218 Killed So Far In Road Accidents In Four 'dangerous' Songkran Holidays

[youngXpat]

For many Songkran is just a party at the side of the road. I think kids are a lot tamer over here so its nice to see them go a bit wild, it certainly helps that the shenanigans are condensed to 2-3 days of the year, makes life easier for all.

A party at the side of the road??? Kids a lot tamer??? Nice to see them go a bit wild??? Are these kids the offspring of the stupid parents who let them throw water at vehicles particularly motor cycles? If you think that's OK then your'e mentality is as low as what theres is.

See your point but who lets them through water at moving bikes? Who ignores when people drink drive? Who turns a blind eye to the under age kids riding bikes? Who is it that doesn't stop bike riders wearing helmets at night?

EVERYONE

EVERYONE??? Is it our job to police the roads? Not mine!

Just ignore it and hope the problem never affects us, that way all the experts here can keep giving their 2 pennies worth.

But when it does affect us and one of our family are hit/killed by a drunk or hit by a 13 year old kid on a bike THEN we have the right to ask questions???

Edited April 15, 2013 by youngXpat

[tingtongfarang]

I noticed this ban on throwing water from pickups was not enforced...or maybe they forget to tell the police about the ban,

On plus note...i seen a pickup go past my house with loud music and 2 young girls dancing with wet white tshirts and no bra.

[English_M_in_Bkk]

Makes me laugh when ex-pats and the government get their knickers in a twist about how so many are unlicenced.

What difference does having a 'Thai' driving licence have anyway? The whole test is a joke so it makes no difference to how you drive on the roads.

Valid point.

Do you think it's wise to let 12 - 15 year old kids out on these roads though? Would you let your 12 year old kid out, no license, no helmet on his buddies bike at Songkran? Just asking.

That is a completely different point - I am saying the testing for a licence in this country is a joke, hence high road accident rates. Sorry, but what has helmets got to do with the point I made? if you ride a motorbike without a helmet you are an idiot.

Of course letting kids out on the roads on motorbikes is dumb, I shouldn't even have to say it, but so is sending people out in high powered trucks etc. with no real road training i.e. the Thai driving licence.

[youngXpat]

Makes me laugh when ex-pats and the government get their knickers in a twist about how so many are unlicenced.

What difference does having a 'Thai' driving licence have anyway? The whole test is a joke so it makes no difference to how you drive on the roads.

Valid point.

Do you think it's wise to let 12 - 15 year old kids out on these roads though? Would you let your 12 year old kid out, no license, no helmet on his buddies bike at Songkran? Just asking.

That is a completely different point - I am saying the testing for a licence in this country is a joke, hence high road accident rates. Sorry, but what has helmets got to do with the point I made? if you ride a motorbike without a helmet you are an idiot.

Of course letting kids out on the roads on motorbikes is dumb, I shouldn't even have to say it, but so is sending people out in high powered trucks etc. with no real road training i.e. the Thai driving licence.

You're right about driving training and obviously rules and regulations need to be enforced too - that's my point. But why have driver training when the B.I.B do nothing to enforce rules?

[DocN]

I noticed this ban on throwing water from pickups was not enforced...or maybe they forget to tell the police about the ban,

On plus note...i seen a pickup go past my house with loud music and 2 young girls dancing with wet white tshirts and no bra.

Do you have pict...evidence?

[apetley]

I noticed this ban on throwing water from pickups was not enforced...or maybe they forget to tell the police about the ban,

On plus note...i seen a pickup go past my house with loud music and 2 young girls dancing with wet white tshirts and no bra.

Do you have pict...evidence?

Yeah....that claim is wortless without pics:-)

[tingtongfarang]

Sorry no...had just walked across the road to get a beer when they went past and was hoping they come down the soi again, also earlier while driving past a group in bangkapi i seen a similar scene but the girl was ontop of an upturned barrel,

Its been mayhem around here, normally for the shorts journeys i use the motocyc but when it got to the point i had to go out i used the car,

On seri thai some idiot threw a bucket of water with white powder at the windshield, My reaction was to turn the washers - wipers on...the windshield just went white and it was difficult to even see the curb as to pullover and clean it,

will be relieved when this is all over!

[lookingeast]

The agency reported that 218 motorists had been killed during the past 4 days,

This is all simply complete bolleux! The average death toll on the roads in Thailand is 17000-20000+ per year depending on where you scrounge the data from, some reports have it even higher. 218 people have died in 4 days giving an average of 19 892 for a years worth of similar carnage. The fact is there is no differnce in anything during Songkran, it is just that the Government and police are so woefully pitiful that they decide only to act upon, drunken, wreckless, unlicenced driving once a year for 7 days. The whole thing is shocking with all Governments and police forces proving culpable in their negligence towards normal law abiding Thai people. A pox on all those responsible.

Yep - i was just going to post along the lines that : About 20,000 a year are killed either ON the roads or AFTER being taken to hospital from an accident...maybe even more some years (e.g. i've seen 26,000 cited) - so that's approx. 400 a week or 60 a day averaged over the year. I'm stunned that the Songkran numbers aren't TWICE what's being reported !

[lookingeast]

I noticed this ban on throwing water from pickups was not enforced...or maybe they forget to tell the police about the ban,

On plus note...i seen a pickup go past my house with loud music and 2 young girls dancing with wet white tshirts and no bra.

Do you have pict...evidence?

Yeah, that's disgusting ;-) please don't show pics..joke!

[lookingeast]

Earlier posts are quiet true that the road carnage of Sonkran is little different to what goes on every day in this country.

You can scour the various data bases and obtain a fairly accurate correlation .

It would also appear to be true that in related road accidents a victim who reaches hospital alive and subsequently dies in hospital as a result of the injuries sustained will not be identified in these data bases as a road death, thereby reducing the real number.

I have personal experience of this when a friend of mine was involved in an accident on the Bang Na Trat highway and was sent to hospital by ambulance as walking wounded, however, in the same ambulance was a severely injured victim from the other vehicle involved (Thai) who sadly was pronounced DOA on arrival at hospital . The following day the news reported the accident saying that one foreigner was treated for injury but no mention of the death of the other victim.

Both the Government and the RTP and related administrations do little but pay lip service to this shocking statistic while mindful to fudge the figures in their favour.

Owing to the dilapidated condition of civil administration and the pitiful performance of the RTP and the rampant system of corruption nothing is going to change.

Look at the list of suggestions noted by many on this site and consider the fact that although they are most logical and necessary they will be evaluated and if found to reduce the invisible income they will be deemed as counter productive and never ever be implemented.

For many years to come Thailand will continue with it's valiant rhetoric on improvements which are nothing less than hot air while the establishment continues to fudge numbers and the media continue to print garbage. I am not at all a pessimist, sadly a realist who has come to terms with the mayhem and chaos of commuting and travels the highways and byways with extreme caution and a degree of fear.

Really, i can't see anything wrong with being a Pessimist in relation to Thailand growing into a well-ordered transparently administered society; i am.

[pattayadingo]

The agency reported that 218 motorists had been killed during the past 4 days,

This is all simply complete bolleux! The average death toll on the roads in Thailand is 17000-20000+ per year depending on where you scrounge the data from, some reports have it even higher. 218 people have died in 4 days giving an average of 19 892 for a years worth of similar carnage. The fact is there is no differnce in anything during Songkran, it is just that the Government and police are so woefully pitiful that they decide only to act upon, drunken, wreckless, unlicenced driving once a year for 7 days. The whole thing is shocking with all Governments and police forces proving culpable in their negligence towards normal law abiding Thai people. A pox on all those responsible.

I have to agree with you here. I am sure that if the police did their job efficiently and honestly, the drunken, unlicenced and under-age might live much longer.

I have yet to read of someone failing a breathalyser test, and doubt if they have them here. It's just a terrible shame to see so many people dead an injured when proper policing and education could prevent so much of this.

It took breathlyser use in all states around Australia to drastically lower the D.U.I. problem, and would work here if there were real fines, and loss of points.

It's all very well having modern technology such as fast motor bikes and motor vehicles, but the law must keep up with such things and have policing that reflects current technology.

They have been breathalysed in Pattaya and failed the tests. At least someone is using the breath tests.

[noitom]

The agency reported that 218 motorists had been killed during the past 4 days,

This is all simply complete bolleux! The average death toll on the roads in Thailand is 17000-20000+ per year depending on where you scrounge the data from, some reports have it even higher. 218 people have died in 4 days giving an average of 19 892 for a years worth of similar carnage. The fact is there is no differnce in anything during Songkran, it is just that the Government and police are so woefully pitiful that they decide only to act upon, drunken, wreckless, unlicenced driving once a year for 7 days. The whole thing is shocking with all Governments and police forces proving culpable in their negligence towards normal law abiding Thai people. A pox on all those responsible.

And the newspaper lets these statistics (17K-20K per year) just slip by in their endeavor to "sensationalize" road deaths during Songkhran. Shame on the newspaper.

[PoodMaiDai]

natural selection. let it happen.

[metisdead]

A post with messed up quote headers has been removed.

[GentlemanJim]

natural selection. let it happen.

it is NOT natural selection when a pissed up truck driver ploughs into a car with a family of four killing them all, it is NOT natural selection when a pissed up bike driver pulls out at 90 degrees to the road forcing an oncoming car to swerve left and taking a tree head on, killing the parents and children inside the car. It is NOT natural selection when a 2 year old child, who can't say "Dad dont do this it isn't safe" is carried on the back of a bike by his mother and his drunken father hits the side of a car, throwing the baby head first to deposit the contents of its head on the car windshield.

It WOULD be natural selection to give you a good slap for your imbecilic comment.

[GaryNelsonHarper]

Deaths cause by not using a helmet is a form of genetic culling.
In the Jungwat... it was a very nice time.
Beats the Hell out of New Years in Compton, Ca.

[GentlemanJim]

Deaths cause by not using a helmet is a form of genetic culling.

In the Jungwat... it was a very nice time.

Beats the Hell out of New Years in Compton, Ca.

remember that next time you see a child being driven on a bike who can't make his parents buy him a fracking helmet!

[cup-O-coffee]

No way to stop this. No way to even curb or control this. Only option for an opportunistic, corrupt, uneducated mind? Use your badge to fleece for a few THB; not that I condone that. This is more of a disruption in the flow of things for the revelers than anything else.

If the coppers did their job, they would have to build hundreds of police stations the size of Central Shopping Center to handle all the incarcerated people during this time of the year. They would have to buy fleets of trucks to ship them around.

Conclusion: there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it within the realm of their culture and intelligence and views on life and death.

I see more coppers when a VIP drives down the street than I have ever seen at any other time during my stay here. People should understand that the things Thai politicians and police say about this New Years celebration are not really the things that they are going to do. That should be clear by now.

Like everything else here, cover your butt and don't rely on others to bail it out of a sling. Luck favors the prepared.

[youngXpat]

No way to stop this. No way to even curb or control this. Only option for an opportunistic, corrupt, uneducated mind? Use your badge to fleece for a few THB; not that I condone that. This is more of a disruption in the flow of things for the revelers than anything else.

If the coppers did their job, they would have to build hundreds of police stations the size of Central Shopping Center to handle all the incarcerated people during this time of the year. They would have to buy fleets of trucks to ship them around.

Conclusion: there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it within the realm of their culture and intelligence and views on life and death.

I see more coppers when a VIP drives down the street than I have ever seen at any other time during my stay here. People should understand that the things Thai politicians and police say about this New Years celebration are not really the things that they are going to do. That should be clear by now.

Like everything else here, cover your butt and don't rely on others to bail it out of a sling. Luck favors the prepared.

Sad but true!

[Cloggie]

Somebody once told me that the police will not stop those youngsters simply because..... "the police men was a youngster one as well" - let them play, they want to have fun.

Will never forget driving on a back road in Pattaya, 4 young girls on a motorbike and no helmet. Police did a check that day and fined all people with no helmet. In front of him they made a u-turn and told him that they had to go back as they forget their helmet, police just smiled and waved them goodbye :-)

[Sing_Sling]

Congratulations Thailand! 2013 is going to be a record breaker.

Can I see another 'Hub of...' cropping up?

[DocN]

Congratulations Thailand! 2013 is going to be a record breaker.

Can I see another 'Hub of...' cropping up?

You mean "crapping up"!

[Thaddeus]

natural selection. let it happen.

A friend of mine died in hospital last night, he had been involved in an accident the day before.

When the police found him, his bike was a complete wreck in a ditch, he had multiple skull fractures (his helmet was shattered) broken collar bone, one broken arm and two broken legs. Not injuries you would normally incur from just falling off a bike.

The accident happened at around 5pm on one of the busiest roads in the area. (one person may have been drunk, but it wasn't him)

Was there anyone else at the scene? ..... no.

Did anyone see anything? .... no.

Was there a large police check point about 1km earlier on the road? .... yes.

Will his death be added to this years body count? .... probably not.

Bye Deiter, RIP.

I hope Karma works swiftly in this instance, because the police won't.

[Sing_Sling]

Sorry to hear about your mate, Thaddeus