9 People Killed In Pathum Thani Racing Track

[dotcom]

Sad story.

Thank you dumball for pointing out that we all have to take responsibility for our decisions. Where to stand - tragically we live in a world where everyone wants to blame someone else for their pain & suffering.

[Spee]

... however , racing of any form is considered dangerous to both competitors and onlookers , most forms of motor sport made you sign a waver exonerating promotors and sponsers from liability for injuries that could or maybe sustained .Insurances that have become available over the years are very expensive and limiting in its scope . I sponsored and built special machinery for many racers over the years ,

I was also involved in racing activities quite extensively some time ago, working safety crews for motorcycle road racing. The people I worked with were some of the best, so much so that we were invited to work many times at places like Daytona Speedway for Bike Week, as well as other tracks and events. Racing never took place without at least one ambulance on site and the norm was two or more.

We always had a firm set of prioritized criteria for working: safety of fellow safety crew workers, spectator safety, racers still on the race course, racers down and lastly downed equipment. I saw a lot of bad stuff like serious injuries, very high speed crashes, etc., but I also saw a lot of very serious incidents minimized in magnitude because proper precautions and procedures were in place.

Dumball makes good points about responsible promoters and track owners constantly making safety improvements. However, I don't agree with that forced waiver for spectators associated with buying a ticket. Spectators have a reasonable expectation to have the events conducted with safety precautions in place. Track owners and race promoters are still responsible and I hope people are held accountable in this tragedy.

The extent to which racing safety can be enforced is reflected in dangerous sports being held in increasingly safer ways. The extent to which racing safety can be ignored is reflected in tragedies like this one. And it's not just in Thailand. I've seen similar situations like the night-time outlaw drags at Pocono where idiots were lined up the whole way on both sides of the makeshift 1/8th mile strip. We of course watched but knew enough to stand behind the action and at a safe distance. It's a minor miracle that nothing tragic happened there.

I have deep empathy for the ThaiVisa posters who witnessed the event and I hope you will be able to compartmentalize those memories and go forward positively. I also have deep sympathy for those who lost their lives and those who are directly impacted by the deaths. At the same time, I hate to say that it makes me sick that life is so cheap in so many places, Thailand being one. There is no excuse for entirely preventable tragedies like this one. These kinds of events can be conducted safely, but to not take basic precautions is irresponsible and responsible people should be held accountable. Yes, I know TIT and those chances are slim. That too is sad.

[dumball]

Very well written Spee , it is a shame that people such as yourself cannot be incorporated into the safety factor of racing in Thailand , I feel sure you have a lot of knowledge to impart that could make a tremendous difference , there is no replacement for hands on experience .

[Spee]

it is a shame that people such as yourself cannot be incorporated into the safety factor of racing in Thailand

Thanks for the kind compliment. Unfortunately, despite any interest that I may have in improving racing safety, there is simply too much personal risk exposure to be directly involved in an event such as this one. My only hope is that the witnesses and survivors will be able to get on with normal lives, and promoters and sponsors will learn from mistakes and errors in judgment. People should also be held accountable. Something like this should be treated as criminal negligence, similar to what occurred at Santika.