Government Kicks Off Drive Safe Campaign For New Year Holiday

[Rumfoord]

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. Cracking down on officials selling drivers licenses would help already. Even better is a ban on all those people who learn their family members drive. Prison sentences for uninsured drivers will help too.

The funny campaigns are no more than gimmicks that try to make an government with a blue eye and damaged nose a bit better.(while we all know that's impossible).

you got the wrong impression, complete different then those bible boys on bicycle. here are some more photos from the funny campaign:

more photos at the government website: http://media.thaigov.go.th/pageconfig/albu...76&pageno=1

[Bagwan]

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.

What percentage of the population is classified as farang? 1% or less? So this minuscule group (in numbers) is solely responsible for the appalling traffic accident statistics? Get real. With your grasp of reality a Thai Government Ministerial post could be yours for the asking.

P.S. I noticed that you chose to mention being overweight, God only knows why. Does a few extra pounds make any difference? BTW you forgot balding, tattooed and scruffy. You of course are a young, slim, smart lor man.

[Bagwan]

Anybody remember when a Government Minister (one of Takky's crew, but that isn't relevant) was travelling in his personal convoy with police escort when somebody had the temerity to overtake. He flew into a rage and ordered that all the police man take driving lessons. Appearing in the Post a few days afterwards was a picture of said cops sitting in a classroom each holding a steering wheel. What made it even funnier was that given the position of their hands on their wheels ALL would have failed the UK driving test.

Can you imagine a Thai taking the UK driving test and being asked what was the colour of the car immediately behind them? I can well imagine the response. 'What has that got to do with the price of fish?'

An episode of The Two Ronnies comes to mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-adalHNeBDE Totally hilarious!

One of my pet annoyances is that drivers stopped at a red light use the foot brake as witnessed by their stop lights glowing. I wonder what they think the handbrake is for. Two of my American friends think that this is perfectly acceptable. They think that it is petty to put the gear stick in neutral and apply the handbrake. Although I have pointed out that if you are rear ended in the UK, and in those circumstances it is not unknown for your foot to be jarred off the pedal, you'd be liable for damage to a vehicle in front of you if were pushed into it, they cannot accept that it is a safe practice. At night extended exposure to the stop lights can impair night vision.

Will somebody please initiate a poster campaign reminding drivers and riders that they are in control of a lethal weapon?

[worldfun]

interesting stats of US vs. TH accidents during holiday season.

the thing that easily explains the ~ 3x larger death toll in TH is the make up of vehicles i.e. high percentage of motorbikes & high number of passengers per bike.

so overall Thai drivers aren't much worse than others they just have a 'bad mix' of vehicles & perhaps less than perfect road designs etc. E.g. the horrible uturns on 6-8 lane high speed roads come to mind :-(

[fiercesnake]

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.

Hey how about this: I was actually instructed by a police officer that that is what I should do when driving my bike. I should "undertake" on the left, even if it's a bus pulling in to the left lane. I found this out when I overtook a stopped bus into the next lane only to find the usual gaggle of BIB on the other side of the bus stop pulling over any hapless motorcycle driver that failed to undertake the stopped buses, even though passengers were getting on and off the bus.

Clearly it was just another scam so I payed my tea money for the BIB, refused to argue (what's the use) but then realized that if so many motorbikers are going to get hit up anyway even if they try to obey the law, or use common-sense, then why would any of these people bother to obey the rules. If they are going to get hit up for doing right or wrong, may as well just do wrong and just pay up when the time comes! TIT!

[worldfun]

"instructed by a police officer that that is what I should do when driving my bike. I should "undertake" on the left"

so what do you think the law is exactly about overtaking?

I think the law allows for overtaking left, right & center as long we're talking multi lane roads (3 lanes up perhaps?) or something like that.

so yeah maybe a perfect 'loop hole' for tea money, but learn with it or continue to bitch & moan :-)

happy overtaking!

[Brunus]

"instructed by a police officer that that is what I should do when driving my bike. I should "undertake" on the left"

so what do you think the law is exactly about overtaking?

I think the law allows for overtaking left, right & center as long we're talking multi lane roads (3 lanes up perhaps?) or something like that.

so yeah maybe a perfect 'loop hole' for tea money, but learn with it or continue to bitch & moan :-)

happy overtaking!

It happened the same to me. The policeman told me that by law, motorbikes can stay only on the left lane, so you can't overtake on the right, even if the vehicle in front of you stops. I think this is one of the reasons why many Thais overtake a bus on the right, putting in danger passengers getting off.

[Brunus]

I forgot. Another time I was on the left lane riding my motorbike. A car getting out from a department store didn't wait for me to pass and put itself in front of me very slowly. In order to avoid a sure crash I overtook the car. Unfortunately police was 20 meters ahead. Stopped and fined 400 Baht. The officer didn't accept my explanation or tea money.

[Sherlocke]

There's a common misbelief that "undertaking" is illegal in UK - I would think here there is definitely a "keep to the left" law and the rest would flow from that - hoever nothing in Thailand in law seems to flow or follow logic....so.........???

[Brunus]

I forgot. Another time I was on the left lane riding my motorbike. A car getting out from a department store didn't wait for me to pass and put itself in front of me very slowly. In order to avoid a sure crash I overtook the car. Unfortunately police was 20 meters ahead. Stopped and fined 400 Baht. The officer didn't accept my explanation or tea money.

And the police didn't stop the car that didn't wait for me to pass even if he had to. Talking about safety, this guy almost caused a crash and I was fined.

[Daewoo]

Well, I have just returned to Australia having done 3,000km on a motorbike in 10 days, and 1,000 km driving a car...

In Australia, population 24million, (a bit less than half of Thailand) we have just hit 1,450 deaths this year, and we can expect another 150-170 over christmas/new years...

In Australia;

Much less drink driving (heavily policed, very harsh punishements).

Much less speeding (very heavily policed, very harsh punishments).

Much lower motorcycle usage (hard to get a licence, less socially acceptable, cars more affordable).

100% Helmet usage.

Driving age 17.

Typically greater space between cars on open roads.

Typically better disciplin when overtaking.

Relatively, I think that driver skill in Thailand is actually much higher than here. In Thailand, drivers deal with vehicles traveling at multiple speeds. (small motorbikes, slow trucks and buses, very fast saloons, occasional very fast motorbike ... here in Australia, if two cars are traveling at different speeds, they struggle to pass each other without a colision...

Thai drivers manage to share their lane without running into each other... here in Australia, in many colisions side to side and head on, both cars have some room to move within their lane, or out of their lane, but instead crash into each other because the though of just moving over doesn't come into their head, let alone if a motorbike was stupid enough to ride beside them...

Thai drivers manage to overtake when there is no gap in oncoming traffic, yet not crash into each other... In Australia, where the oncoming car will be fashing and honking if they have less than a minute to spare, if you are caught on the wrong side of the road, you WILL have a head on crash...

Here, I feel the only think keeping speeds low is heavy penalties. In Thailand, I was usually the fastest on the road, because the freedom immediately went to my head...

While I would never go so far as to say Thai's are good drivers, moving onto the wrong side of the road when you can not see enough to know you can complete the manouver safely is just gambling... drink driving is rampant (I include myself there, although not drunk, but over the limit for Australia and Thailand)...

To improve safety, there really needs to be a change in mindset through education, law enforcement is a poor substitute for informed choice...

Helmet law education and enforcement, even a cheap helmet is better than none,

Strict enforcement of speed limits for minors, and only permiting them to ride to/from school... to me a 15YO boy on a scooter is a receipe for disaster, no amount of education will stop a boy showing off for mates/girls...

Seat Belt eduation and law enforcement & no traveling in the back of pickups, especially on high speed roads, ...

I don't have the answer to the drink driving issue, in Australia it is not socially acceptable to drive even a little drunk, and penalties are high, but taxis are very expensive. In Thailand, the convenience outways the penalty (or enforcement), and it is more acceptable...

Aside from that, I think that the Thai's do pretty well... I enjoy riding in Thailand far more than at home where I am constantly concerned about being booked for speeding, and I know drivers will make NO ALLOWANCE for other vehicles...

I was heartened to see in in Khon Kaen;

Random breath testing in place,

Almost everyone in town wears a helmet (due to enforcement by proper fines),

Pretty good adhearence to traffic signals.

Cheers,

Daewoo

[Sherlocke]

I've driven in both countries extensively and would tend to agree with the comments above - I've also driven in Europe and US and I have to say that countries like Germany Netherlands and UK have higher "skilled" drivers and ones with more roads sense, common sense and safety sense than anywhere else.

The standard of driving in Oz is "average" at best - I think the levels of traffic, type of car and road design leads to a relaxed form of driving that requires not a lot of extra skills - in Thailand to stay alive you need to be able to drive - those who have problems can't/shouldn't drive and maybe should consider getting off the roads.