Thai Road Safety Now A National Agenda

[george]

Road safety now a national agenda

BANGKOK: -- Road accident prevention has been put on the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Mr Abhisit was addressing a seminar of the Network for Road Safety held in Bangkok this morning.

The prime minister said more than 12,000 people were killed in road accidents last year, an average of 33 road deaths a day.

Traffic accidents were costing the country several hundred billion baht in economic losses each year.

To achieve the goal, the government had set up a centre for road safety and was in charge of road accident prevention throughout the country.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-20

[Thai at Heart]

First the Airport, then customs, now road safety.

Go Abhisit!

Has he been reading the letter page of the Bangkok Post?

[Wolfie]

Its good to see some key issues being made a priority - lets just hope it has the momentum to carry it through and not just be a bunch of hot air!

[trainman34014]

First the Airport, then customs, now road safety.

Go Abhisit!

Has he been reading the letter page of the Bangkok Post?

Don't get too carried away. Remember that so far it's all just words and no action. Seeing is believing and Abhisit has to start delivering real change in the next few months or by this time next year he will be history.

[Thai at Heart]

First the Airport, then customs, now road safety.

Go Abhisit!

Has he been reading the letter page of the Bangkok Post?

Don't get too carried away. Remember that so far it's all just words and no action. Seeing is believing and Abhisit has to start delivering real change in the next few months or by this time next year he will be history.

Well , hope springs eternal.

Maybe he found a to-do list he wrote while in university.

These are decades old problems in Thailand, so I don't expect miracles, but he needs to get on and do something instead of getting dragged into this red-shirt tangle.

[Mai Krap]

How much smoke can they blow up the backside of anyone that is not illiterate in one day? Most recently I was advised that it was not a problem if I were to dumb to pass a driving test, just go around back and pay 500 baht. The lady saying this in Thai had never been able to pass one and commented "its much faster too" as apparently the line was shorter.

[catmac]

First the Airport, then customs, now road safety.

Go Abhisit!

Has he been reading the letter page of the Bangkok Post?

Don't get too carried away. Remember that so far it's all just words and no action. Seeing is believing and Abhisit has to start delivering real change in the next few months or by this time next year he will be history.

More pompous splutterings, more PR waffle lacking any real action, more "commitees" staffed by his cronies and hangers-on!

The answer to Thailand's road carnage is so simple and blatantly obvious - get the police to actually enforce the existing road safety laws, as opposed to using them as a source of "income supplement".

Of course, that would need root and branch cleansing of the BIB, so it just won't happen. Unless by some miracle, Little Mark grows some balls!

[femi fan]

Well, tell those entrusted to finding the solutions these two:

Educate people to stop doing their insane and level best to get in front of the vehicle that's two inches or two foot from their front wheel/s.

And banish tinted windows.

In other words emphasise the total danger of driving/riding by tailgating, tell them they are supposed to be sabai jai, jaiyen people who forget all about that as soon as they turn their ignition key, and let everybody see the face behind the insane driving manouvres.

Education is the key word. The police force would need to be multiplied by ten and still they'd have far too much work to do if enforcement was the chosen course of action.

What is it about a generally patient people that converts them into maniacal impatient drivers when they have wheels beneath them??!

[barry]

since so little seems to ever be done right, pray tell, how

do they seriously think they're going to improve road safety?

[Datsun240Z]

Knowing the Thais, meaning it's on the agenda doesn't mean a thing.

[femi fan]

since so little seems to ever be done right, pray tell, how

do they seriously think they're going to improve road safety?

Depends if they want to listen to outsiders.

I recall back in the 70s i think a huge educational campaign in britain about driving too close to the car in front:

"Only a fool breaks the two second rule"

And of course, to say that sentence took two seconds, that was the smart thing about it!

While we're on the education lark, sort the litter out too...

Loads of things are done right in this country. Driving just isn't one of them.

[trainman34014]

since so little seems to ever be done right, pray tell, how

do they seriously think they're going to improve road safety?

Depends if they want to listen to outsiders.

I recall back in the 70s i think a huge educational campaign in britain about driving too close to the car in front:

"Only a fool breaks the two second rule"

And of course, to say that sentence took two seconds, that was the smart thing about it!

While we're on the education lark, sort the litter out too...

Loads of things are done right in this country. Driving just isn't one of them.

Well; a few things are done right but saying 'loads' is being a bit more than kind!

[Ga-gai]

Getting the road accidents down, could be a very difficult task. It is far to easy to get a drivers license here. I believe a majority of the drivers don't the actual traffic rules, judging on examples where those who already are inside a circulation crossing stops and gives way to those who is enters it. Even though there are signs telling that the vehicles outside the circulation must stop and give way for the ones inside. The task is even more difficult since even the police aren't following the traffic rules on ordinary patrolling or travel.

[pakwan]

Road safety now a national agenda

BANGKOK: -- Road accident prevention has been put on the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Mr Abhisit was addressing a seminar of the Network for Road Safety held in Bangkok this morning.

The prime minister said more than 12,000 people were killed in road accidents last year, an average of 33 road deaths a day.

Traffic accidents were costing the country several hundred billion baht in economic losses each year.

To achieve the goal, the government had set up a centre for road safety and was in charge of road accident prevention throughout the country.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-20

several hundred billion in economic losses due to the death of 12 thousand people -- hmmmmm

calculating just one hundred billion divided by twelve thousand means those people that died were earning:

100,000,000,000/12,000 = 833,333baht a year...... EACH?????

I must have the wrong job

[pakwan]

Go Abhisit!

Don't get too carried away. Remember that so far it's all just words and no action. Seeing is believing and Abhisit has to start delivering real change in the next few months or by this time next year he will be history.

Well , hope springs eternal.

Maybe he found a to-do list he wrote while in university.

Hey now, don't pick on our new(est) PM, remember "He's a Freshy". When he's an upper-class PM he'll be giving orders just he's really in charge.

[Thailand]

Just renewed my driving licence and sat through the 45 min road safety video. If just some of the basic rules of the road were actually followed then progress would be made.

Quite a good video and probably informative for relatively new drivers, just don't see it's having any effect as the video bears little relation to the way cars and motorbikes actually "drive" on the road.

[apetley]

Road safety now a national agenda

BANGKOK: -- Road accident prevention has been put on the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Mr Abhisit was addressing a seminar of the Network for Road Safety held in Bangkok this morning.

The prime minister said more than 12,000 people were killed in road accidents last year, an average of 33 road deaths a day.

Traffic accidents were costing the country several hundred billion baht in economic losses each year.

To achieve the goal, the government had set up a centre for road safety and was in charge of road accident prevention throughout the country.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-20

several hundred billion in economic losses due to the death of 12 thousand people -- hmmmmm

calculating just one hundred billion divided by twelve thousand means those people that died were earning:

100,000,000,000/12,000 = 833,333baht a year...... EACH?????

I must have the wrong job

When they talk about the economic losses ie cost, then I think they are talking about the things like accident investigation fees(minimal?!!), hospital costs, collateral damage, compensation, that sort of thing.

When I worked for the Police in the UK several years ago, one of the Scene of Crime Officers told me that the average cost per each road death was one million pounds, horrifying.

[apetley]

Road safety now a national agenda

BANGKOK: -- Road accident prevention has been put on the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Mr Abhisit was addressing a seminar of the Network for Road Safety held in Bangkok this morning.

The prime minister said more than 12,000 people were killed in road accidents last year, an average of 33 road deaths a day.

Traffic accidents were costing the country several hundred billion baht in economic losses each year.

To achieve the goal, the government had set up a centre for road safety and was in charge of road accident prevention throughout the country.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-20

This figure is only those that die at the scene. Those that succumb to their injuries in hospital will not be in the 'official' figures.

The true figure is between 25k and 30k deaths per year.

[MyphuketLife]

First the Airport, then customs, now road safety.

Go Abhisit!

Has he been reading the letter page of the Bangkok Post?

if any of it happens good, but TiT and well we all know how these stories usually turn out, all talk no action.

[arkom]

Step 1. Fire anyone who sells license for 500 thb or what ever.

Step 2. Revoke everyone's license

Step 3. Make everyone take a real driving test like those in the US or Europe, not a obstacle course that just about anyone can pass.

But I'll bet it won't help, cause Bangkokians are ok with corruption.

[sunnymarky]

Road safety now a national agenda

BANGKOK: -- Road accident prevention has been put on the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Mr Abhisit was addressing a seminar of the Network for Road Safety held in Bangkok this morning.

The prime minister said more than 12,000 people were killed in road accidents last year, an average of 33 road deaths a day.

Traffic accidents were costing the country several hundred billion baht in economic losses each year.

To achieve the goal, the government had set up a centre for road safety and was in charge of road accident prevention throughout the country.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-20

It does make one chuckle , I live in a town or small city 100 KMs north of Bangkok and it has busy roads intersections ,junctions converging . It is basically bedlam on the roads at peak hours and even in off peak times it is very busy . With shops and markets alomgide all these roads there are vehicles (usually pick ups and motorbikes) parked, often Double parked, as a policeman looks on as well . I have seen 3 accidents in the last 2 months with motorbikes usually involved , but the craziest part of all of this is the fact there is not ONE single pedestrian crossing, even where there are a 4 way set of traffic lights and shops all around people have to dodge the traffic to cross. I see how drivers know how to push the traffic lights to the extreme, going through red because they have 5 seconds before the green showing on another queue. Near misses are regular. Of course all this happens while one or two "policemen" are sat in their box watching TV.

Of course Abhsit won't get far with this. Law enforcement is needed by the Police and he ain't gonna get far pushing that agenda.

A mad place that is probably mirrored in other areas in Thailand. I leave here at the end of my employment next month. Now... I have to go get some food at the TOPS across the road.. Wish me luck

Edited August 20, 2009 by sunnymarky

[JoeThePoster]

the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade

Wonder what they are going to do with so many half-dead people driving around then.

[TAWP]

several hundred billion in economic losses due to the death of 12 thousand people -- hmmmmm

calculating just one hundred billion divided by twelve thousand means those people that died were earning:

100,000,000,000/12,000 = 833,333baht a year...... EACH?????

I must have the wrong job

When they talk about the economic losses ie cost, then I think they are talking about the things like accident investigation fees(minimal?!!), hospital costs, collateral damage, compensation, that sort of thing.

When I worked for the Police in the UK several years ago, one of the Scene of Crime Officers told me that the average cost per each road death was one million pounds, horrifying.

And most people in accidents don't die but there are still costs for society.

[Scott]

Enforce the laws, all of them, all of the time. Accidents will be reduced.

[salty]

Enforce the laws, all of them, all of the time. Accidents will be reduced.

Undoubtetly but like most other laws completely ignored.

[Datsun240Z]

Uhm yeah, if everything went by the book, thailand would be like the west.

[FD333]

Apetley

"This figure is only those that die at the scene. Those that succumb to their injuries in hospital will not be in the 'official' figures.

The true figure is between 25k and 30k deaths per year".

Started reading this thread and was going to post the same info. Some years ago when this got some exposure in the press - ie crash victims who died in a hospital bed rather than the crash site were recorded as dying of "natural causes'- I believe the estimated figure of actual traffic related deaths was considerably higher than 30,000!

[NormanW]

First the Airport, then customs, now road safety.

Go Abhisit!

Has he been reading the letter page of the Bangkok Post?

Don't get too carried away. Remember that so far it's all just words and no action. Seeing is believing and Abhisit has to start delivering real change in the next few months or by this time next year he will be history.

More pompous splutterings, more PR waffle lacking any real action, more "commitees" staffed by his cronies and hangers-on!

The answer to Thailand's road carnage is so simple and blatantly obvious - get the police to actually enforce the existing road safety laws, as opposed to using them as a source of "income supplement".

Of course, that would need root and branch cleansing of the BIB, so it just won't happen. Unless by some miracle, Little Mark grows some balls!

Have to agree with this, here here!

Regards

[dale8]

Hello, this might give the BIB a good excuse to make more traffic stops so they can extract more on the spot fines. These crackdowns are a good motivational tool to increase the wealth of more BIB, and I hope more people will be more serious about driving as no one wants to be killed or maimed from the actions of a drunk driver. Cheers.

[sokal]

Road safety now a national agenda

BANGKOK: -- Road accident prevention has been put on the national agenda with the aim of cutting the annual death toll by half within the next decade, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

Mr Abhisit was addressing a seminar of the Network for Road Safety held in Bangkok this morning.

The prime minister said more than 12,000 people were killed in road accidents last year, an average of 33 road deaths a day.

Traffic accidents were costing the country several hundred billion baht in economic losses each year.

To achieve the goal, the government had set up a centre for road safety and was in charge of road accident prevention throughout the country.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-08-20

dam_n, I like the roads the way they are. Its like playing grand theft auto on playstation