Alcohol Related Deaths Kill 3 Thais Every Hour On Average

[hhiser]

I wonder if Thailand actually required driver's education before being allowed on the roads with either a motorcycle or car. Would that then decrease the number of road fatalities. Further since your driving style drunk and sober are related, sure you might take more risks when you are inebriated, but in general a good driver does not completely abandon caution when drunk. Third young Thais imitate what they see older Thais are doing, so if a drunk adult runs a stop light and barely avoids get crushed by on coming traffic then the adolescent motorist will do the same whether they are sober or drunk. Also like many people posting before me. I fail to see how imported expensive alcohol is the prime culprit in this sordid affair. I think Thai Beverage is  afraid of the competition. 

[maprao]

Before we built her house we used to stay at the in laws. They used to leave water and a glass outside the front patio next to the road for passersby to drink. They would stop chat then move on. I conducted an experiment:

Placed a bottle of Lao Kao next to the water with a small glass. Would put it out about 6.00am. It brought smiles to many people and was usually finished up very quickly. Unfortunately I could not stop as it was then expected. I also noticed more people walking up the road in the morning then before I started the experiment.

Strangely enough I do not drink at all unless I am in Thailand! (and for the record I do not drink lao kao!)

Edited November 19, 2010 by maprao

[garyh]

I wonder if Thailand actually required driver's education before being allowed on the roads with either a motorcycle or car. Would that then decrease the number of road fatalities. Further since your driving style drunk and sober are related, sure you might take more risks when you are inebriated, but in general a good driver does not completely abandon caution when drunk. Third young Thais imitate what they see older Thais are doing, so if a drunk adult runs a stop light and barely avoids get crushed by on coming traffic then the adolescent motorist will do the same whether they are sober or drunk. Also like many people posting before me. I fail to see how imported expensive alcohol is the prime culprit in this sordid affair. I think Thai Beverage is afraid of the competition.

There seems to be a lack of care about personal safety whether on the road or where ever. How do you educate people to think before they act, if I do that will it hurt me?

[DP25]

Further since your driving style drunk and sober are related, sure you might take more risks when you are inebriated, but in general a good driver does not completely abandon caution when drunk.

Everyone thinks they're a great drunk driver until they kill someone

[GM1955]

"The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths),

alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%).

http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30

Now, I expect all of you highly intelligent Farangs to stop Smoking and Drinking immediately upon seeing these horrific figures.

Any one gonna stop Smoking or Drinking after viewing figures like these ?

Didn't think so.

Edited November 19, 2010 by GM1955

[craigt3365]

"The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths),

alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%).

http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30

Now, I expect all of you highly intelligent Farangs to stop Smoking and Drinking immediately upon seeing these horrific figures.

Any one gonna stop Smoking or Drinking after viewing figures like these ?

Didn't think so.

I'll give this some thought after the hangover wears off!

[tim armstrong]

ONE WONDERS ..

what percentage of farangs in LOS .

have serious drink problems .

p.s. mine is not due to imported boose .

chang :jap:

A really good question. No stats. are kept by anyone for farlang, other than within some hospitals, as far as I know, but it is very high, especially amongst retired farlang living in the main cities. Anecdotal evidence is easy to get by a visit to Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket bars, or other places most evenings and especially on weekends. About 66% of road accidents both for thais and farlang are alcohol related. Alcohol related suicides are also in the 60%range. My professional guess is that farlangs who drink alcohol on most days of the week, and live here more or less continuously, whatever their age, probably reduce their life expectancy by about 20 years. But that is based on observation of people with problems, rather than hard evidence.

[sbk]

Off topic post removed, keep it pertinent thanks

[hhiser]

I wonder if Thailand actually required driver's education before being allowed on the roads with either a motorcycle or car. Would that then decrease the number of road fatalities. Further since your driving style drunk and sober are related, sure you might take more risks when you are inebriated, but in general a good driver does not completely abandon caution when drunk. Third young Thais imitate what they see older Thais are doing, so if a drunk adult runs a stop light and barely avoids get crushed by on coming traffic then the adolescent motorist will do the same whether they are sober or drunk. Also like many people posting before me. I fail to see how imported expensive alcohol is the prime culprit in this sordid affair. I think Thai Beverage is  afraid of the competition.

There seems to be a lack of care about personal safety whether on the road or where ever. How do you educate people to think before they act, if I do that will it hurt me?

My quick response would be to point out that the key is already a present in Thailand. This is the Noble Eight Fold Path which is taught in Theravada Buddhism http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html. Which has been completely ignored in Thai society in favor of "Maipen Rai" which is a bastardization of the 4 Jhanas. The Noble Eight Fold Path not only teaches you to meditate on whether something hurts you but also others as well. 

[hhiser]

Further since your driving style drunk and sober are related, sure you might take more risks when you are inebriated, but in general a good driver does not completely abandon caution when drunk.

Everyone thinks they're a great drunk driver until they kill someone

I never intended to claim that drivers education would make you a "great" drunk driver. But I will say that a drunk driver who has not underwent drivers education is a far more dangerous drunk driver.