"Safety First" Campaign For Motorists To Be Launch

[george]

"Safety First" campaign for motorists to be launched in March

BANGKOK: -- After achieving success in lowering casualties in road accidents during New Year holidays, concerned officials will launch a "Safety First" campaign for motorists, particularly motorcyclists, in March, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister. Pol. Gen. Chidchai Vanasatidya,

Thanking officials for their success in helping lowering the incidence of road accidents and casualties during the New Year celebrations, Pol. Gen. Chidchai said on Friday in his capacity as director of Thailand's national road safety command center that the number of highway accidents dropped 39 per cent, while the number of those killed was reduced by 19 per cent during the holidays.

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

The next step, Gen. Chidchai said, is to make it a habit for drivers not to drink when they get behind the wheels.

He said that the "Safety First" campaign for motorists, especially motorcyclists, will be conducted from March 22-24 at the IMPACT Trade and Exhibition Centre in Muang Thong Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok.

According to statistics compiled by the Interior Ministry, the number of persons killed in road accidents during the seven-day period totaled 434, down 5 per cent from the target set by the government, and 4,772 persons were injured, a decline of 51 per cent.

Most of the accidents involved motorcycles, the statistics showed -- nearly four out of five.

--TNA 2006-01-07

[Joey Boy]

is this gonna be the same as the "Safety First" policy on building sites in thailand? Seems to be working well, all the labourers I seen on site are always wearing flip flops, no hard hat, an unbuttoned shirt, and usually shorts aswell.

[I wonder]

is this gonna be the same as the "Safety First" policy on building sites in thailand? Seems to be working well, all the labourers I seen on site are always wearing flip flops, no hard hat, an unbuttoned shirt, and usually shorts aswell.

Hey.............they have to start somewhere, at least if they make some kind of effort it might pay off and save some innocent life?

[Joey Boy]

the only reason the figures were so much lower this new year was because people needed to have been taken to hosital to be included in the statistic, apparently last year all reported accidents were included

"Safety First" campaign for motorists to be launched in March

The next step, Gen. Chidchai said, is to make it a habit for drivers not to drink when they get behind the wheels.

This guy deserves a medal, I wonder if he thought of that all by himself

[jaapfries]

the only reason the figures were so much lower this new year was because people needed to have been taken to hosital to be included in the statistic, apparently last year all reported accidents were included

"Safety First" campaign for motorists to be launched in March

The next step, Gen. Chidchai said, is to make it a habit for drivers not to drink when they get behind the wheels.

This guy deserves a medal, I wonder if he thought of that all by himself

=====================================================================

Precisely ! !

What about th

"WAR ON DRUGS"

"WAR ON POVERTY"

[Martin]

They started well up here.

The villagers erected gateways at each village and stopped all the kids and reminded them to be careful and not to go drinking. Real good community stuff.

We don't get much in the way of vehicle-to-vehicle bumps on the country roads, as it is so ingrained to be polite and considerate to neighbours (and not lose face) that the drivers are well restrained. Kids on motorbikes are the problem, as they get too exhuberant.

On the highway where lots of traffic (mostly coming up from, or going back to, Bangkok) drives much too fast, the police had 'chokes' every few miles and pulled some in and asked them to be careful. It all seemed to be much more affable than I am used to on holiday weekends in UK.

[Lord Toad]

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

That equates to over 77,000 vehicle an hour every your of the 7 days.

Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

[Foggy Bottom]

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

That equates to over 77,000 vehicle an hour every your of the 7 days.

Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

Good point but also consider it this way ....

allowing for 76 Provinces it was (argument's sake) 1,000 per province per hour

If 20 check points per province = 50 vehilces per checkpoint per hour

If 50 check points per province = 20 vehicles per checkpoint per hour (more realistic)

But that's assuming 24 hour operation ......

However the good general has again missed the point that it's all seen as a PR stunt - if they were serious, they'd announce a 10-year TV & radio campaign similar to the good ol' British Public Service announcements that taught people not only how to be careful using the roads (as pedestrians and motorists), but also taught them the consequences of actions such as switching lanes at the last minute at traffic lights on red.

If they ran that in conjunction with a campaign to educate people as to how badly equipped and undertrained ambulances are in the kingdom, it would be much more effective.

Gaz

[Galong]

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

That equates to over 77,000 vehicle an hour every your of the 7 days.

Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

I assume you mean 'does anyone' think yada, yada, yada. I'll give you an "A" in math, but a "C-" in English.

If they ran that in conjunction with a campaign to educate people as to how badly equipped and undertrained ambulances are in the kingdom, it would be much more effective.

Gaz

That's assuming that they want to be educated. You can lead a Thai to school, but you can't make him/her think... or stay.

[godforhire]

It would be nice if they would include pedestrian safety in this campain too. You know, no more motorcycles on the pavements, drivers actually stopping (or at the very least slowing down) when someone wants to cross the road. Or maybe just obeying the traffic lights and signs. But I guess that's asking too much...

[เพลง]

I assume you mean 'does anyone' think yada, yada, yada. I'll give you an "A" in math, but a "C-" in English.

...oh lordy

While it may or may not conform to the hard and fast rules of the English language "Does nobody..." is an oft used question and and therefore a post slamming its use is most uncalled for!

[capt_canada42]

Many years ago I had an idea while visiting Japan. On Japanese TV at the end of every hour they put a public service message on TV for about 30 seconds to a minute about some thing people need to change or think about. New add companies who are trying to get noticed in the add business do these for free hoping to get noticed so they can get some work out in the market place.

I was thinking this should be done in Thailand about driving it would be a good way to teach people to be more responsible on the road. I am looking for people who are interested in putting this together and also to help sell the government on pressuring the TV stations to do this every hour.

It could be used to teach many things including pollution, safety on work sites and other things( the list could be limitless) that the people in this fast devopling country need to think about.

[penzman]

Still no mention of police patroling the streets, roads and highways catching drivers commiting infractions on the spot... They have more than enough guys to do it.

These campaigns will never be noticeably effective until they do so.

They'll still be standing on the corner or by the side of the road pulling you over, the guys on top again coming out with false statistics. Some statistics I ve seen on tv mentioned four thousand or so injuries this year for the new year holiday when last year's were around 22 000

[Anon999]

"Safety First" campaign for motorists to be launched in March

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

The next step, Gen. Chidchai said, is to make it a habit for drivers not to drink when they get behind the wheels.

He said that the "Safety First" campaign for motorists, especially motorcyclists, will be conducted from March 22-24 at the IMPACT Trade and Exhibition Centre in Muang Thong Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Most of the accidents involved motorcycles, the statistics showed -- nearly four out of five.

--TNA 2006-01-07

The figure of 13 million may be correct depending on how many people were involved in the checks. However, it may be that a typographical error crept in and the real figure was 1.3 million.

There are many aspect of road safety in Thailand that need addressing, some other countries are even more dangerous, and to try to do everything at once would be impossible. Furthermore the antics of drivers in BKK for instance, are different to those out in the sticks. As everyone knows the one common thread is the Kamikaze attitude of motorcyclists across the whole country so concentrating on them is a good idea. I wonder how many widows have been created in Thailand as a result of fatal motorcycle accidents?

Whatever steps are taken it will take a decade to implement a complete raft of changes that will benefit everyone. However, maybe a real start is about to happen but a structured plan so that everyone can see what is being proposed over the next 1 year and 5 years would be really welcome.

[John K]

Will it keep the motorbikes off the sidewalks?

[sanget]

The fact is that if they enforced any rules except wearing helmets, the death rate and accident rate would decrease significantly.

[juggler]

saw quite a few check points on the main roads up to udon thani from bangkok, maybe 4 or 5. Thing is that all the people at them were sitting about, and i didn't actually see one car being pulled over the new year, at all. I drove round udon thani a bit too in my gf's parents pick up, took her cousins out to the cinema, went out for some food........No license but no worries, her parents ensured me the police wer on holiday. It seemed the case too, as i didn't see a single policeman in that time, and at other times of the year the boxes on the junctions are usually manned\ Nice

on the way back, saw four or five crashes, none of which were bad. anyhow- 77000 vehicles absolute cr*p methinks. I doubt 77000 people were breathalized too, which IMO would be one way of getting through to people.

Extensive use of breathalizers works well in some other countries.

new year - same same

off topic i know, but have you ever thought how those thin plastic motorbike helmets would protect you in a crash. Seem to protect the police rather than the driver

[chonburi]

I assume you mean 'does anyone' think yada, yada, yada. I'll give you an "A" in math, but a "C-" in English.

...oh lordy

While it may or may not conform to the hard and fast rules of the English language "Does nobody..." is an oft used question and and therefore a post slamming its use is most uncalled for!

Well said. Galong might just warrant an 'F' in diplomacy.

[john b good]

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

That equates to over 77,000 vehicle an hour every your of the 7 days.

Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

Good point but also consider it this way ....

allowing for 76 Provinces it was (argument's sake) 1,000 per province per hour

If 20 check points per province = 50 vehilces per checkpoint per hour

If 50 check points per province = 20 vehicles per checkpoint per hour (more realistic)

But that's assuming 24 hour operation ......

However the good general has again missed the point that it's all seen as a PR stunt - if they were serious, they'd announce a 10-year TV & radio campaign similar to the good ol' British Public Service announcements that taught people not only how to be careful using the roads (as pedestrians and motorists), but also taught them the consequences of actions such as switching lanes at the last minute at traffic lights on red.

If they ran that in conjunction with a campaign to educate people as to how badly equipped and undertrained ambulances are in the kingdom, it would be much more effective.

Gaz

Thats a silly question Gaz "Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

Have you ever heard of a Thai politician thinking before he / she speaks.

They just love to be the centre of attention and spout out the very first thing that come into their tiny heads

[maxisrael]

At school They have to start teaching the kids about road safety and regulations and ban the kids using a motobike who arrive at school on a motorbike not wearing a helmet, this is also for their Parents no helmet no bike and see to it they wear te helmet if no take the bike away.

[thaigene2]

Seems to me they try to copy well-developed campaings from other countries, but never bother to look below the campaign headline (and usually mess that up too) or learn about the action required to reach the objectives.

I saw an english advert in one of the newspapers the other day warning that drinking 'may' impair your driving ability. May?

[penzman]

The Johnnie Walker campaign motto was a farce... DRINK, DON'T DRIVE...

[meadish_sweetball]

If they started off with teaching traffic rules properly at school, as well as forcing people to take a proper theoretical education before getting a driver's license, and enforcing heavy penalties on people driving without a license, that would help.

This is just going to be effective for as long as the campaign goes on, then everything will be back to normal again. Lots of effort for very little results in the long term.

[Mason45]

The first thing the Government must do is to start in the schools and re arrange the Thai way of thinking. In Thailand the laws are in place but no one will ever get a Thai to do what he/she doesnt want to do irrespective of the consequences. Children must be taught that laws are made for everybody and must be respected. So many Thais have the disease NCO ( never consider others.) and its hard to cure as its hereditary.

[wahwa]

I saw an english advert in one of the newspapers the other day warning that drinking 'may' impair your driving ability. May?

Well, yes, it 'may' indeed...

Perhaps some westerners accept the overregulation in their own country, depriving citizens of their own infomed decision-making too much?

Alcohol (and other mindaltering substances) effect individuals differently, but any rule needs to generalise, so, consequently, a random alcohol level is imposed as the limit for people's driving capability.

Although almost certainly everyone's driving will be impaired at a certain level of intoxication, this limit is arbitrary, it does vary between 0 promille and more than 1 in different countries.

Seems to me it has been handled well in Thailand so far, i.e. the cops don't bother you much unless you're in an accident, and then you'll be at a disadvantage if you've been drinking.

[Anon999]

Perhaps some westerners accept the overregulation in their own country, depriving citizens of their own infomed decision-making too much?

Alcohol (and other mindaltering substances) effect individuals differently, but any rule needs to generalise, so, consequently, a random alcohol level is imposed as the limit for people's driving capability.

Although almost certainly everyone's driving will be impaired at a certain level of intoxication, this limit is arbitrary, it does vary between 0 promille and more than 1 in different countries.

Seems to me it has been handled well in Thailand so far, i.e. the cops don't bother you much unless you're in an accident, and then you'll be at a disadvantage if you've been drinking.

Despite the drink drive laws in the UK the incidence of drink driving is still quite high. As with anything the law of diminishing returns prevails.

In Thailand many people drink and drive. Most Thais seem to drive very slowly when under the influence and often when sober, but that is no reason why some level should not be set. However, educating people to comply is another matter. If drunk and involved in an accident then it may be too late in the event of a fatality but at least the perpetrator could be hit with a severe penalty.

[sleepyjohn]

Actually in Mae Rim near Chiangmai at a junction I was shocked as I went past a junction and saw a terrible wreck with a motorcyclist indented into the bonnet (that's hood for heathens) of a pick up. My friend then pulled up to me and we very safely shouted between windows. "Did you see that?" I called. "It's been there for days" he shouted "it's a road safety thing"...it was a mock up. On my way back I saw they'd completed it with a bottle of Sangsom in the back pocket.

Well you gotta start somewhere...well done Mae Rim.

[TBWG]

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

That equates to over 77,000 vehicle an hour every your of the 7 days.

Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

Hi

Bearing in mind that the population of Thailand is about 60 million, does 1 in 4 people acctually own a motor vehicle.

I suspect they checked 110% of all the vehicles in the country!! Must have checked some twice!!!!

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi there.

I am from a country where it is mandatory for vehicles to be thoroughly checked every two years. They pass the tests and get a sticker without which they can't be registered, thus - no sticker, not allowed to be on the road.

Even tough i think that the tests there are ridiculously hard, i believe that such tests should be implemented here too. Before you say now "but they are here already".... i know that.

I oen a car and, since recently, a motorcycle too. With the car i beent thru the "test" three times already, tehy check if the lights and indicators work, the horn (most important part!) and the exhaust gases. That's it.

With the motorcysle, i bought it as a complete pile of junk and fixed it up to a somewhat roadworthy state before having it registered. In my country, it would NEVER have gotten the sticker, even tough i made sure everything related to "safety" was working properly.

However, what did they test???? Start engine, rev up twice, kill engine, FINISH! Lights? Brakes?? Not of interest at all!

Now, three weeks later, tough still not showroom condition, i have a very nice looking bike that runs like a fine swiss clockwork and looks pretty good, with not any little thing non-functioning. It is just my habit (educated motor mechanic, mind you) not to go on the road with something not functioning.

I see plenty of bikes, cars, and especially buses and trucks out on the roads which, if in my country, would be pulled over at the first sight by a cop, and immediately ordered to be towed to a junk yard. No lights on the vehicle (not just not working, but none actually there!), rust holes in the body where one could fall thru (i been on a public bus once where there was a hole like 10x25 cm in the floor - one could easily step into it and lose a leg!), seats with no connection to the floor, pickup trucks with no doors, cars with no seatbelts etc etc etc.

I think it is about time to get such vehicles off the road, and quick. because even with sober drivers, if such a vehicle is driven at high speed, it is impossible to get it to a proper stop in the time required in an emergency. And - SPECIALLY these run-down vehicles are almost always speeding like crazy, as if all available "maintenance funds" are put into bigger turbo chargers and other racing equipment.

"Safety First" should cover the vehicles first - then their drivers.

Kind regards.....

your Thanh

[Jimmy2004]

More than 13 million vehicles were inspected during the seven-day period--before and after the New Year--which showed that officials and volunteers worked effectively, he said.

That equates to over 77,000 vehicle an hour every your of the 7 days.

Does nobody think about these stories before they say them!!!!

I got stopped 3 times whilst going from Nakhorn Sawan to the farm (48km) so I believe them. I got checked for weapons in my motorbike but they didn't breathalise me.

Got checked on a bus going back to Bangkok on Saturday as well. Didn't have my passport on me but they wanted to see it. Told them it was in Bkk and they asked my nationaliy. I said British and they went away.