This Kind Of Thing Makes Me Sick To My Stomach !

[tigerfish]

o.k. boys and girls, sorry but this is a rant !

just been out this evening with the good lady wife for a bite to eat in the Prathunam district on the corner of Petchburi rd. sitting on the walkway enjoying the food and taking in everything that's going on around us, when a 7 series beemer rolls up and out jumps a family of five followed by mum clutching a baby exiting from the drivers side door.o.k. me thinks, don't jump to false conclusions. maybe the baby was in dads arms all through the journey and now wants to be with mum. never mind the fact that the child looks fast asleep.

ten minutes or so pass and the said family now rocks up after obviously buying some kind of take out food to go home with and baby is still in mummy's arms. opens the doors, everyone jumps in and proceeds to drive off still holding onto the baby who is still fast asleep. and yes, i and the wife did make a point of actually confirming with each other what we had just seen.

now i know i should know better after seeing these kind of things many times before in the ten years or so that i have spent on and off in Thailand, but <deleted>, excuse me ! do these people ever take anything in ?

after all that's happened in the last few weeks with all the crack downs and checks on drivers after the incident with the 16 year old girl that killed people in a car that she shouldn't of been driving in the first place whilst texting on her mobile.

i can only hope for the child's shake that they all got home safely tonight, but with role models like her mother to look up to who is to say she is not going to be another 16 year old road accident driver waiting to happen.

rant over, sorry.

TF

Edited January 14, 2011 by tigerfish

[Thongkorn]

I totaly agree with you , i think the same , But it does not only happen in Thailand , i am a profesional driver in the UK , I have seen some stupid things from eating, shaving, putting make up on , and the usual , on the phone , I have also seen a man in a van with probly his son on his knee steering the van while dad does the pedals and changes gear.I have lost count of how many dogs that are lose in cars that jump from seat to seat as the car is being driven.

[davee58]

Proceeds to drive off still holding onto the baby who is still fast asleep

Christ, Hope she did not spill her beer!

[tigerfish]

I totaly agree with you , i think the same , But it does not only happen in Thailand , i am a profesional driver in the UK , I have seen some stupid things from eating, shaving, putting make up on , and the usual , on the phone , I have also seen a man in a van with probly his son on his knee steering the van while dad does the pedals and changes gear.I have lost count of how many dogs that are lose in cars that jump from seat to seat as the car is being driven.

yes me too Thongkorn, spent the best part of 12 and a half years chucking 7. 5 tonne trucks around London and the home counties for a living, seeing all sorts. the thing is though, back home you may have gotten away with it if not seen. if seen and they would throw the book at you. out here who knows, as has been proven so many times.

[bonobo]

This is a dangerous practice which puts the baby at risk. But it is not confined to Thailand. Britney Spears was photographed driving with her baby in her lap.

[IanForbes]

Just consider it the Darwin theory where children are expendable. How about 12 year old boys riding scooters in Thai traffic? Or, where the hill tribe people bring their children into the city to beg at night. There is no way the children can get a proper education when they have to work until 2 AM around bars every night.

[Valentine]

Just consider it the Darwin theory where children are expendable. How about 12 year old boys riding scooters in Thai traffic? Or, where the hill tribe people bring their children into the city to beg at night. There is no way the children can get a proper education when they have to work until 2 AM around bars every night.

I reckon the beggars are run by criminal gangs otherwise they would not be able to sit on the sidewalk half the night.

[thaimate]

There is much we see in Thailand that we do not condone ,but the answer is the same as that i would give to an immegrant to Britain who complained ,home then go . not in that order though

if we dont like it we know what we can do .

ps my neigbour does the same thing ,while using her mobile (and no doubt putting on her makeup)

[Soutpeel]

I really dont see the problem, after all its a 7 series she is driving, safe as houses....and its only the poor people who get hurt in car accidents..

[mahtin]

Earlier in the week up in the sticks (Khon Kaen province) I saw a motorised samlor driver who looked about 9 years old.

I seriously doubt any of the motorcyclists there have a licence.

[transam]

Worse than that tf is women up here riding motorbikes with babies on the handle bars. The other day saw two women on a bike with two babies squashed between them , but sadly here there is no law as far as safety is concerned, only where cash is concerned.

[Beetlejuice]

I have actually witnessed Thai women balancing babies or young toddlers on their shoulders on motorbikes.

The Thai attitude is, the worst has not happened yet, so why worry about it?

This is all part of living in Thailand, so these days I just accept things for what they are and it doesn`t bother me anymore.

As long as I don`t do the same things, so what?

Live and let live I say; or in some cases, live and let die, it`s their funeral.

[Ciaphas]

I recently had to take the youngest to Bangkok hospital in chantaburi and what astounded me was the amount of people who spoke to me about the infant car seat, it was like they had never seen one before.

[Soutpeel]

it was like they had never seen one before.

They havent....

[gregb]

This is all part of living in Thailand, so these days I just accept things for what they are and it doesn`t bother me anymore.

As long as I don`t do the same things, so what?

The "so what" is because then 16 year olds who have been trained to believe that anything goes on the roads in Thailand get behind the wheel without a license and proceed to ram your van leading to the deaths of your wife and children who were unlucky enough to be inside.

There is little I can do about these kinds of disgusting displays of negligence, but I will never "accept it". It is a travesty that needs to be pointed out at every opportunity to anyone who will listen, and repeated over and over to those who won't.

The Thai way is not always the best way. Sometimes we farangs manage to get a thing or two right.

[transam]

This is all part of living in Thailand, so these days I just accept things for what they are and it doesn`t bother me anymore.

As long as I don`t do the same things, so what?

The "so what" is because then 16 year olds who have been trained to believe that anything goes on the roads in Thailand get behind the wheel without a license and proceed to ram your van leading to the deaths of your wife and children who were unlucky enough to be inside.

There is little I can do about these kinds of disgusting displays of negligence, but I will never "accept it". It is a travesty that needs to be pointed out at every opportunity to anyone who will listen, and repeated over and over to those who won't.

The Thai way is not always the best way. Sometimes we farangs manage to get a thing or two right.

BUT, the Police, who's job is to enforce the laws that ARE there, are not interested, so what chance has any one got whether Thai or farang.

[tigerfish]

This is all part of living in Thailand, so these days I just accept things for what they are and it doesn`t bother me anymore.

As long as I don`t do the same things, so what?

The "so what" is because then 16 year olds who have been trained to believe that anything goes on the roads in Thailand get behind the wheel without a license and proceed to ram your van leading to the deaths of your wife and children who were unlucky enough to be inside.

There is little I can do about these kinds of disgusting displays of negligence, but I will never "accept it". It is a travesty that needs to be pointed out at every opportunity to anyone who will listen, and repeated over and over to those who won't.

The Thai way is not always the best way. Sometimes we farangs manage to get a thing or two right.

amen, finally !

[pjclark1]

Nothing like a bunch of expats trying to impose the silly western safety laws in a different culture.

We come here for more personal freedom, then complain when we see others using that freedom.

TiT, learn to live with it.

[Cobalt60]

Amazing Thai Visa, someone shows some concern and compassion for a baby and still some posters manage to tell him to go home if he dont like it and learn to live with it, this is Thailand, well done

[transam]

Amazing Thai Visa, someone shows some concern and compassion for a baby and still some posters manage to tell him to go home if he dont like it and learn to live with it, this is Thailand, well done

Agree,

If the Police did their job and not look after their own private interests then many young lives would be saved. Nothing to do with Thai freedom, we have more actual freedom in the west but laws to keep us alive are in place and policed.

[neverdie]

I will take this as far as saying, if anyone rides in my car, they will have a seat belt on - NO EXCEPTIONS.

As for everyone else & what they do, its up to them. Last time I checked the population in Thailand was still increasing, which means more are being born than what are dying. It may sound a little harsh, but sobeit.

I do honestly believe that there should at least be an option inside public vehicles such as minivans and buses, so for those who want to buckle up, can actually do it.

Children are too young to make the decisions for themselves & should always be restrained, however that seems unlikely to happen in a place like this and the enforcement issues arnt likely to improve significantly in the next couple of centuries either.

The sad thing out of all of this is, someone who is trying to be safe & do the right thing might eventually be involved in a collision where there vehicle they hit has unrestrained people which are killed as a result & had they been restrained perhaps not, yet they are going to reap the consequences of such a situation.

You can moan and whinge until the cows come home, but me thinks it wont make an iota of difference.

Edited January 15, 2011 by neverdie

[Soutpeel]

You can moan and whinge until the cows come home, but me thinks it wont make an iota of difference.

Correct, and the other thing to consider is this....In Thailand, under Buddhist beliefs, people believe all events in their lives are pre-ordained, therefore if a person and the extended family get on a motor bike with the family pig and dont wear helmets/overload..or get in a car and drive fast or dont wear seat belts, it doesnt matter because if its their time to go, its time to go...safety equipment, following the rules doesnt come into it....if its their fate that day so be it...there is nothing they can do to control it...

Just another perspective

[neverdie]

Yep yep, theres no need for seatbelts & helmets and speed restrictions or any safety at all for that matter when you have a coupla buddhas glued to your dashboard and the mandatory roof lining paintings & maybe an amlute or two around ur neck.

what cha worried about TF

[transam]

Yep yep, theres no need for seatbelts & helmets and speed restrictions or any safety at all for that matter when you have a coupla buddhas glued to your dashboard and the mandatory roof lining paintings & maybe an amlute or two around ur neck.

what cha worried about TF

I've got all of those.

[neverdie]

ohh tranny u will be rite then proceed to the top of the class

[transam]

ohh tranny u will be rite then proceed to the top of the class

I lied, haven't got the dash buddha cos she said l look like one so not need.

[happyrobert]

Amazing Thai Visa, someone shows some concern and compassion for a baby and still some posters manage to tell him to go home if he dont like it and learn to live with it, this is Thailand, well done

Agree,

If the Police did their job and not look after their own private interests then many young lives would be saved. Nothing to do with Thai freedom, we have more actual freedom in the west but laws to keep us alive are in place and policed.

No, wearing a seatbelt is not a freedom if there is a $250 fine for not wearing it. It is a freedom if the adult can choose for themselves. A $250 fine is another way of saying tax. I don't need laws to keep me alive. I've done just fine on my own.

Darwin called it natural selection, and we've been interfering with it for years. Now we need even more laws to protect the stupid from themselves. Then they reproduce and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[transam]

Amazing Thai Visa, someone shows some concern and compassion for a baby and still some posters manage to tell him to go home if he dont like it and learn to live with it, this is Thailand, well done

Agree,

If the Police did their job and not look after their own private interests then many young lives would be saved. Nothing to do with Thai freedom, we have more actual freedom in the west but laws to keep us alive are in place and policed.

No, wearing a seatbelt is not a freedom if there is a $250 fine for not wearing it. It is a freedom if the adult can choose for themselves. A $250 fine is another way of saying tax. I don't need laws to keep me alive. I've done just fine on my own.

Darwin called it natural selection, and we've been interfering with it for years. Now we need even more laws to protect the stupid from themselves. Then they reproduce and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Fine until someone has to scrape you off the road eh..

Bit like the smoker who thinks cancer will not happen to them.

Edited January 15, 2011 by transam

[Thongkorn]

Nothing like a bunch of expats trying to impose the silly western safety laws in a different culture.

We come here for more personal freedom, then complain when we see others using that freedom.

TiT, learn to live with it.

Or die by it, A gun in any hands is dangerous, it does not matter which country or Culture you are in.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Thongkorn

[IanForbes]

I love children and hate to see them treated as expendable, but this is Thailand where I have little or no control other than people who are in my immediate company. In Canada I see the same thing with the First Nation's children. An 8 year old child is supposed to look after a toddler playing in a busy parking lot while the parents are off drinking somewhere. The hospitals are FULL of First Nations children who were in some preventable accident. There are funerals every week for some child playing in traffic. Whose responsibility is that? My ex wife was a nurse and many of our friends were nurses. I heard all the stories.

I wouldn't treat a dog like I see some children treated.