New Helmet Laws Introduced As Fatality Rate Soars In Thailand

[ericthai]

What a joke, compulsory helmet zones!!!!! When a helmet is actually worn, it's one made of plastic. If the government is really serious about the issue, make it compulsory to wear helmets all the time by everyone on the bike. Setup a minimum standard for helmet quality, and educate Thai's that a motorbike was designed for a capacity of 2 max. Not an entire family of 5.

Actually it has already been a law for several years that you have to wear a helmet, hence the police always making money stopping people for not wearing helmets the new addition to the law makes no sense.

[richard_smith237]

I have a well educated Western female friend who always uses moto-taxis and always refused to wear a helmet as it messes with her hair. As someone who refuses to utilize the moto-taxi at all, the idea that a 'so called educated person' refuses the helmet makes me cringe....

A lot more could be done and perhaps the best and most effective way would be to use simple 'Road Safety' advertising campaigns on TV (between the Thai Soaps)....

Some people, as my friend above are too stubborn and it makes me somewhat annoyed that they risk hurting others when they have been careless for their own safety.

[phaethon]

You're all on Double-Secret Probation Now....

[bbradsby]

Told the misses several times but she still put her helmet in the bucket.

IT WILL RUIN MY HAIR......

...tell her 'So will the blood and the surgical scars!"

[dinooz]

I have a well educated Western female friend who always uses moto-taxis and always refused to wear a helmet as it messes with her hair. As someone who refuses to utilize the moto-taxi at all, the idea that a 'so called educated person' refuses the helmet makes me cringe....

A lot more could be done and perhaps the best and most effective way would be to use simple 'Road Safety' advertising campaigns on TV (between the Thai Soaps)....

Some people, as my friend above are too stubborn and it makes me somewhat annoyed that they risk hurting others when they have been careless for their own safety.

I agree time to advertise. its being done here in australia where helmet laws are manditory and saftey standards high but still the need for education. Are you looking Mark? http://www.motorcyclesafety.qld.gov.au/index.php/qt/tvc/out_here_tv_commercial

[jaltsc]

Hey...Don't mess with natural selection. Anyone not intelligent enough to protect themselves should be selected out of the gene pool. Besides, what good is a helmet when you have three people sitting behind you, your cell phone in one hand, a cigarette in the other and are trying to steer you motorbike with your knees?

[ginjag]

You guys bitch about having more then 2 on bikes and helmet quality, you go pay for an extra bike or car and a nice helmet for a poor thai family then. They don't even have mosquetto nets or shutters and any toilets in the NE let alone these luxuarys.

Get real.

Long night?

If you can afford a motorbike for 20k baht (used), you can also afford a helmet for 200 baht. Which, despite being a little piece of plastic and foam, will be way better than nothing.

Agreed- I live in Issan-----most dads thrive on lao kow-- as for toilets-discusting most-not clean--houses same--no pride-no parental control, have money for underground lottery, gambling. I,m NOT knocking thais---some of the people are good folk, YOU get real. and face up to whats doing out there. But I do agree there are some very poor people out there---if your that poor you should clean your act up BEFORE you buy a motor bike.

[bhoydy]

Sorry to go against the grain here, but i don't think the problem is the wearing or not of helmets. The main problem is that most people have not learned to ride a motorcycle properly and also as previously mentioned overload the bike with extra people, possibly because they don't have a bike and need a lift to wherever. The other problem is that there is really no major checking for drink driving which probably is one of the main factors, although it's not necessarily the motorcyclist who is drunk. The road laws are not enforced in Thailand as they are in other developed countries but this is a well known fact so is there really any point in going on about it so much. Speaking of developed countries there are 3 states in the USA where it is not compulsory to wear a helmet for anyone and 27 more states only require some riders to wear a helmet. Personally i only wear a helmet if i am driving to school because i have to. The rest of the time i don't because i don't have to unless i'm going a long distance and going on some main highways. There is a high death rate on the roads in Thailand, obviously because there are a lot of motorcycles but it will take a lot more than a small ad campaign to reduce this. Just look at Songkran, now that's a time when i don't even get on my bike.

[Kwasaki]

Anoraks

This is Thailand, don't forget to wear your hard hat under coconut trees.

[SomTumTiger]

Certainly nice to let people know about the value of helmets - I would imagine that most know already but don't care. They don't call them "Donor-cycles" for nothing.

[kennalder]

You guys bitch about having more then 2 on bikes and helmet quality, you go pay for an extra bike or car and a nice helmet for a poor thai family then. They don't even have mosquetto nets or shutters and any toilets in the NE let alone these luxuarys.

Get real.

Yes, but they all have 3-10 thousand baht telephones which they are using as they ride down the road against traffic without a helmet!

Now you get real.

[Colabamumbai]

This will only happen when the cops give out the helmets (free) after you pay them the tea money for not wearing one.

[landofthefree]

I do not think any of the helmets sold in Thailand would pass even i safety regulation in Oz and few other countries.

There are helmets available that meet international safety standards but most are priced well out of the average Thai's budget.

As for this new law, what a fookin joke, I would like to see the stats of helmetless people killed within government zones versus those killed outside of government zones.

What? So a 50,000 baht motorbike is within their budget but not a decent helmet? I think your argument is flawed.

What is the issue is the Thai's dissregard for safety issues. I live in a soi with a kindergarden on it. Most parents

pick their kids up on motorbikes and noone wears a helmet even though they could easily walk. home It comes down to selfishness, laziness and not caring

maybe part of Thai culture?

[slapout]

The picture in post 39 while almost comical, especially the bucket tot, if it did not typify the typical attitude displayed here.. On the morning school run (0700) the % without helmets is close to 70%+_ in CM (police ignore lawbreakers), during the daytime (police working at road checks) it goes down to 35%+_ (my count by observation). The latter still contributes a fair amount to the police coffers as they run them 5 days a week. I think for any laws to be adhered to/followed and enforced a somewhat disciplined society is a prerequisite. My observation would indicate that the law enforcement is a lax as the lawbreakers discipline, so I drive a truck.

[jayjay0]

S

You guys bitch about having more then 2 on bikes and helmet quality, you go pay for an extra bike or car and a nice helmet for a poor thai family then. They don't even have mosquetto nets or shutters and any toilets in the NE let alone these luxuarys.

Get real idiots.

Long night?

If you can afford a motorbike for 20k baht (used), you can also afford a helmet for 200 baht. Which, despite being a little piece of plastic and foam, will be way better than nothing.

So poverty is an excuse for not following the law is it??

Most families own helmets, but choose not to wear them. Fairly sure that some of those poor NE families you talk of have enough cash for dads beer as and when he wants it.

Question of priorities. getting smashed or brain smashed in??

If familiies can't afford helmets then clearly there is a need that requires a solution. Perhaps the government could make helmets freely available when a bike is bought then no one has any excuses.

Good idea. If they would incorporate the helmet into the cost of the bike no room for discussion it would help. A 10,000 baht fine for selling a bike with out a helmet. It would definitely be a step in the rite direction.

Just having one is not good enough if you don't use it. The other night I was crossing the street and could just barley see a motorbike coming at me. It was night time and he had his helmet in his basket in front of the head lite. some times you just have to stand back shake your head and laugh.

On another note it is not only the Thais who go helmet less.

[GTV]

Given the number of motorbikes in use, the prevalence of drinking (or drugs) & driving, the lack of use of helmets, the overloading, the number of children on bikes, the standards of driving generally and the condition of many of the roads in Thailand, I'm astonished as few as 6000 are killed in a year. That's really impressive!

[OzMick]

Most of the helmets that I have seen for sale here are adequate for the speeds at which most Thais travel; 50-60km/hr max. High impact plastic will hold the impact absorbing styrofoam together just as well as carbon fibre at these speeds, without a B10,000 price tag which is mostly retailer profit.

Full face helmets are fine for higher speeds, but the lighter the better as deaths have been attributed TO the helmet breaking the neck.

It would not be hard to pass legislation requiring every bike sold to have an accompanying helmet. With every new bike that I have bought here, I have been given a free helmet. Then, there is no acceptable excuse for not wearing and it is down to enforcement. A group of corruption busting cops riding helmet-less and arresting BIB demanding bribes would be a good start.

I would also claim proper eye protection just as important as a helmet - if you can't see you can't dodge. No, sunglasses aren't good enough.

My pet hate, and I'm sure the cause of many fatalities here, is the modification of bikes that seems to be a death-defying statement of bravado/machismo/idiocy. Coloured headlight bulbs, razor thin tyres (usually bald), removal of indicators, mirrors and even rear brakes, lowering the front end while jacking up the rear, oversize brakes to go with undersize tyres, removing the brake light bulb, etc etc. My stepson was forced to have mirrors on his bike, so he pointed the arms towards his chest - most plants have more sense!

[moetownblues]

Why the need for helmet wearing zones when it has been law for years that you have to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike?

Really is it already a law in Thailand? You would never know it I even see the police getting around without a helmet.

[jayjay0]

Given the number of motorbikes in use, the prevalence of drinking (or drugs) & driving, the lack of use of helmets, the overloading, the number of children on bikes, the standards of driving generally and the condition of many of the roads in Thailand, I'm astonished as few as 6000 are killed in a year. That's really impressive!

Actually it is 11,000 6,000 of them are head injuries.

I completely agree with you and bhoydy

Teach them the safe way to ride. That will help a lot. You are bang on about the condition of some of the roads here in Thailand.

People caught riding with out a helmet should be forced to attend a class with information and pictures of people after a accident who didn't wear helmets. Second offense go to two classes.

There was some talk earlier about the availability of Decent helmets but no mention of cost. Perhaps[s some one could post what they paid for there proper helmet.

[GTV]

Given the number of motorbikes in use, the prevalence of drinking (or drugs) & driving, the lack of use of helmets, the overloading, the number of children on bikes, the standards of driving generally and the condition of many of the roads in Thailand, I'm astonished as few as 6000 are killed in a year. That's really impressive!

Actually it is 11,000 6,000 of them are head injuries.

I completely agree with you and bhoydy

Teach them the safe way to ride. That will help a lot. You are bang on about the condition of some of the roads here in Thailand.

People caught riding with out a helmet should be forced to attend a class with information and pictures of people after a accident who didn't wear helmets. Second offense go to two classes.

There was some talk earlier about the availability of Decent helmets but no mention of cost. Perhaps[s some one could post what they paid for there proper helmet.

Ah yes, I was going on "According to Public Health Ministry records in 2009, 11,751 people - or about 30 per day - were killed in road accidents. About 6,000 of these cases were motorcyclists." - The article is inconsistent and it says elsewhere that 6000 are head injuries. 6000 or 12000, I remain impressed at the resilience of these people.

I was in a wat in Songkhla once when a young chap was stopping anyone who'd listen to him, to show them the enormous indentation in his head, and to plead with them to always wear a helmet when using a bike. Perhaps if more survived, they could do the same to get the message across.

When my wife and I hire 'bikes in Thailand, I am usually offered only one helmet. When I hand that to my wife and wait expectantly to be given another, I'm usually regarded quizically before I am offered one. Of course, they will be of the washing-up-bowl variety but I find that keeps me focused on steering well clear of dangerous situations.

[Spoonman]

I find it amusing the amount of people who do have helmets and only put them on their heads as they pass a policeman.... soon as they are past the helmet is back off the head into the front basket.

Edited December 14, 2010 by Spoonman

[warfie]

Why the need for helmet wearing zones when it has been law for years that you have to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike?

or why have very low helmet safety standards? defeats the whole purpose of a helmet.

I do not think any of the helmets sold in Thailand would pass even i safety regulation in Oz and few other countries.

I mean having a salad bowl on your head, hardly will protect your head, if anything will cause even more damage

the 'salad bowl' might protect you from the sun....

I wear a BMW helmet... even if I only ride a Honda Dream 100cc

the contents of my skull are worth something to me, even if to no-one else....

[bonobo]

During the course of last year, I saw five dead motorcyclists lying in the road.  Only one had on a helmet (unfortunately, a baht-bus went over his body, so no helmet could have saved him.)

The year before, I saw a dead young woman on the side of the road.  We were told that she was barely moving when she either touched a truck coming up to a stop light or the truck touched her, and she fell over, hitting her helmetless head on the curb.  She barely looked injured, no obvious sings of trauma.  But she was killed instantly.

And this year, a friend was coming over, this time wearing a helmet.  Her moto-taxi was hit by another motorcycle, and she hit the pavement, shattering her helmet.  SHe came close to passing, but she eventually came out of her coma and now is recovering, albeit with difficulty still in speaking.  The helmet probably saved her life, but a better one would have probably kept her from severe brain trauma.

[warfie]

During the course of last year, I saw five dead motorcyclists lying in the road. Only one had on a helmet (unfortunately, a baht-bus went over his body, so no helmet could have saved him.)

The year before, I saw a dead young woman on the side of the road. We were told that she was barely moving when she either touched a truck coming up to a stop light or the truck touched her, and she fell over, hitting her helmetless head on the curb. She barely looked injured, no obvious sings of trauma. But she was killed instantly.

And this year, a friend was coming over, this time wearing a helmet. Her moto-taxi was hit by another motorcycle, and she hit the pavement, shattering her helmet. SHe came close to passing, but she eventually came out of her coma and now is recovering, albeit with difficulty still in speaking. The helmet probably saved her life, but a better one would have probably kept her from severe brain trauma.

Actually, now I think about it, my helmet cost more than my bike....

yes, agreed, the helmet laws are already in place, just waiting for the BiB to enforce (and not just when it suits them).

Some people never learn... My {late} friend would never wear a helmet, even after she fell off the back of a bike {sitting side-saddle}

[tominbkk]

Always a good idea to have the laws, but I've seen many moto accidents in progress, and it is almost always that they are driving crazy and without heeding any rule that autos have to. Car drivers are supposed to coddle the boys on bikes, they just cut you off with impunity and flip you off as they go by. Not much sympathy from my side in this matter.

[warfie]

Always a good idea to have the laws, but I've seen many moto accidents in progress, and it is almost always that they are driving crazy and without heeding any rule that autos have to. Car drivers are supposed to coddle the boys on bikes, they just cut you off with impunity and flip you off as they go by. Not much sympathy from my side in this matter.

Got to agree.... The only time in my life I have ever hit a M'bike was here in TH... he didn't indicate or (obviously) even look when he cut in front of me.

I had no time to brake, honk or anything... suddenly his bike was in my headlight.... (no, I mean the ACTUAL headlight)... guess who paid for the damages?

Some education and responsibility would not go astray....

Oh, and even though it doesn't really matter (since they didn't come off) neither the rider nor his pillion were wearing a helmet.

[warfie]

why did that give me an error about replying too often and then double quote?

Edited December 14, 2010 by warfie

[cook]

Forget education, parents, TV and newspaper campaigns, free helmets, etc. The only way to ensure people do wear helmets is for the police to enforce the law. However, here in Thailand people appear to treat the police with contempt.

Vietnam has many more motorbikes on the road than Thailand, and there was no helmet law. So no-one wore helmets. Then a few years ago a helmet law was introduced, and now everyone wears them. I am guessing that the Vietnamese have a more effective police force than Thailand.

The helmets here do have a compulsory standard (TIS 369-2539 (1996)). The standard is mostly intended for the material used in construction, rather than crash testing. However, if you hit your head it will save your life in most accidents. You can easily buy a helmet with this standard for under 200 baht, which is cheaper than the fine for not wearing a helmet (500 baht at the police station, or 200 baht negotiable at the scene).

I am not sure but ... although the Thai standard appears to be less safe than helmet standards in other countries, you are breaking the law if you wear an expensive imported helmet.

[Fatboysrule]

The real problem is that Thai's think helmets are to protect you from the Police, not protection in an accident. The moment they pass the police they take their helmets off and put them in the front basket until the next police check point.

Why the need for helmet wearing zones when it has been law for years that you have to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike?

[drdoom6996]

Why the need for helmet wearing zones when it has been law for years that you have to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike?

or why have very low helmet safety standards? defeats the whole purpose of a helmet.

I do not think any of the helmets sold in Thailand would pass even i safety regulation in Oz and few other countries.

I mean having a salad bowl on your head, hardly will protect your head, if anything will cause even more damage

Exactly, quality helmets should be made mandatory if helmets are mandatory. However, for a bright few, there are places where proper helmets can be purchased in Pattaya and Bangkok.