Government Kicks Off Drive Safe Campaign For New Year Holiday

[edwinchester]

Stop aged farangs trying to drive like they did at home - only drunk!

Stop young feckless farangs trying to drive like they did back home - only drunk.

You don't see many 70 year olds driving around Pattaya on high powered motorbikes as if they were competing in the Isle of Man TT races.

If farangs were responsible for a disproportionate number of RTA's I would agree with you, but they don't.

[kennalder]

Stop speeding motorcyclists going between cars, all drivers (cars and motor cycles) overtaking on the left and then pushing back into slow moving traffic, fine bus drivers who do not stay in the left lane, disqualify people who run red lights, remove stupid police from operating automated traffic lights and running 5 minute intervals per side... oh what's the use...

It still works and the deaths reduce the numbers ... T.I.T.

Geez, hate to say it but you might be right. I got hit on my bicycle while waiting to make a right turn. Two girls on a motorcycle 10 feet over the center double lines, while I patiently (read stupidly) waited for oncoming traffic to pass. As soon as all was clear I started to make my turn and WHAM!

If they are going to solve the problem it has to start with a drivers ed program in the schools, then follow it up with enforcement on the roads. Oh crap, it won't happen. Stupid is as stupid does!

[featography]

Stop aged farangs trying to drive like they did at home - only drunk!

You got that right. Drunk and without helmets, copying thai driving on the wrong side of the roads.......

[featography]

maybe if the took everyone off the road who didnt have a "real" driving licence or insurance, that would be a start, then stop them riding and driving down the wrong side of the road, what about driving with their lights on or replacing bulbs in the rear lights, I wish I had 10 baht for every car and motorbike i have seen driving at night with no rear lights. and explaining that the rear view mirror is for checking behind you and not for checking your hair or make up. but my favourite must be the ones who have their whole family on their motorbike and they are on the phone or even sending a text while driving one handed............. that should hit the target of a 5% reduction in accidents........ to reduce accidents is easy, just teach the new generations to drive or ride a bike, and make them take a test with an honest instructor/examiner then make them all pay insurance to cover the unexpected............. and when that happens, wake me up cos i will be dreaming....

While youre dreaming, estimate how any additional BIB would be needed to enforce all that nationwide. I dont think all the farang combined have enough money to pay the tea tax for that many BIB

[finnomick]

What's the point of trying to educate kids at school about road safety ? They already go to school on motorbikes, usually 3 or 4 up, no crash helmets, no license, no insurance, NO SENSE. Sit outside any school at 4pm and watch the nice policeman stop all the other traffic so these kids, all riding illegally, can rev up and fly off down the road home. I've seen a motorbike t-bone another motorbike in Chiang Mai. End result, 5 schoolkids lying in the road. No crash helmets. Who pays ? Who cares ? I've been stopped in the local town in my pick-up and duly informed by the very courteous policeman that I should be wearing my seat belt -- safety first. I thanked him for pointing out my error and duly buckled up. But as usual, families, kids and whoever else rides by, no helmets, phones on the go, up to 5 on the bike but they are not stopped and told the error of their ways and SAFETY FIRST. I gave up caring long ago. Finally, nice answer Boyblue.

[featography]

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

I am Italian and agree 100 per cent. Thais drive very slowly compared to Italians and are more polite drivers. If in Italy we had the big roads they have here, 3 or 4 lanes, and not so many controls by police, people would just drive as fast as they can.

I didn't mean to pick on Italians, I am from Miami and trust me the drivers are crazy there also. Miami is now mostly latinos from South & central America and they tend to be a little hot headed or maybe coked-out. I remember when my friend came from Miami to visit Phuket he commented to me that he didn't think the drivers here where that bad. It's all relative to what your used to. I would be happy if they would just fix the lights on their motorbikes...no excuse for that.

Yes laffin outloud, fix the lights on their motorbikes, so they can cover them with plastic bags of food loaded in the basket. I've been shaking my head over that one for years. Baskets in front of the headlights, and is no one selling small saddlebags for that task??

[bikerlou47]

The driving habits of the Thai's are not ever going to change not in our lifetime because no one really cares about making driving safer in this country.

But what small things could Thais do to make driving safer without really changing driving habits.

LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS

make sure all your lights work and you TURN THEM ON!

make sure TRUCKS CLEAN THEIR REAR LENSES

DO NOT CHANGE THE COLORS!

I saw a motor bike a few weeks ago and he had a good idea change your head light to red and your rear light to white!

Thats it forget about everything else...... just work on LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS very simple..... doesnt cost much money and thousands of lives would be saved.

What ever happened in the evolution of driving in this country that the people decided that lights were optional? I really would like to know.

I do know what they are thinking and that is if they can see where they are going in the night then why do they need to turn on their lights....and of course having a red tail light will never help them see where they are going so why bother having one..?

I have driven thousands of miles in this country and I have seen so many unbelievable things on the highway and many of them I do understand!

I know why they have these dangerous u -turns and I understand

I know why they dont stop at intersections and I understand

I know why they drive between cars and I understand

I know why they drive drunk and I understand

I know why they put 5 people on a motorbike and I understand

I know why they drive motorbikes while carrying umbrellas and talk on the cell phone and I understand

I know why they drive in the middle of the road making a 2 lane highway a 3 lane highway (where i grew up we had a highway with a 3rd lane in the middle and we called it the suicide lane) and I understand

but not turning lights on at night I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND!

TURN ON YOUR dam_n LIGHTS AT NIGHT!

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

[Brunus]

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

I am Italian and agree 100 per cent. Thais drive very slowly compared to Italians and are more polite drivers. If in Italy we had the big roads they have here, 3 or 4 lanes, and not so many controls by police, people would just drive as fast as they can.

I didn't mean to pick on Italians, I am from Miami and trust me the drivers are crazy there also. Miami is now mostly latinos from South & central America and they tend to be a little hot headed or maybe coked-out. I remember when my friend came from Miami to visit Phuket he commented to me that he didn't think the drivers here where that bad. It's all relative to what your used to. I would be happy if they would just fix the lights on their motorbikes...no excuse for that.

No offense taken. What you wrote about Italian drivers is true. As a people, we Italians have many defects (like everybody else in this world), and this is one of them. I remember having the same impression of your friend's, the first time I came to Thailand. Thai drivers are not so bad. Then of course you could enforce the law as we do in Europe, but then (like others have said) the country wouldn't be the same. Thailand is unique the way it is.

[koto]

Nice pic of Abhisit, he looks a bit like those missionaries on a bicycle. The ones that makes your realize that religion sucks.

Instead of kicking of just another campaign, the government should improve the standards all together...

Ha if the Thai government would listen to all the smart people we have on thaivisa, the country would be so much better, people would be so much smarter, and this would be heaven on earth...

flg

I often wonder, every place farangs have been, they have made it worse then it was, let the Thais do it there way, yes it takes time, cha,cha...

[JetsetBkk]

Nice pic of Abhisit, he looks a bit like those missionaries on a bicycle <snip>

I thought he'd spotted a red shirt and was wearing one of these:

[JetsetBkk]

I often wonder, every place farangs have been, they have made it worse then it was, let the Thais do it there way, yes it takes time, cha,cha...

Indeed.

By the way, you know where those plastics bags and bottles are going to end up, don't you.

[chris22]

Employ English Driving Instructors

I will be the first in line

Just pay in beer and noodles

Fed up with teaching in the rain in UK.

Edited December 8, 2009 by chris22

[tracer]

what does a 7 day campaign mean? Which part of the so far unenforced laws are they going to enforce? I can see it now, deciding on which ones to enforce, and for whom. So let's see, no riding the wrong way on a street, or kids under 18 w/out helmets, text messaging while driving, text messaging while driving and balancing an infant, riding on the shoulders, ( i guess that's ok, they probably should've made the roads wider, seat belts, that's a good one, car seats are out of the question, can't make someone buy something they don't have, even if required. 3 on a bike, 4 on a bike, 2 adults and 3 children on a bike? Good thing it's only for 7 days, no one likes to be called a jerk.

4 on a bike is nothing, One time I saw 5! and in 2 cases 3 people were having a pig with them...

Whatever, I would imagine that most streets in town if they are busy are watched anyway, but if you want to have fun go and look near the villages! If you look around at how many people wear a helmet it should be easy to catch many violators!

[hhiser]

OK all you skeptics, it's worth a try...

What exactly are they trying? What are the details of this campaign? The news article does not go into any details about the campaign. I believe the posters to this thread are right to be cynical.

[Miami Bob]

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

I am Italian and agree 100 per cent. Thais drive very slowly compared to Italians and are more polite drivers. If in Italy we had the big roads they have here, 3 or 4 lanes, and not so many controls by police, people would just drive as fast as they can.

I didn't mean to pick on Italians, I am from Miami and trust me the drivers are crazy there also. Miami is now mostly latinos from South & central America and they tend to be a little hot headed or maybe coked-out. I remember when my friend came from Miami to visit Phuket he commented to me that he didn't think the drivers here where that bad. It's all relative to what your used to. I would be happy if they would just fix the lights on their motorbikes...no excuse for that.

Yes laffin outloud, fix the lights on their motorbikes, so they can cover them with plastic bags of food loaded in the basket. I've been shaking my head over that one for years. Baskets in front of the headlights, and is no one selling small saddlebags for that task??

Yes I agree, no lights on the motorbikes is my number one "pet pev" about Thailand. My one great fear in this country is pulling my pickup out in front of a motorbike I can't see coming and the Thai or maybe the whole family dies and then I'm in deep doo-doo!. Your comment about the basket is one reason why I bought a Honda click because the lights are below the basket. I also agree with the poster who said that Thais think if they can see where they are going it's safe...I don't think it even enters their mind that the car driver cannot see them! All they have to do is take a few seconds to check the lights at the helmet roadblocks they already have set up and it would be another easy source of income for the state and the individual cops...so why don't they do that? I will never understand Thai logic! [ or I should say lack of it ]

[RickBlaine]

One of the most frightening things I saw on my first visit was guys bowling along, in the dark, on the wrong side of the main Udon Thani road, with no lights on. I only saw them at the last moment as my car lights reflected on them! Closing speed over 100 Kph.

When I started volunteering here and saw my first fatal teenage motorbike accident, I asked about road safety, and school campaigns and... mai mee (no have).

Well, I know what tonights lesson will be.

[Brunus]

Watch this video. I think it's Vietnam.

[reallyok]

Stop aged farangs trying to drive like they did at home - only drunk!

You have most obviously never driven outside of Thailand !

[JatujakShopper]

What I have never been able to understand is how the friendly, cordial Thai person who is so helpful and pleasant when met on foot turns into a selfish, inconsiderate and dangerous menace behind the wheel. It perplexes me! Just try crossing a road at a crosswalk- the oncoming drivers will actually SPEED UP to avoid having to lose 5 seconds of their time to let another human being cross the road! It is exceptionally rare that a Thai driver will ever give a pedestrian a break OR a brake!

One morning walking across an empty petrol station parking lot a driver of a sedan still managed to clip me hard with their side mirror! I thought they did it on purpose and when I chased them down they swore they hadn't seen me- I'm 6 feet tall 240 lbs, how could they miss me? If they hadn't been a totally normal looking middle aged couple there would have been a brawl, but they were so obviously clueless and frightened of me that I had to walk away- in that case they were just completely negligent. In other cases, drivers here simply don't care if they hit you or not, you, the pedestrian, are intruding on THEIR road.

Seriously, Thailand has got to apply some driver training, common sense and basic good manners to their drivers. People ARE getting hurt and killed! How wonderful it would be to see the police passing out fines to drivers who refuse to obey Thai Law (yes, pedestrians do have right of way, it's just completely ignored) by not stopping (or even slowing down a bit) for people crossing the road, especially at crosswalks, which are meaningless stripes on the pavement to drivers. Sadly, I doubt I will ever see that day, shame, shame, shame.

Really, it's inexcusable.

[portpower]

Maybe if they sacked 50% of the police force and paid the other half a reasonable wage maybe just maybe they would work for a living.In all my travels throughout Thailand i have never seen an RBT unit set up.Or a highway patrol vehicle ever ever pull over a 160 km plus speeding driver or a tail gater.But i suppose 95% of drivers in Thailand have never really done a Real driving test? So what do you expect

[hhiser]

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

You do have some valid points, it is surprising that even though Thais' do not have mandatory driver's education they must pass to acquire a licenses there are a lot fewer accidents then 1 would expect. In addition not having to worry about punitive fines and lost of licenses does not encourage adherence to rules. But that said I wish it could be better, I want the Thais' to institute drivers' training courses. I would hope education and not punitive actions would improve drivers awareness. 1 of the best Thai driver I have met is completely laid back, and lets people cut in front of him. I just can not drive like this, to much experience in the more aggressive driving style in the US (not road rage). I believe in the right of way and carelessly cut someone off without looking is unconscionable. I must adjust my driving style to suit Thailand, but would hope they could adjust theirs to suit the realities of the road.

[GungaDin]

Nice pic of Abhisit, he looks a bit like those missionaries on a bicycle. The ones that makes your realize that religion sucks.

Instead of kicking of just another campaign, the government should improve the standards all together...

Ha if the Thai government would listen to all the smart people we have on thaivisa, the country would be so much better, people would be so much smarter, and this would be heaven on earth...

flg

How very true, my little thai fwend.......

[RPCVguy]

I find it interesting to compare areas of similar size and population to see what patterns arise. While I am constantly amazed at the seemingly few accidents amid the lack of adherence to traffic safety concepts, the problems multiply greatly over the drinking of extended holiday partying. Here is data over the 7-day New Year period, compared to a comparable area and population in the USA during their holiday partying period.

Area__________Sq.Miles__________Population______Recent Holiday Fatalities

Thailand______198,000________65,000,000____373_____over 7-Day New Year Holiday

New York________47,224__________18,976,457______??______12/21/07 to 1/2/08

Illinois___________55,593__________12,901,563______??______12/21/07 to 1/2/08

Pennsylvania_____44,820__________12,448,279______32______11/21/07 TO 1/1/08

Ohio____________40,953__________11,485,910______14______12/21/07 to 1/2/08

New Jersey________7,419___________8,682,661______23______12/21/07 to 1/2/08

5-State Area___196,009________64,494,870____138___if similar to NY and IL are similar

Drinking and driving never mix well. In Thailand, the results are nearly three times as bad as for a similar size population and land area. Beyond drinking, basic drivers ed would definitely help, though I don't see who will begin the process.

[ianh68]

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, director of the Road Safety Operation Centre, said that caravans of vehicles will leave Bangkok for upcountry provinces to promote the campaign.

Why is this necessary? Why is there no infrastructure upcountry for delivering a campaign? How much will these caravans cost? And what happens if a caravan is involved in an accident?

[ThaiPauly]

Why is this necessary? Why is there no infrastructure upcountry for delivering a campaign? How much will these caravans cost? And what happens if a caravan is involved in an accident?

[scotbeve]

What I have never been able to understand is how the friendly, cordial Thai person who is so helpful and pleasant when met on foot turns into a selfish, inconsiderate and dangerous menace behind the wheel. It perplexes me! Just try crossing a road at a crosswalk- the oncoming drivers will actually SPEED UP to avoid having to lose 5 seconds of their time to let another human being cross the road! It is exceptionally rare that a Thai driver will ever give a pedestrian a break OR a brake!

One morning walking across an empty petrol station parking lot a driver of a sedan still managed to clip me hard with their side mirror! I thought they did it on purpose and when I chased them down they swore they hadn't seen me- I'm 6 feet tall 240 lbs, how could they miss me? If they hadn't been a totally normal looking middle aged couple there would have been a brawl, but they were so obviously clueless and frightened of me that I had to walk away- in that case they were just completely negligent. In other cases, drivers here simply don't care if they hit you or not, you, the pedestrian, are intruding on THEIR road.

Seriously, Thailand has got to apply some driver training, common sense and basic good manners to their drivers. People ARE getting hurt and killed! How wonderful it would be to see the police passing out fines to drivers who refuse to obey Thai Law (yes, pedestrians do have right of way, it's just completely ignored) by not stopping (or even slowing down a bit) for people crossing the road, especially at crosswalks, which are meaningless stripes on the pavement to drivers. Sadly, I doubt I will ever see that day, shame, shame, shame.

I was stopped at a red pedestrian light in the right lane on one of the outer moat roads in Old Chiang Mai city. There was a nice big motorcycle (Thai) driver BEHIND ME and in what one could be called a "lane" line up or "formation", and a red "songtaew" taxi (mafia -owned) da_mn near run over the poor western lass tourist as she (just about) got past my forward left front. I sat on my horn after 2 short toots and the Thai motorcyclist went after him and kicked his door in - brought a tear to me eye and made my day!! BTW - this was during the motorcycle meet and show this past weekend....

Really, it's inexcusable.

[rfukata]

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

I don't think there's too much criticizing just commenting. I'm sure we all love it here and have never had it so good. Honk your horn in the UK and you might get stabbed in the face so yes they're well mannered here! That aside manners don't save lives and neither do silly speed restrictions. 90km for a saloon car but 120km for a pickup with a granny and 4 kids sitting in the back. The line's got to be drawn somewhere!

true; only if they are more analytically capable which in my opinion aren't.

having seasonal safety campaigns only curbs accidents during the given period. Thailand needs to

overhaul its entire motor vehicle licensing - revoking every citizens license and re-testing their abilities

of traffic comprehensions, safety, maintenance, and general driving etiquettes.

[scotbeve]

For years I've been listening to Farangs badmouthing Thai drivers but I don't think they are really that bad when you consider that there is little or no threat of being stopped for any moving violation or drunk driving. What would it be like back in Farangland if the police suddenly announced they will no longer be stopping people for DUI, speeding, reckless driving, etc. ? ....I submit the streets would be flowing with blood. The Thai's are actually rather laid back and well behaved when you factor in no police cars in the mirror or cameras everywhere like the UK for example. One thing I immediately loved about Thailand is they rarely honk their horns. I remember many years ago driving in circles around the coliseum in Rome honking our horn, waving our fists out the window while laughing our heads off....no one even noticed because they were all doing the same thing!! Meanwhile it seems like almost every Farang I know here in Phuket has had at least one accident and they were always at least a little drunk. So we have no room to criticize.

I don't think there's too much criticizing just commenting. I'm sure we all love it here and have never had it so good. Honk your horn in the UK and you might get stabbed in the face so yes they're well mannered here! That aside manners don't save lives and neither do silly speed restrictions. 90km for a saloon car but 120km for a pickup with a granny and 4 kids sitting in the back. The line's got to be drawn somewhere!

true; only if they are more analytically capable which in my opinion aren't.

having seasonal safety campaigns only curbs accidents during the given period. Thailand needs to

overhaul its entire motor vehicle licensing - revoking every citizens license and re-testing their abilities

of traffic comprehensions, safety, maintenance, and general driving etiquettes.

rfukata,

I'll back you up on this one 100%. But start with childrens bicycle safety.

[Sisaketmike]

Nice pic of Abhisit, he looks a bit like those missionaries on a bicycle. The ones that makes your realize that religion sucks.

Instead of kicking of just another campaign, the government should improve the standards all together...

Ha if the Thai government would listen to all the smart people we have on thaivisa, the country would be so much better, people would be so much smarter, and this would be heaven on earth...

flg

and i guess, never see a traffic jam again, because most of peaple woudln't pass a Real driving test anyway, so the roads would be free of vehicles. But than again, this isn't Europe and i think it's better so. If all the law would be enforced like Euroe and USA, i would not stay here anymore.

I guess nothing will change this year.

[Sherlocke]

Again with drink driving we get a lot of opinions voiced blaming OTHERS for the problems of drink drive.

I would say there is nothing worse than listening to an overweight farang complaining that the motorcyclist he just hit came out of a side street without looking......when the OTHER side of the story is the FARANG had been drinking (only a couple - honest) and he would have been able to avoid the cyclist if only his inhibitions and reactions hadn't been affected by alcohol.

Edited December 11, 2009 by Sherlocke