Helmet Padding To Be Given Out In Bangkok To Boost Road Safety During Songkran

[webfact]

Helmet padding to be given out
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Some 500,000 units of inner padding for helmets will be handed over to motorcycle drivers and passengers in Bangkok to boost road safety during the upcoming Songkran celebration.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau has instructed all police stations to distribute the padding to motorcyclists and passengers, especially those who take motorcycle taxis, in a move to encourage them to wear helmets as part of the safety campaign. The Road Accident Victims Protection Co will provide the padding.

Previous records show that most road fatalities involve motorcycle drivers and passengers who did not wear helmets.

Songkran Pakchokdee, director of the Anti-Alcohol Organisations Network, said the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee was concerned that revellers who get drunk will ride motorcycles on secondary roads while going on errands to buy more booze. He said this caused many accidents.

"The committee is looking for ways to stop revellers from doing this, which will include a ban on the sale of alcohol during the Songkran holiday period." He said the ban should be enforced for all three days of the holiday, so drunken revellers do not go out on motorbikes to buy more alcohol.

The proposal for the ban will be submitted to the National Alcohol Beverage Policy Committee, which is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, for final approval.

-- The Nation 2013-03-26

[Bellweather]

Great idea so now how do they get motor cyclists to actually wear their helmets ? The Monty Python team had a Ministry of Silly Walks and the Thai government seems to have a Ministry of Silly Ideas

[laurentbkk]

"so drunken revelers do not go out on motorbikes to buy more alcohol".

True they will take the bus instead .....

enough will this alcohol ban , you will see a huge increase in sales before the ban as people will stock ... but I wonder what about tourists ? for 3 days no alcohol ?

[Halion]

If brains were Dynamite,these people could not even blow their nose.

[Pimay1]

"so drunken revelers do not go out on motorbikes to buy more alcohol".

True they will take the bus instead .....

enough will this alcohol ban , you will see a huge increase in sales before the ban as people will stock ... but I wonder what about tourists ? for 3 days no alcohol ?

Just go outside Bkk a little way and any mom and pop shop will be selling anything wanted.

[meatboy]

its not padding they want its straight jackets.

[Payboy]

A bit early for April 1st.

[maidu]

And industrial grade mang farang (chewing gum) so female bikers won't hurt their teeth, when they get their motorbikes toppled by young men throwing bucketfulls of water full-force from a foot away.

[ZhouZhou]

Great idea so now how do they get motor cyclists to actually wear their helmets ? The Monty Python team had a Ministry of Silly Walks and the Thai government seems to have a Ministry of Silly Ideas

its a awareness campaign. everything else is up to you.

what kind of approach would you prefer. 10 years gulag for any Thai who does something that annoys the farang because they do it different in kansas?

[chainarong]

Help

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I bet the padding goes into girls bras

Keep Thailand beautiful!!!!!

[davejones]

"so drunken revelers do not go out on motorbikes to buy more alcohol".

True they will take the bus instead .....

enough will this alcohol ban , you will see a huge increase in sales before the ban as people will stock ... but I wonder what about tourists ? for 3 days no alcohol ?

Alcohol is only banned in about 3 streets in Bangkok, and a few elsewhere, so why do people need to stock up? It might surprise you, but most tourists can easily go more than three days without alcohol.

Edited March 26, 2013 by davejones

[Mampara]

Remind the people that helmet padding goes inside the helmet, and is not to be worn instead of the helmet

[davejones]

Great idea so now how do they get motor cyclists to actually wear their helmets ? The Monty Python team had a Ministry of Silly Walks and the Thai government seems to have a Ministry of Silly Ideas

its a awareness campaign. everything else is up to you.

what kind of approach would you prefer. 10 years gulag for any Thai who does something that annoys the farang because they do it different in kansas?

That's the problem. Many farangs on here want everything to be like back home, but they don't want to go home.

Thais are happy, tourists are happy, many expats are happy, but a contingent of the TV expat community is forever complaining. They can't figure out why the developing country they moved to isn't developed. They just can't bear that others want to do things differently from them. I'll be throwing water full-force on any grumpy farangs I see on bikes. The aim will be to knock them off. The only reason being that I will give them something else to complain about.

Edited March 26, 2013 by davejones

[sscsamui]

What a Joke...

[DocN]

.... (speechless)

[davejones]

.... (speechless)

I wish all the other complaining farangs were also speechless.

[rheinwiese]

Another proof that a complete failure of the brain does not inevitably lead to death.

[laurentbkk]

oh please stop that irony ... this government is just trying to do their job .... ok that was an ironic comment .

[PhilipCook]

pads ok, awareness campaign ok too. can you tell the police to stop riding motorcycles against traffic, on sidewalks, between cars in traffic. when cops start to behave as role models while riding bikes the behavior of the rest of the bike riding populace will improve. who cares if the cops don't bother?

[ZhouZhou]

oh please stop that irony ... this government is just trying to do their job .... ok that was an ironic comment .

where do you see the government involved?

[fakename]

Why not give them a 10% rebate on a helmet? What will they do with a liner, if they dont have a helmet to put it in?

[spidermike007]

I always just assumed that a skull hitting concrete is not a problem. Skulls are very strong, and can withstand the impact of either concrete, or being smashed against an oncoming vehicle. Why engage in preventative measures, when it comes to ones own safety? Why prolong life? Why prevent ones family from the pain and suffering that comes with losing a loved one? Why try to prevent hospital bills, and injuries that could change you life? Why take precautions at all? What is the reason for all the fuss?

Why are these questions being asked at all? Why is there such an aversion to self protection here? Why the sense of immortality? Where does that come from?

[spidermike007]

pads ok, awareness campaign ok too. can you tell the police to stop riding motorcycles against traffic, on sidewalks, between cars in traffic. when cops start to behave as role models while riding bikes the behavior of the rest of the bike riding populace will improve. who cares if the cops don't bother?

Police behaving as role models? Are you going to take that routine on the road? There are comedy clubs that are seeking comedians with that routine. You could make some real money with a cop as a role model routine in Thailand. A Pauly Shore version of that? Now that would be funny.

[spidermike007]

Great idea so now how do they get motor cyclists to actually wear their helmets ? The Monty Python team had a Ministry of Silly Walks and the Thai government seems to have a Ministry of Silly Ideas

its a awareness campaign. everything else is up to you.

what kind of approach would you prefer. 10 years gulag for any Thai who does something that annoys the farang because they do it different in kansas?

That's the problem. Many farangs on here want everything to be like back home, but they don't want to go home.

Thais are happy, tourists are happy, many expats are happy, but a contingent of the TV expat community is forever complaining. They can't figure out why the developing country they moved to isn't developed. They just can't bear that others want to do things differently from them. I'll be throwing water full-force on any grumpy farangs I see on bikes. The aim will be to knock them off. The only reason being that I will give them something else to complain about.

Hope I run into you, so I can teach you some amusing things about life, after you have dumped your water on me. And, yes I am very happy. All the time. Without fail. No, I do not want things to be like home. No way. But, addressing issues is a nice thing for a government to do for it's people.

[ZhouZhou]

pads ok, awareness campaign ok too. can you tell the police to stop riding motorcycles against traffic, on sidewalks, between cars in traffic. when cops start to behave as role models while riding bikes the behavior of the rest of the bike riding populace will improve. who cares if the cops don't bother?

it is probably the case that no one in the local population feels really annoyed by by motocyc riding between cars or on sidewalks or sees it as a downside and therefore sees no need for "improvement".

take it as it is. you could always ask the company you work for to relocate you to an office in another country or rotate with someone. i am sure there waits someone somewhere to switch with you.

[canuckamuck]

Apparently everyone is driving around without padding in there helmet. I find that very surprising.

Why don't they just say that they meant to be giving out free helmets, but after payoffs, all we could afford was the padding?

[Bagwan]

Great idea so now how do they get motor cyclists to actually wear their helmets ? The Monty Python team had a Ministry of Silly Walks and the Thai government seems to have a Ministry of Silly Ideas

its a awareness campaign. everything else is up to you.

what kind of approach would you prefer. 10 years gulag for any Thai who does something that annoys the farang because they do it different in kansas?

That's the problem. Many farangs on here want everything to be like back home, but they don't want to go home.

Thais are happy, tourists are happy, many expats are happy, but a contingent of the TV expat community is forever complaining. They can't figure out why the developing country they moved to isn't developed. They just can't bear that others want to do things differently from them. I'll be throwing water full-force on any grumpy farangs I see on bikes. The aim will be to knock them off. The only reason being that I will give them something else to complain about.

Obvious Millwall supporter.

I hope that a grumpy farang drives his bike straight into you. You'll have plenty to moan about then.

[ricardofel]

Hahahaha.....very funny......considering most people don't wear helmets.

[fxe1200]

The first thing Thailand needs, is an enforced law, that everyone on a motorcycle must wear a helmet, which is either DOT approved or meets the European standard ECE 22.05.

But the Thai Government, where stupidity meets ignorance, will not change anything, as always.