Thailand keen on reducing road fatalities

[Costas2008]

laurentbkk, on 12 Dec 2013 - 12:25, said:

Good luck ..... you need more than words for that ..a complete change in mentality of the Thais will be needed if you want to succeed ...

No, No, nothing drastic like that! Just do not report the accidents and deaths, manipulate the figures and there you are......not only 50% but more likely 99%!!!!!!!!

[Andre0720]

''Thailand keen on reducing road fatalities''

I am also keen on improving my health.

But then I just cannot get to change my drinking, eating, and exercise habits...

But by 2020,...hehehe.. .

[seminomadic]

Good luck ..... you need more than words for that ..a complete change in mentality of the Thais will be needed if you want to succeed ...

I'd normally agree with this sentiment but I think this is one realm where video cameras installed in cars (as is required by insurance co.'s in Russia) - which we will see more and more of - might have a washback effect in that it might force greater responsibility upon drivers in Toyland and with that an upward pressure on driving skills.

Edited December 12, 2013 by seminomadic

[Colabamumbai]

More ineffective road blocks. Until they put patrol cars on the roads and enforce moving violations with hefty fines, nothing will change. I'm not holding my breathe.

However......I'm sure Chalerm could personally do this in 30 days.

Most of the police are "moving violations".

But there is a nice new ad on T.V. with a sontaew full of drunks with cans of beer in their hands being pulled over, or cans of something as they are no name.

[falangadang]

Theoretically this is doable in 7 years but only with a very specific road safety, training and serious plan of implementation and law.

They need to enforce rules such as no driving whilst drunk, no forgetting helmets/seatbelts, passengers in backs of pickup trucks, driving on the correct side of road, stopping at red lights, indicating when changing lanes, not cutting across traffic to turn left/right from the far lane, training and strict rules for bus and tour van drivers with MASSIVE fines for negligence, etc etc etc.

Even so,.. such a large task I believe would take the best part of a full generation to achieve,- i.e. 15 to 25 years.

As much as its a noble thought,.... a 7 year target is no more than a piped dream at best and wishful thinking BS at worst!

[Basil B]

It would be great to see the reduction of needless deaths, most due to the lawlessness of Thailand's road users.

Thailand needs to see how other countries do it.

One thing for sure is it will not be achieved overnight.

Thailand needs to do a lot of things like:

• Computerized driving licence records.
• Banging up corrupt police officers who look the other way for a few baht.
• Take police away from police boxes and check points and mobilize them.
• Give the police the tools to do the job.
• Making owners of vehicle responsible for checking any user of their vehicles is legal.
• Making parents/guardians responsible for minors.

In the UK we have ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition),with cameras at fixed points, fitted to police vehicles and some times just set up at the roadside, ANPR is linked to the various agencies to check it is, taxed, has a current road worthy certificate (MOT), it is insured, and the named drivers are properly licensed, but one thing leads to another and a stop for a traffic violation often uncovers more serious crimes and the perpetrators.

[rayw]

Duhhh so stupid as they miss the point again. Wearing helmets ONLY affects the person riding the bike not others so that should NOT be law but down to each individual as nobody else is affected, so not wearing a helmet kills only them due to their stupidity !! Sure I personally always wear a helmet NOT because it is law at all but because I am not so crass stupid as to not wear one, same with seat belts. As to speeding well it is not simply speeding that causes the accidents, more the misuse of speed and indeed speed can avoid more accidents that it ever causes. It is dangerous weaving impatient driving that they seem to put the blame on speeding.

BUT why they have missed the point is they still seem to turn a blind eye to 3 and 4 on a motorbike, driving or riding down the wrong side of the road or in the wrong direction on dual carriageways, jumping red lights, and of course so many many cars and bikes without working lights at night, particularly rear ones which BTW should ALWAYS BE RED to avoid dangerous confusion. Also more attention should be paid to educating drivers and riders about correct lanes to use and how to position themselves to turn right at junctions etc, and of course correct lane discipline on motorways and dual carriageways in particular. These are the issues that are the big causes of most unnecessary accidents that cause so many injuries and fatalities, yet it seems that the majority of traffic police seem to turn a blind eye to these dangerous offences, worrying more about those not wearing bloody helmets or seat belts (easy tea money maybe hmm!!). With such terrible low rates of police pay I have no problem with tea money in principle, as long as priority is always given to doing their job of catching the dangerous offenders rather than those simply not wearing a crash helmet, which come on affects nobody but themselves.

For proof it works I have to say that all these points I just raised are followed to the letter in the UK (and most other western and many eastern countries) where the road traffic accident and road death rates are far far lower per capita than here. Answer is more diligent raod traffic policing and prosecute dangerous offenders who endanger other road users by their crass stupidity (i.e. no lights, 3 or more on a bike, wrong way down roads, bad lane discipline, jumping red lights, impatient dangerous driving, etc etc

[Tiffer]

Poppycock

[jimbeam1]

With approximately 1.5 million new cars and trucks coming on the road each year with the same amount of people that have no driving skills and have no intention of improving their driving., Not to mention all the under age kids driving motorbikes. Thailand is not going to be a safe place on the road any time soon.

Then you have to contend with the Kamikaze mini bus drivers.

When I see driver improvement centres opening up over Thailand then I would say they are serious about safety on the roads plus getting the kids off motorbikes.

Yes and the only cars and trucks that wil be leaving the roads are those that finish up like a concertina.

jb1

[amse]

Anyone rideing on a motorcycle without a helmet gets fined. Speed traps set up, with heavy fines. Anyone weaving around in traffic at high speed gets fined. Run a red light, or take off before the light turns green, get fined. Anyone parked along the road out in a lane gets fined. Don't pay your fine within 90 days, your vehicle is impounded by police and you have to pay a high storage bill. Just for starters.

[jimbeam1]

It would be great to see the reduction of needless deaths, most due to the lawlessness of Thailand's road users.

Thailand needs to see how other countries do it.

One thing for sure is it will not be achieved overnight.

Thailand needs to do a lot of things like:

• Computerized driving licence records.
• Banging up corrupt police officers who look the other way for a few baht.
• Take police away from police boxes and check points and mobilize them.
• Give the police the tools to do the job.
• Making owners of vehicle responsible for checking any user of their vehicles is legal.
• Making parents/guardians responsible for minors.

In the UK we have ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition),with cameras at fixed points, fitted to police vehicles and some times just set up at the roadside, ANPR is linked to the various agencies to check it is, taxed, has a current road worthy certificate (MOT), it is insured, and the named drivers are properly licensed, but one thing leads to another and a stop for a traffic violation often uncovers more serious crimes and the perpetrators.

I have always said that I would love to see our traffic Police over here (GB) for a few months. It would make great television.

jb1

[Just1Voice]

1st Step. Fire every cop in Thailand, replace with FOREIGN TRAINED Thai, who actually understand their job and are willing to do it.

[jackcorbett]

There is absolutely ZERO enforcement of some of the most important highway laws here, such as driving against the flow of traffic, running red lights, etc. In 8 years not once have I ever seen anyone stopped for such dangerous infractions. Let me put it this way, in countries such as the U.S. it is considered a privilege to drive a motor vehicle so you need to learn how to drive and pass the tests (not bribery allowed either) and then once you have the license you can easily loose it for DWI or having three moving violations in a year. In Thailand it is your right to drive, if you are 12 years old, don't have a license, drive recklessly and so on..it is not a privilege earned. This attitude is not going to change so we can expect to continue to have roughly 4 times as many deaths per capita as the U.S. and other Western countries.

[jimbeam1]

The only way this will work is if half of the population emigrates.

Good idea. Thailand could join the EU. Then they can all emigrate to the UK.

jb1

[fxe1200]

Thailand is targeting a 50 percent drop in road fatalities by the year 2020

...when pigs can fly.

[mojorison]

Near where I live is a long bend. If you hit it hard and fast, and have had 30 or 40 drinks, there is a real risk of going straight ahead, and consequently into a series of fairly large electric poles. Usually this is enough to render at least one, usually all occupants dead.This has happened several times this year, (oddly it is also at the turn off to the local primary school...) but anyway. These accidents all happen at night-time, and alcohol is a factor in all of them, every time, without exception. So the council erected "dangerous curve" signs at the point of impact. With this foresight and wisdom, nothing else need be done. Nothing else can be done. Viva la police!

[kirk0233]

Ban motorbikes in Bangkok like they do in Yangon and it can be done. It was wonderful to walk and ride about the city in Myanmar without worrying about the damn bikes cutting me down as I walked or whizzing around the car without regard for anyone's safety.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Ban motorbikes in Bangkok like they do in Yangon and it can be done. It was wonderful to walk and ride about the city in Myanmar without worrying about the dam_n bikes cutting me down as I walked or whizzing around the car without regard for anyone's safety.

So do you want them to walk to their jobs or wait 3 hours for the next bus or Skytrain they can squeeze themselves into?

[Angeledge777]

Well, it won't happen

[Mudcrab]

With approximately 1.5 million new cars and trucks coming on the road each year with the same amount of people that have no driving skills and have no intention of improving their driving., Not to mention all the under age kids driving motorbikes. Thailand is not going to be a safe place on the road any time soon.

Then you have to contend with the Kamikaze mini bus drivers.

When I see driver improvement centres opening up over Thailand then I would say they are serious about safety on the roads plus getting the kids off motorbikes.

what the hell is a driver improvement centre?

[stoffel45]

Typical - cut back on the things you really excel at.

[jackr]

Thailand is determined to cut road fatalities down by 50 percent by the year 2020

Only way I can think of to achieve that would be to remove 50% of Thais from the roads or exterminate half of the populace.

[theslime]

With approximately 1.5 million new cars and trucks coming on the road each year with the same amount of people that have no driving skills and have no intention of improving their driving., Not to mention all the under age kids driving motorbikes. Thailand is not going to be a safe place on the road any time soon.

Then you have to contend with the Kamikaze mini bus drivers.

When I see driver improvement centres opening up over Thailand then I would say they are serious about safety on the roads plus getting the kids off motorbikes.

what the hell is a driver improvement centre?

Thats the place you pretend to drive correctly,then you get a license, if you aren,t up to scratch a small stipend will result in a pass mark and off you go to the licensing centre. if your connected then no money is required.

[Mudcrab]

There were van crash today afternoon in Bangkok, one foreigner died.

Why is one foreigner dying relevant? Anyone dying is relevant.

[Scott]

I was returning this evening to Bangkok from Chachaengsao. One of those big trucks filled with chickens going to slaughter had slipped on it's side.

Chickens don't fare much better than people on the roads, either.

[Mudcrab]

Three suggestions

1. Police should carry accurate blood alcohol measurement equipment and the results admissiable in court. (I am not sure that there are established levels, but if there are none, they need to be there)

2. The first conviction carries a fine of 30,000 THB or 30 days in prision. Second conviction carries a fine of 50,000 THB and 30 days in prison and loss of driving license for 3 months.

3. Third conviction, permanant loss of driving privilege.

4 Liability should be clearly established for bus and van company owners (not the corporations or companies) and a bond posted to pay damages if their driver or defective equipment or overweight vehicles are found at fault.

5. Each District should have an independent accident inspection team who will establish the cause of the accident using modern accident scene technology and techniques.

Commenting on your suggestions I believe the first drink driving charge is a fine . Get done drinking and driving again within 2 years and a 6 month jail term is the sentence. Hardly a slap on the wrist. Edited December 12, 2013 by Mudcrab

[surfinglife]

Stopping underage motorbike riding would be a good start. And how about a novel idea of motorcyclists being required to hold a licence.....

[balo]

If they could try to reduce the road accidents by 10% , that's more realistic and a good start but it will never happen. By 2020 there will be more cars and bikes on the roads , and more accidents.

[theslime]

My mate Mick got caught drink driving in Chiang Mai earlier this year, 6,000bt fine and lost license for 6 months.

[Mudcrab]

It would be great to see the reduction of needless deaths, most due to the lawlessness of Thailand's road users.

Thailand needs to see how other countries do it.

One thing for sure is it will not be achieved overnight.

Thailand needs to do a lot of things like:

• Computerized driving licence records.
• Banging up corrupt police officers who look the other way for a few baht.
• Take police away from police boxes and check points and mobilize them.
• Give the police the tools to do the job.
• Making owners of vehicle responsible for checking any user of their vehicles is legal.
• Making parents/guardians responsible for minors.

In the UK we have ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition),with cameras at fixed points, fitted to police vehicles and some times just set up at the roadside, ANPR is linked to the various agencies to check it is, taxed, has a current road worthy certificate (MOT), it is insured, and the named drivers are properly licensed, but one thing leads to another and a stop for a traffic violation often uncovers more serious crimes and the perpetrators.

You also had George Orwell....albeit many years ago. What a visionary.