How Many Deaths Due To Bike Accidents Per Year On Samui?

[SamuiJens]

Would be a good idea to post the many needless deaths of bike riders (no license). Does ANYONE know the death toll?

[misterman21]

Good question. Better question would be national statistics. And numbers of prosecutions of parents whom have promted the death of their young children by allowing them to drive like lunatics on motorcycles.

PS I would guess the number of parents prosecuted is somewhere around zero - and deaths nationaly more than 10 thousands

Edited January 10, 2009 by misterman21

[MSingh]

I very much doubt if you could get a " REAL " figure, one that was truthful anyway..

You can bet your life that illegal's won't be accounted for in the statistics & i kno wfor a fact that they would make up a pretty decent % of Motorbike Deaths, sadly...

[NHJ]

rumours spread on the island say a death per day is the minimum and samui has a higher rate of road accidents than bangkok. is that true or not... that is the question?.

[SamuiJens]

There MUST be a public figure on road deaths on Samui!!!

[sbk]

The old Samui Community magazine used to report accident figures in their news section.

[SamuiJens]

I googled it and only got a blogger with statistics for the holiday period. Hope the answer isn't blowing in the wind, like so much else is.

[mistresserika]

The old Samui Community magazine used to report accident figures in their news section.

Agreed SBK, maybe the figures got so bad that the TAT put a block on publicising!!!!!!

[MSingh]

There MUST be a public figure on road deaths on Samui!!!

Why " MUST " there be & even if there is, who's to say it would be factual & include things like Illegal Immigrant Incidents, like i posted above ??

Edited January 11, 2009 by MSingh

[womble]

There MUST be a public figure on road deaths on Samui!!!

Communities figures were rubbish. Every month they said around 4 or 5 died, normally 1 tourist. Some months I knew personally of over 12 deaths, one time 4 were in 1 car (Thai), then two farangs dies on a bike and another farang dies on another bike. Community said 4 dies that month and mpst accidents occured around 630 pm adn most accidents involved employed males. I think they got the last two things right, but the figures for deaths were a complete fabrication.

I heard from 1 person that one reason for the false figures is they only include those dead at the scene or maybe those taken to the government hospital.

who knows................

[Mark Wolfe]

At the funeral ceremony for the girl who just died, there were four boys. After a while, and before the chanting began, they got up and disappeared. A few minutes later they were roaring away on two motorbikes. I'd guess the oldest of the lot would have been around 10 or 11.

I just shook my head.

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

[MSingh]

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

Agree & it just isn't going to happen in my opinion...

[SamuiJens]

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

Agree & it just isn't going to happen in my opinion...

Maybe not, BUT it's about time they do something. Sounds like few agree.

[MSingh]

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

Agree & it just isn't going to happen in my opinion...

Maybe not, BUT it's about time they do something. Sounds like few agree.

But it starts, in my opinion, with Education so based on that, there's no chance of it happening when you have tens of thousands of people, Thai people i mean, pouring onto the Island from all parts of the Country, that have/has little or no education..

[SamuiJens]

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

Agree & it just isn't going to happen in my opinion...

Maybe not, BUT it's about time they do something. Sounds like few agree.

But it starts, in my opinion, with Education so based on that, there's no chance of it happening when you have tens of thousands of people, Thai people i mean, pouring onto the Island from all parts of the Country, that have/has little or no education..

Well the news is getting around, and who wants to go to an Island (expensive to) that has these problems in 2009? People that don't give a <deleted>, is who! Samui is/has gone down hill for too long now. Sad BUT true! This is just my opinion here, but I know I speak for many that feel the same way! Not to mention all the shady deals that have gone down, to right out loss of ones hard earned savings! Off topic.....not really when a child can drive a bike around on the busy Ring Road, and cause accidents and deaths!

TIME FOR ACTION!

Edited January 13, 2009 by SamuiJens

[MSingh]

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

Agree & it just isn't going to happen in my opinion...

Maybe not, BUT it's about time they do something. Sounds like few agree.

But it starts, in my opinion, with Education so based on that, there's no chance of it happening when you have tens of thousands of people, Thai people i mean, pouring onto the Island from all parts of the Country, that have/has little or no education..

Well the news is getting around, and who wants to go to an Island (expensive to) that has these problems in 2009? People that don't give a <deleted>, is who! Samui is/has gone down hill for too long now. Sad BUT true! This is just my opinion here, but I know I speak for many that feel the same way! Not to mention all the shady deals that have gone down, to right out loss of ones hard earned savings! Off topic.....not really when a child can drive a bike around on the busy Ring Road, and cause accidents and deaths!

TIME FOR ACTION!

Sad but true, you're right..

[SamuiJens]

So any talk of modifying behavior here would take institutional changes over decades at least.

Agree & it just isn't going to happen in my opinion...

Maybe not, BUT it's about time they do something. Sounds like few agree.

But it starts, in my opinion, with Education so based on that, there's no chance of it happening when you have tens of thousands of people, Thai people i mean, pouring onto the Island from all parts of the Country, that have/has little or no education..

Well the news is getting around, and who wants to go to an Island (expensive to) that has these problems in 2009? People that don't give a <deleted>, is who! Samui is/has gone down hill for too long now. Sad BUT true! This is just my opinion here, but I know I speak for many that feel the same way! Not to mention all the shady deals that have gone down, to right out loss of ones hard earned savings! Off topic.....not really when a child can drive a bike around on the busy Ring Road, and cause accidents and deaths!

TIME FOR ACTION!

Sad but true, you're right..

Yes, I am. Thank You.

[Rooo]

Seen the other day, a policeman on a motorbike on the ring road,3 (what looked like underage kids) pass him, no helmets,speeding. What did the policeman do? Nothing,that's what I call action.

[Boater]

there a jokable bunch the samui police

[sbk]

No, I think its pretty typical, police won't enforce unless they are doing a 'crackdown'. So, helmets and/or drivers licenses are required only when police are doing the police roadblock. Otherwise, the police are out front of the primary school come end of school directing all the ten year olds on their bikes. (no money in kids, apparently).

[SamuiJens]

No, I think its pretty typical, police won't enforce unless they are doing a 'crackdown'. So, helmets and/or drivers licenses are required only when police are doing the police roadblock. Otherwise, the police are out front of the primary school come end of school directing all the ten year olds on their bikes. (no money in kids, apparently).

Says it all, instead of teaching them HOW to drive! And to get a license!

Edited January 14, 2009 by SamuiJens

[SamuiJens]

DOWN LOAD YOUR NEW LICENSE NOW. ANYTHING GOES ON SAMUI. WHILE OFFER LASTS! Edited January 14, 2009 by SamuiJens

[pothai]

Mainland is common for the police to be outside schools in morning and the afternoon for safety of the children, direct traffic etc.....Children as young as eleven arriving on motorbikes...4 up and no helmut and the police not do anything. Unless laws are enforced nothing will happen. But when both parents are at work maybe 6.30am how do children get to school...easy on motorbike with some friends, nothing will change.

[longtom]

Organize a few songthaews to drive children to/from school, no big deal on this small island. To pay them, about 5% of the daily police 'collection' should suffice.

[SamuiRes]

Organize a few songthaews to drive children to/from school, no big deal on this small island. To pay them, about 5% of the daily police 'collection' should suffice.

They already provide that service but not all kids seem to use it. Any morning from 6am onwards and in the afternoon from around 3pm you will see many songthaews with school kids on board. It seems that not all the kids want to use that service and prefer the bikes. Down to the parents again I suppose - so no hope there!

[SamuiJens]

Mainland is common for the police to be outside schools in morning and the afternoon for safety of the children, direct traffic etc.....Children as young as eleven arriving on motorbikes...4 up and no helmut and the police not do anything. Unless laws are enforced nothing will happen. But when both parents are at work maybe 6.30am how do children get to school...easy on motorbike with some friends, nothing will change.

Come on pothai, all thing must change, just the nature of things, some for the better and some for the worst!.....haven't YOU changed, pothai?

[animatic]

Any new fahrang arrival discussing transport I tell one thing.

"I assume that ANYTHING... living or dead, animate or never animated

anywhere on the roads of Samui is trying actively to kill me."

Assume that your sense of 'rules of the road' is completely wrong.

and ONLY by observing might you glean what works here

Assume that what looks like a 2 lane road is actually:

3 for cars and trucks, the bigger / fast is winner of the central space.

And potentially 7 counter-opposing lanes for motorcycles.

The 2 break down lanes are actually 2 lane bike routes sometimes.

Drive ASSUMING this is so, and you have no problems.

If I passed a dry sandless corner 10 minutes ago,

i assume a fish truck has leaked greasy water

across the corner while cutting into the sand

and the road is now slippery in two ways.

And to then expect a loaded cement truck to

pass a crawling motorcycle restaurant coming at you

in your lane coming round a blind corner at speed.

Sort of my simple rules of road survival.

Which have worked so far quite well.

Edited January 20, 2009 by animatic

[SamuiJens]

Any new fahrang arrival discussing transport I tell one thing.

"I assume that ANYTHING... living or dead, animate or never animated

anywhere on the roads of Samui is trying actively to kill me."

Assume that your sense of 'rules of the road' is completely wrong.

and ONLY by observing might you glean what works here

Assume that what looks like a 2 lane road is actually:

3 for cars and trucks, the bigger / fast is winner of the central space.

And potentially 7 counter-opposing lanes for motorcycles.

The 2 break down lanes are actually 2 lane bike routes sometimes.

Drive ASSUMING this is so, and you have no problems.

If I passed a dry sandless corner 10 minutes ago,

i assume a fish truck has leaked greasy water

across the corner while cutting into the sand

and the road is now slippery in two ways.

And to then expect a loaded cement truck to

pass a crawling motorcycle restaurant coming at you

in your lane coming round a blind corner at speed.

Sort of my simple rules of road survival.

Which have worked so far quite well.

Very true, I've been on this Isle for going on 10 years, but getting worse all the time, good for tourists to read, so they can have a good vacation by taking care of the OTHER GUY, aswell! Thank for your words of experience!

[spidermike007]

Since there is a nearly complete lack of law enforcement on Samui, when it comes to the roads, the least

we can do as motorcycle drives is wear a good quality helmet, with international standards. The head is a

delicate thing, and the concrete roads here are very unforgiving. I have been riding for 37 years, and it gives

me the willies to get out there without a good helmet.

[thairaid]

Would be a good idea to post the many needless deaths of bike riders (no license). Does ANYONE know the death toll?

having lived here for 5 years I would say hundreds....