Phuket City Police Helmet Crackdown Starts Tomorrow

[webfact]

Phuket City Police helmet crackdown starts tomorrow

D-DAY: Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Wanchai Ekpornpit at the start of the public awareness campaign that kicked off in late April.

PHUKET: -- After more than two months of public awareness campaigning, Phuket City Police will tomorrow begin the enforcement of a long-ignored traffic law requiring all motorbike riders – including passengers – to wear crash helmets.

Thai traffic law states that both drivers and passengers without helmets can be fined up to 500 baht. A driver transporting a passenger not wearing a helmet is subject to an additional fine of up to 1,000 baht.

Superintendent Wanchai Ekpornpit said that stepped-up enforcement of the law could save about 30 lives annually in Phuket City Police District, which covers Rassada, Wichit and Koh Kaew as well as Phuket Town.

A random review by police of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage taken in the district in February and March this year revealed that about 60% of motorbike riders wore crash helmets, compared to just 4% of passengers.

Among riders, helmet use plummeted to just 25.4% after dark, when fewer traffic police are on duty, the survey found.

Another disturbing trend revealed by the CCTV images was the correlation between helmet use and age.

A higher percentage of adults don protective headgear than teenagers, while helmet use among children and infants was described as ‘non existent’.

Government statistics regarding helmet use among motorcycle riders in the USA revealed that helmets were 35% effective in preventing death and 67% effective in preventing brain injuries according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Statistics released by the injury surveillance unit at Vachira Phuket Hospital for the period covering June 2008 to November 2009 revealed that some 70% of motorbike riders involved in accidents requiring hospital treatment in Phuket weren’t wearing helmets.

Young riders, between the ages of 15 to 30, form the group at highest risk.

Young riders were also 2.9 times more likely to be involved in motorbike accidents requiring hospital treatment and 2.6 times more likely to die in motorbike accidents, the researchers found.

Muang District is where 66.3% of all accidents in Phuket take place, followed by Thalang (18.6%) and Kathu (15.1%).

The vast majority of road accidents in Phuket, 87.6% overall, involve motorbikes.

Research by the US-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety shows that per vehicle miles traveled, motorcyclists are about 21 times more likely die in traffic accidents than people in cars.

For a Gazette editorial on this subject written after the crackdown was announced in late April click here

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-06-30

[gotlost]

Looks like the Phuket BIB need some extra money.

[Boater]

will they also check for underage drivers, drivers with no insurance and drivers with no licence? .....

[neverdie]

will they also check for underage drivers, drivers with no insurance and drivers with no licence? .....

You actually expect them to 'multi' task for 8,000 baht per month?

Get real, all sorts of stuff will go down around them & they will miss it.

Anyway, good step to enforce the helmet laws, now if only they would pick the standard of helmet thats required up, of course, none of really expect the 299 baht special from Lotus is going to cut it in an accident.

[surayu]

what about all those public officers using their own personal vehicles while on duty? let's get a crackdown on them!....no maybe to fine your boss is not such a good idea , but when i see a BiB sitting behind a fruit stall or one of those mobile lottery tickets i get strange feelings, let alone the ones drunk as a skunk, ah ah:lol:

[fiddlehead]

One day last week I counted 8 policeman on motorbikes in 2 hours.

Only 2 were wearing helmets.

I commend the lawmakers. But i foresee a problem with the enforcers.

[ausinpatong]

You actually expect them to 'multi' task for 8,000 baht per month?

Get real, all sorts of stuff will go down around them & they will miss it.

Anyway, good step to enforce the helmet laws, now if only they would pick the standard of helmet thats required up, of course, none of really expect the 299 baht special from Lotus is going to cut it in an accident.

got to agree with you re; the poor quality helmets you can get away with wearing..

if the new laws really are about saving lives, it makes a mockery of these laws

reaistically it means just more money per intercept, ie ;

instead of fining just the helmetless rider 300 or 500 and helmetless pillion no fine, they can now..if i read it right get

500 for rider and 500 for pillion for each not wearing helmets..plus 1000 baht for the rider allowing a pillion to be onboard without a helmet..of course if you are 'law abiding' no problems

thtas the way i interpret this law and if so the BIB will be very happy:ph34r:

[neverdie]

One day last week I counted 8 policeman on motorbikes in 2 hours.

Only 2 were wearing helmets.

I commend the lawmakers. But i foresee a problem with the enforcers.

Okay, I am not trying to be rude here, but perhaps you should educate yourself prior to making assumptions. The Police not wearing helmets, are NOT required to wear them.

Under section 122 of the Land Traffic Act of 2522, Police are exempt from wearing a helmet, as are monks, people wearing turbans or other religions which require wearing headwear.

[asiawatcher]

Have to agree with the comment on the helmet! There was a campaign running years ago that stated ... "If you have a $10 head wear a $10 helmet - other wise wear an Arri Full Face". Most of the "plastic caps" being used as brain buckets you see on riders heads here would split or shatter on impact and probably cause more injury in minor accidents than road rash. Split plastic can sever, cut, pierce and maim heads, eyes, faces and necks just as easily as a knife.

You would think if helmets are mandatory then a standard would apply to the helmet manufacturers but each step forward is one less to take. Right now it will be a money making exercise for the BIB and not much else.

[ausinpatong]

Have to agree with the comment on the helmet! There was a campaign running years ago that stated ... "If you have a $10 head wear a $10 helmet - other wise wear an Arri Full Face". Most of the "plastic caps" being used as brain buckets you see on riders heads here would split or shatter on impact and probably cause more injury in minor accidents than road rash. Split plastic can sever, cut, pierce and maim heads, eyes, faces and necks just as easily as a knife.

You would think if helmets are mandatory then a standard would apply to the helmet manufacturers but each step forward is one less to take. Right now it will be a money making exercise for the BIB and not much else.

you got it 100% right re; the crap helmets mate

yes how can you force people to wear a helmet [just any helmet] which may or may offer any degree of protection to the wearer...whats is the point ? yeh, yeh i know...baht for BIB

the rediculously cheap ones absolutely can not offer any degree of protection, but also i do realise that the price being higher does not automatically make the helmet better.

[Eurod]

Looks like the Phuket BIB need some extra money.

This has to be the most ridiculous law in Thailand for many reasons ...

The helmets supplied with a rental bike are usually broken, or so poor quality that they wouldny pass a building site regulation ..

BOTH people on the bike have to wear them, ( and if you look around Phuket , there are street signs to say this!)

but only the driver is ever told to...

The cops themselves frequently flout the law ( yes, I know... dont say it..) they wear those silly caps, or no helmet..

Oh yeah the law applies to Asian and non asian people apparently..

and finally.. there are more than two roads which it is illegal to ride without a helmet...

waste of time

[Eurod]

One day last week I counted 8 policeman on motorbikes in 2 hours.

Only 2 were wearing helmets.

I commend the lawmakers. But i foresee a problem with the enforcers.

Okay, I am not trying to be rude here, but perhaps you should educate yourself prior to making assumptions. The Police not wearing helmets, are NOT required to wear them.

Under section 122 of the Land Traffic Act of 2522, Police are exempt from wearing a helmet, as are monks, people wearing turbans or other religions which require wearing headwear.

and why not ? .... TIT... stupidity and unfairness again

[Valentine]

It took me 15 minutes to get through the Central intersection yesterday just before 2pm & there were also long lines around the the Merlin Hotel. The police were already in full view controlling the lights. Who knows if this had anything to do with the crackdown. Another TV headline states "police to crackdown on pirated goods". Crackdown headlines come out on a regular basis & quite often are just old ones regurgitated. If all the laws were steadily enforced there would be no need for crackdowns. However, the anouncements do assist many to escape the crackdowns as do those which state the names of people they plan to arrest on criminal charges. A better headline would be "police crackdown nets ......"

[ausinpatong]

It took me 15 minutes to get through the Central intersection yesterday just before 2pm & there were also long lines around the the Merlin Hotel. The police were already in full view controlling the lights. Who knows if this had anything to do with the crackdown. Another TV headline states "police to crackdown on pirated goods". Crackdown headlines come out on a regular basis & quite often are just old ones regurgitated. If all the laws were steadily enforced there would be no need for crackdowns. However, the anouncements do assist many to escape the crackdowns as do those which state the names of people they plan to arrest on criminal charges. A better headline would be "police crackdown nets ......"

have seen quite a few motorcycles even tho raining and still some without helmets ..riders as well as pax

also a few westerners..i guess a few thousand baht doesn't worry the ''walking ATM's''

[neverdie]

One day last week I counted 8 policeman on motorbikes in 2 hours.

Only 2 were wearing helmets.

I commend the lawmakers. But i foresee a problem with the enforcers.

Okay, I am not trying to be rude here, but perhaps you should educate yourself prior to making assumptions. The Police not wearing helmets, are NOT required to wear them.

Under section 122 of the Land Traffic Act of 2522, Police are exempt from wearing a helmet, as are monks, people wearing turbans or other religions which require wearing headwear.

and why not ? .... TIT... stupidity and unfairness again

I don't know if its unfairness. These sort of exemptions appear within the law all around the world, I'm not saying always for motorcycle helmets but for similar things such as seat belts etc etc.