Thai Govt Declares Success In Its 'Zero Songkran Holiday Death' Campaign

[Thaddeus]

Perhaps the authorities will focus on helmet wearing again for Songkran 2013. Hoping that people will stop drinking and throwing water at Songkran is unrealistic. Wearing a helmet is easy to do, and easy to catch people not doing.

And with the quality of helmets worn here, a cardboard box would offer the same protection.

[nkg]

Perhaps the authorities will focus on helmet wearing again for Songkran 2013. Hoping that people will stop drinking and throwing water at Songkran is unrealistic. Wearing a helmet is easy to do, and easy to catch people not doing.

And with the quality of helmets worn here, a cardboard box would offer the same protection.

I do see some Thai wearing proper helmets now - the vast majority obviously don't, though. Whenever I ask Thais why they don't wear helmets, they tell me that helmets are too hot. They have a point. All the best bike helmets are designed with a Western climate (and budget) in mind. If somebody invented a helmet that kept you feeling cool and looked OK, that person would make a lot of money.

[farang000999]

This almost trumps the Minister of Science who asked citizens not using their boats to let the government borrow them in it's attempt to push water by keeping the motors going, undoubtably a fan of cartoons.

[farang000999]

Farang don't like helmets either, it would prevent them from showing off their shiny dome.

[Skywalker69]

This almost trumps the Minister of Science who asked citizens not using their boats to let the government borrow them in it's attempt to push water by keeping the motors going, undoubtably a fan of cartoons.

It´s Thailand entering the space-age.

[Thaddeus]

Perhaps the authorities will focus on helmet wearing again for Songkran 2013. Hoping that people will stop drinking and throwing water at Songkran is unrealistic. Wearing a helmet is easy to do, and easy to catch people not doing.

And with the quality of helmets worn here, a cardboard box would offer the same protection.

I do see some Thai wearing proper helmets now - the vast majority obviously don't, though. Whenever I ask Thais why they don't wear helmets, they tell me that helmets are too hot. They have a point. All the best bike helmets are designed with a Western climate (and budget) in mind. If somebody invented a helmet that kept you feeling cool and looked OK, that person would make a lot of money.

Those helmets do exist, and the designers/manufacturers of them do make a lot of money, a properly vented helmet designed for a hot climate is way out of the price range of the average Thai, the helmets they can afford are next to useless, I dropped one once, it only fell two feet and snapped in half.

Real driver education and a real driving test with a police force that apply the rules above enhancing their pockets is the only thing that will make any difference.

//edit/ that and stopping drunken morons from throwing buckets of water at moving vehicles.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Thaddeus

[rubl]

Having worked my way through all the replies, let's return to the OP:

"Mr. Yongyoot stated that both deaths and injuries seen in the past holiday are tragic and remain a lesson for those who live to remember.

However, the Deputy PM is pleased that the government-initiated campaign to rid the country of road fatalities during the Songkran holidays ended up with six provinces recording 'zero' death this year. They include Nakhon Phanom, Trat, Trang, Ranong, Pattani and Satun."

To emphasize the level of success, in my part of Bangkok, Khet Dusit (which elected a Pheu Thai lady as MP) there has not been a single death related to Songkhran (lack of) traffic as far as I'm informed. Way to go!

edit:add: if the previous government had said something similarly stupid I'd make the same remark. This type of government hype transcends politics and political directions

Edited April 23, 2012 by rubl

[nkg]

True, good well-ventilated helmets are too expensive. But I'm not sure that even the very best "cold" helmet out there would work properly in Thailand. Even my Arai half-face helmet (protects my head and the sides of my face) can get pretty hot at low speeds.

Bicycle helmets are designed to be very well-ventilated, since the guy wearing it is usually putting a good deal of effort into his ride. Some kind of hybrid design between bicycle helmets and motorbike helmets could be effective. Think of a motorbike helmet with a grid of big gaps. Safety laws would mean that such a helmet couldn't be designed/produced for Western consumption - I'm betting that Thai safety standards are not as high, though. Same same for Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

The price problem can be solved by mass-production. Motorbike riding is a minority leisure pursuit in the West, rather than an essential means of transport as it is in Thailand. I doubt any one design of Western helmets sells much over 100,000. Indonesia alone has 240 million people. With that kind of market, the Chinese could make something decent for under 1000 Baht.

Edited April 23, 2012 by nkg

[rubl]

True, good well-ventilated helmets are too expensive. But I'm not sure that even the very best "cold" helmet out there would work properly in Thailand. Even my Arai half-face helmet (protects my head and the sides of my face) can get pretty hot at low speeds.

Bicycle helmets are designed to be very well-ventilated, since the guy wearing it is usually putting a good deal of effort into his ride. Some kind of hybrid design between bicycle helmets and motorbike helmets could be effective. Think of a motorbike helmet with a grid of big gaps. Safety laws would mean that such a helmet couldn't be designed/produced for Western consumption - I'm betting that Thai safety standards are not as high, though. Same same for Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

The price problem can be solved by mass-production. Motorbike riding is a minority leisure pursuit in the West, rather than an essential means of transport as it is in Thailand. I doubt any one design of Western helmets sells much over 100,000. Indonesia alone has 240 million people. With that kind of market, the Chinese could make something decent for under 1000 Baht.

Here in Bangkok I've seen bicycle riders with very nice, professional looking covers (as you may see during the Tour de France) BUT with a simple (baseball) cap under it! Same like motorcycle drivers having a nice integral helmet precariously balanced on the top of their head, rather than really having their head inside.

PS I took a motorcycle this morning to go to BTS Victory Monument, no helmet of course

[nkg]

Having worked my way through all the replies, let's return to the OP:

"Mr. Yongyoot stated that both deaths and injuries seen in the past holiday are tragic and remain a lesson for those who live to remember.

However, the Deputy PM is pleased that the government-initiated campaign to rid the country of road fatalities during the Songkran holidays ended up with six provinces recording 'zero' death this year. They include Nakhon Phanom, Trat, Trang, Ranong, Pattani and Satun."

To emphasize the level of success, in my part of Bangkok, Khet Dusit (which elected a Pheu Thai lady as MP) there has not been a single death related to Songkhran (lack of) traffic as far as I'm informed. Way to go!

edit:add: if the previous government had said something similarly stupid I'd make the same remark. This type of government hype transcends politics and political directions

He added that, with more than 260 districts across the country reported no road accident at all, the campaign could be declared a success of a certain level.

It's the second-lowest total of Songkran road deaths since who-knows-when. But since the lowest total was in the previous year, it's clearly a disaster. "A success of a certain level" seems like a fair comment. If the headline had been "Thai Govt Declares Success Of A Certain Level In Its 'Zero Songkran Holiday Death' Campaign", I don't suppose we'd have 10 pages of outrage.

Edited April 23, 2012 by nkg

[rubl]

begin removed ...

If the headline had been "Thai Govt Declares Success Of A Certain Level In Its 'Zero Songkran Holiday Death' Campaign", I don't suppose we'd have 10 pages of outrage.

Now you're really underestimating the enthusiasm of TV posters

[nkg]

Here in Bangkok I've seen bicycle riders with very nice, professional looking covers (as you may see during the Tour de France) BUT with a simple (baseball) cap under it! Same like motorcycle drivers having a nice integral helmet precariously balanced on the top of their head, rather than really having their head inside.

PS I took a motorcycle this morning to go to BTS Victory Monument, no helmet of course

Hum, so they want to look "stylish" without bothering with the tiresome "safety nonsense" ...

I think it's a cultural thing. The US were one of the pioneering countries in motorbike helmet safety, and they didn't make helmets mandatory until 1974. Then they withdrew the law - 3 states still don't have a mandatory helmet law.

When most Thai mothers start buying helmets for their kids and berating them for not wearing them, we might see some progress. Many already do, but not most. I don't think it's unfair to say that the Thai idea of 'Health and Safety' is about 50 years behind most Western countries. It will change, in time.

[Buchholz]

Those figures looked a little strange, so I searched on Google for some statistics about motorbike helmet use during Songkran.

In 2011, 203000 people were stopped by police for not wearing a helmet.

In 2012, 114000 people were stopped by police for not wearing a helmet.

So it seems that last year's Songkran campaign involved a much bigger "crackdown" on the non-use of helmets. Which would explain the statistical anomaly for the low number of deaths in 2011. If more people wear helmets, you would expect to see the same number of accidents and injuries, but fewer deaths.

Perhaps the authorities will focus on helmet wearing again for Songkran 2013. Hoping that people will stop drinking and throwing water at Songkran is unrealistic. Wearing a helmet is easy to do, and easy to catch people not doing.

Hopefully, for Songkran 2013, the same moron won't proclaim success for zero deaths with 320 fatalities.

Staggering incompetence to think that no where in their vaunted Zero Holiday Death Campaign program did they think to include the fundamental of ensuring helmet compliance.

But then this is the same government who thought they could effect change on a flooded, swollen river with the propellers of a few boats.

.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Buchholz

[Buchholz]

This almost trumps the Minister of Science who asked citizens not using their boats to let the government borrow them in it's attempt to push water by keeping the motors going, undoubtedly a fan of cartoons.

wow.... I hadn't read this when I just wrote my post above.

It certainly was a memorable event for many obviously and a precursor to the sort of lamebrain thinking that zero = 320.

.

[avalonmick]

What a crock of crap! How the hell can you call 320+ fatalities a success?

I guess it depends on WHO got killed, in which province, and which political party they supported

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed as well as a reply.