thailand. 4 ROAD SAFETY AND MEDIA REPORTING. 4 Crash report forms. 5 Some of the organizations include….. 5 Key Thai Govt Departments. 6 What is road safety in Thailand?. 7 What is “human error”?. 8 First. 8 Second. 8 Third. 8 2 - Perceptions. 9 The 2 main enemies of clear thinking on road safety. 9 confirmation bias. 9 cognitive dissonance. 9 Preconceptions and prejudices. 10 Expert 11 A few common truths. 12 3 - Statistics. 13 The way statistics. 13 Collecting Data. 14 A crash. 14 The factors in RTI 16 Speeding. 16 Driving under the influence of alcohol 17 Non-use of motorcycle. 17 Distracted driving. 17 Unsafe road infrastructure. 17 Unsafe vehicles. 18 Inadequate post-crash care. 18 Inadequate law enforcement of traffic laws. 19 WHO world statistics. 19 Thailand WHO stats. 19 4 – Driving SKILLS. 24 Worldwide driving skills. 24 Defensive driving. 24 Physical skills. 24 Mental skills. 24 Apply this to driving in Thailand. 25 Priority on the left. 26 Mirrors. 26 A note on tinted windows. 27 Horns. 27 Reverse parallel parking. 27 Lines taken. 27 5 - Driving and dealing with the LAW –. 28 Paying fines and Corruption. 28 Insurance. 30 Driving licence. 30 6 - THAI CULTURE and HISTORY. 31 Driving Habits in Thailand. 32 The Old Highways. 33 Rivers. 33 “Rivers and canals are synonymous with Thai life and culture” (Batra, 2014). 33 Decorations on Vehicles. 34 Goddess Mae Ya Nang. 34 “I’m in a boat”. 35 7 - The solution - the “SAFE SYSTEM”….. 35 The solution lies in the “Safe System”. 36 What is the Safe System approach?. 36 The 5 “E”s. 37 1. Education. 37 2. Enforcement. 38 3. Engineering. 38 A - Vehicle. 38 B - Road Engineering - 38 4. Emergency. 39 5. Evaluation. 39 8 - Conclusion. 40 The future. 40 A war zone. 40 Adopting the Safe System in Thailand. 40 Driving yourself now.. 40 Index. 42 Foot notes [1] http://www.towardszerofoundation.org/thesafesystem/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_traffic_safety#Background [3]https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/Media_brief_all_factsheets_web_rev_nov_2017.pdf [4] https://www.roadsafetyfacility.org/news/working-towards-improving-road-safety-and-saving-lives-thailand [5] https://roadsafety.piarc.org/en/road-safety-management-safety-data/crash-data-system [6] https://roadsafety.piarc.org/en/road-safety-management-safety-data/crash-data-system [7] The basic strategy of a Safe System approach is to ensure that in the event of a crash, the impact energies remain below the threshold likely to produce either death or serious injury. This threshold will vary from crash scenario to crash scenario, depending upon the level of protection offered to the road users involved. For example, the chances of survival for an unprotected pedestrian hit by a vehicle diminish rapidly at speeds greater than 30 km/h, whereas for a properly restrained motor vehicle occupant the critical impact speed is 50 km/h (for side impact crashes) and 70 km/h (for head-on crashes). — International Transport Forum, Towards Zero, Ambitious Road Safety Targets and the Safe System Approach, Executive Summary page 19 - wiki [8] “road environment” signifies everything on or near a road: Road users, i.e. vehicles from bikes to trucks, drivers and passengers , pedestrians, the road itself – design, construction surfaces, camber, size, bends, the central reservations, barriers, the verges, the vegetation, trees, those businesses on the sides of the road, wildlife and farm stock, the drainage, lighting, signing [9] https://www.visualexpert.com/Resources/roadaccidents.html [10] (Mack and Rock (1998) have shown that we can be less likely to perceive an object if we are looking directly at it than if it falls outside the centre of the visual field. This "inattentional blindness" phenomenon is certainly the cause of many RTIs) [11]Politician’s syllogism: - All cats have four legs. My dog has four legs. Therefore, my dog is a cat. [12] Dunning-Kruger effect: - a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general. - https://www.britannica.com/science/Dunning-Kruger-effect [13] “Experts” feel the need to know every piece of information before they start a project and constantly look for new certifications or trainings to improve their skills. They won’t apply for a job if they don’t meet all the criteria in the posting, and they might be hesitant to ask a question in class or speak up in a meeting at work because they’re afraid of looking stupid if they don’t already know the answer. [14] https://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/23/george-carlin-was-right-other-drivers-are-idiots-and-maniacs.html [15] The standard measures used in assessing road safety interventions are fatalities and killed-or-seriously-injured (KSI) rates, usually expressed per billion (109) passenger kilometres. Countries using older road-safety paradigms[7] replace KSI rates with crash rates – for example, crashes per million vehicle-miles. – wiki [16] https://roadsafety.piarc.org/en/road-safety-management-safety-data/crash-data-system [17] TDRI - https://tdri.or.th/en/2020/11/road-accidents-biggest-health-crisis/ [18] https://roadsafety.piarc.org/en/road-safety-management-safety-data/crash-data-system [19] “Vulnerable road user” refers to those who have less crash protection than occupants of 4 wheeled motor vehicles and therefore have a higher risk of being injured or killed in a road crash. = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_traffic_safety#Regulation_of_road_users [20] https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30202066 [21] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-office-launches-road-safety-campaign-for-driving-abroad [22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate [23] https://www.roadcraft.co.uk [24] [From the Thai “highway code dated 1979, Section 71 (500B)] [25] – wiki [WHO] [26] http://thailand.angloinfo.com/transp...ving-licences/ https://driving.information.in.th/driving-licence.html https://gam-legalalliance.com/services/immigration/drivers-license-in-thailand/ https://motogirlthailand.com/riding-thailand/ [27] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/thailand-roads-deadly-traffic-accidents-class-inequality-a9071696.html [28] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phahonyothin_Road [29] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittraphap_Road [30] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhumvit_Road [31] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phet_Kasem_Road [32] Dr Adarsh Batra · Program Director I Assistant Professor in Hospitality and Tourism [33] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong [34] https://www.bangkokriver.com/place/bangkok-canals/ [35] Phuang Malai - https://www.hope-rehab-center-thailand.com/blog/hope-stories/phuang-malai-thai-flower-garland/ [36] The basic strategy of a Safe System approach is to ensure that in the event of a crash, the impact energies remain below the threshold likely to produce either death or serious injury. This threshold will vary from crash scenario to crash scenario, depending upon the level of protection offered to the road users involved. For example, the chances of survival for an unprotected pedestrian hit by a vehicle diminish rapidly at speeds greater than 30 km/h, whereas for a properly restrained motor vehicle occupant the critical impact speed is 50 km/h (for side impact crashes) and 70 km/h (for head-on crashes). — International Transport Forum, Towards Zero, Ambitious Road Safety Targets and the Safe System Approach, Executive Summary page 19 - International Transport Forum (2008). "Towards Zero, Ambitious Road Safety Targets and the Safe System Approach". OECD. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2012. It recognises that prevention efforts notwithstanding, road users will remain fallible and crashes will occur. [37] http://www.towardszerofoundation.org/thesafesystem/ [38] The Road Safety Statement 2019 – Dept Transport - UK [39] The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents - Safe System - Road Safety Factsheet [40] https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404778 [41] Active safety features are designed to prevent collisions and accidents from happening. Passive safety features, meanwhile, are meant to mitigate the damage of a collision that is unavoidable. https://www.toyotaoflancaster.com/blog/active-safety-features-vs-passive-safety-features/ https://carbiketech.com/active-safety-passive-safety/ -
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Middle East 67 Killed Near UN Aid Convoy in Gaza; Israel Denies Full Toll
Yeah - shooting unarmed Palestinians picking up food at food centers is all the rage now. Like shooting fish in a barrel. -
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UK Migrants in taxpayer-funded UK hotels accused of rape, assault, theft, and other crimes
It is a huge issue in the UK now. People are well and truly fcuked off. Even the last census figures show 15% rise in population since the millennium. The reality is far greater, of course. Certain posters on this thread haven't a clue but easy to pontificate sitting in splendid isolation. -
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Sripat Hospital Appointment Scheduling - Do you consider their scheduling to be odd
I've made an appointment to see a doctor at Sripat. Virtually every other hospital I go to I get a scheduled time booked and I generally get in to the the doctor within 15 minutes of arriving at that scheduled time. I noticed that at Sripat they will not confirm a specific time for you personally. You have to show up in the 3 or 4 hour block or time the doctor is available then it's first come, first served. So I guess you can get there at 9am for a 9am to 12pm consultation period, you get into the initial push and shove for a place in line (which I detest as everyone rushes to be first) or you can come later and just sit for a couple of hours. In all honesty, if I wanted to wait in a line I could save money and go sit in line at Majaraj and probably see the same doctor. Just saying. This just seems odd. Has anyone else experienced this. What is your personal experience with appointments at Sripat - efficient? Not efficient. Long waits. It's my first appointment at Sripat and if the scheduling is that much of a headache to be seen, this might be my only appointment. I'd rather hospitals schedule in appointment blocks with time assignments for each patient. I'd prefer to have a time slot assigned and see the doctor at my appointment time. Just wondering Thanks!
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