Thailand ranks the world’s third in highest road fatalities

[Lite Beer]

Thailand ranks the world’s third in highest road fatalities

BANGKOK: -- Thailand now ranks third in the list of countries having highest road traffic deaths worldwide with 38.1 road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year in 2010.

Deputy permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry M.L. Panada Disakul revealed the high traffic-related rate of the country at the seminar of the 11th Road Safety Seminar today.

He said that the Thai government had announced a 10-year national policy on road safety from 2011-2020 in its attempt to reduce road accidents and loss to the least during the period.

However, he said, though the policy had been announced and measures had been implemented to reduce traffic-related accidents, road fatalities in the country remained high with a total of 26,000 road fatalities in 2010.

World Health Organization released a list of countries by traffic-related death rate conducted in 2010 showing Thailand become the world’s third country with highest fatalities of 38.1 per capita per year and per vehicle-km.

The highest rate in road fatalities is Eritrea at 48.4, and Libya 40.5.

M.L. Panada said road fatalities remained high despite of the road safety campaign because enforcement of road safety laws on risk factors such as wearing crash helmets, drunk driving, speeding was not tough enough.

According to Australian road safety expert, the best way to reduce road fatalities and loss should be done through encouraging the people to be aware of traffic rules, stringent enforcement of traffic laws.

He added that the coming New Year would see authorities enforcing stricter traffic laws on violators in the attempt to reduce road facilities, particularly wearing crash helmets while riding motorcycles, drunk driving and speeding.

According to WHO, road traffic injuries caused an estimated 1.24 million deaths worldwide in the year 2010, down from 1.26 in 2000. Half of the road traffic deaths are among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and adults aged between 15 and 44 years account for 59% of deaths. 3 out of 4 road deaths are among men. The average rate was 18% per 100,000 people (down from 20.8 in 2000). 92% occurred in low and middle income countries, with Southeast Asia and Africa having the highest rates.

Thailand has the rate of 38.1 road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year, and 118.8 road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thailand-ranks-worlds-third-highest-road-fatalities/

-- Thai PBS 2013-12-12

[wxpwzrd]

Give it up... There are problems on both sides of this equation. Crap drivers with no desire to change and crap police with no desire to stop extorting money.

[Fiddlesticks]

Traffic fatalities hub !

What a surprise!

[theslime]

I,ve been driving around the country for the last 5 weeks and its madness out there, someone just causally pulls out in front ,which causes the person behind to move over , more than likely coming up behind, are fast moving cars, which dont break as its probably too late anyway and with cars tailgating at high speed, with buses,bikes swerving i just try and putt along about 80 but as i,m looking out only came close twice to rear ending said swervers, the c@#ts. yesterday on a short drive of 57 k,s there and back I saw three rear enders, and one car in a ditch. Best to stick to driving slowly.

[212traders]

1. No license necessary for anyone riding scooters. Even elementary students can ride them

2. No traffic violation enforcement. Poor police enforcement = bad driving habits.

[PaullyW]

Well any reasonable, non-thaier-than-thai farang has known that roads here are dangerous as 'heck'.

Seems the shiny, modern facade that Thailand has always wanted to show the world is really in need of a new coat of paint.

Just as undeveloped as any across many categories of living.

[robertthebruce]

Driving in Thailand is DEFINETLY not a pleasure that's for sure.

Hopefully in years to come it will improve......

[Mackstask]

According to the World Health Organization, Thailand is ranked 2nd in the world for Mortality: Road traffic deaths.http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A997#.UlfCQ7pZTXQ.facebook

Edited December 12, 2013 by Mackstask

[EricBerg]

Years ago I asked 5 policemen on different occasions what the maximum speed limit on Thai highways is. None of them knew it. Nor did the staff of Avis know...

[Basil B]

Given Darwin's theory of evolution I recon within a few years Thailand will be void of humans, probably the UN will put it out of bounds suspecting there is something in the water that makes humans want to self destruct.

[newcomer71]

Driving in Thailand is DEFINETLY not a pleasure that's for sure.

Hopefully in years to come it will improve......

That's what I hope too. Sadly, in the last 10 years there have been a worsening of the situation

[Basil B]

Driving in Thailand is DEFINETLY not a pleasure that's for sure.

Hopefully in years to come it will improve......

It must be more thrilling than a bungy from a low bridge over a crock infested river...

[GotR1GHT]

1.Let's start first by not allowing motorcycles to block the pedestrian crossing while waiting for traffic light.Wait,is there even a pedestrian crossing in thailand?

2.Learn thais to use turning signal while actually turning

3.Drink & drive - let drivers actually pay the penalty and consequences instead of taking that 200 baht bribe

4.12 year old on 125cc bike.Well it must be legal in thai

It's really not that hard to see motorcycle taxi people opening bottle of whiskey,especially in pattaya(although most of pattaya dark side has different laws than most of thailand).Let them pay penalty,hit them in the pocket where it hurts

Edited December 12, 2013 by GotR1GHT

[ikke]

Crap drivers sure, but also the garlands and other religious hangers on the mirror, they cause that on the left side there is a huge dead corner where you cant see anything passing nor crossing.

This things should be banned for every ones safety.

Why else a car manufacturer would build a car with a big large front shield ????? Never comes into my car .

[tominbkk]

99% of these deaths must be from motorbike accidents. And with all the risks most of the yahoos I see on the streets every day driving and doing my best to accommodate/avoid their ridiculous driving, it is more Darwin's natural selection than anything else.

[wilailuk]

Not too bad in Bangkok, I drive a motosai here, just keep your eyes open, look in the mirrors, go with the flow, jai yen yen, don´t go crazy, shout or give the middle-finger!

Outside the capital, it´s pure and utter mayhem, and that´s why I don´t go there.

[robblok]

Been driving here for 7 years car and bikes its dangerous but being smart you can avoid a lot.

Anyway finally something to see that Thailand is ranked high in they will be so proud.

[newcomer71]

1.Let's start first by not allowing motorcycles to block the pedestrian crossing while waiting for traffic light.Wait,is there even a pedestrian crossing in thailand?

2.Learn thais to use turning signal while actually turning

3.Drink & drive - let drivers actually pay the penalty and consequences instead of taking that 200 baht bribe

4.12 year old on 125cc bike.Well it must be legal in thai

It's really not that hard to see motorcycle taxi people opening bottle of whiskey,especially in pattaya(although most of pattaya dark side has different laws than most of thailand).Let them pay penalty,hit them in the pocket where it hurts

I would add:

5) National sport: totally out of head lane change, with frequent crashes with taxis, motorbikes or other private cars.

6) Drive against traffic (now it happens regularly in Bkk with motorcycles, but after Bangkapi for example, it becomes countryside with even pickup (who else?) frequently doing it

7) Abolish those modified motorcycle/cart without light and so dangerous for general street safety.

...but there's much more!

[ttthailand]

I think the biggest problem that causes deaths in Thailand is cars, busses and trucks passing each other on curves and even straight road with traffic coming the other Direction. Double yellow lines mean nothing. I wish I had a dollar for every time I had a car coming directly at me in my lane while they were passing another car or truck. Normally flashing their lights to say " I am not stopping so get out of my way". I have to drive almost off the side of the road just so we don't have a head on accident. I think this is number one problem and very deadly when things go wrong.

[kkerry]

I do a brisk 30-60 minute cycle ride most afternoons in an area of low traffic and I can't see much hope for the future when nearly all of the kids riding home from school are on the wrong side of the road, talking on their phones or listening to music, totally oblivious as to what is going on around them. It's pretty clear what they are going to be like when they eventually own their own motorcycle.

Then there are the car drivers who on a wide road for some reason must do a right turn from the far right hand side of the road (the wrong side), straight in to any cars or bikes turning left. It's just nuts. The other day after three near misses in twenty minutes I gave up and went back home while I still could. Told the wife what happened and she said it was all my fault because I ride my bike too fast...

[muchogra]

I reckon it may soon be a hub? It's better than nothing by winning the award, after claiming for years for a hub of this and that but never has materialized!

[muchogra]

The police need to do their job to enforce the laws, so are many things in Thailand!

[wilailuk]

I do a brisk 30-60 minute cycle ride most afternoons in an area of low traffic and I can't see much hope for the future when nearly all of the kids riding home from school are on the wrong side of the road, talking on their phones or listening to music, totally oblivious as to what is going on around them. It's pretty clear what they are going to be like when they eventually own their own motorcycle. Then there are the car drivers who on a wide road for some reason must do a right turn from the far right hand side of the road (the wrong side), straight in to any cars or bikes turning left. It's just nuts. The other day after three near misses in twenty minutes I gave up and went back home while I still could. Told the wife what happened and she said it was all my fault because I ride my bike too fast...

Totally crazy, but we love it here, don´t we?

Your wife´s comment is spot on, next time she will tell you:

"If farang not here, then no problem"

YOU as a farang told her about the perceived problems, but if there´s no farang telling her, then there´s no promblem!

Simple, it´s the famous Thai logic.

[livingthedream]

3rd is good - that's a bronze!

Yay go Thailand !!

Hub of road carnage

[Patje]

Come on Thailand, only 2 more places to the number one spot !!!!

You can do it !!!

[Nibbles48]

I am willing to bet that 50BN will get thrown at this project, all of which will be siphoned off in graft.

Come 2020 the roads deaths will have risen to over 30,000 a year.

[schultzlivgthai]

It's real simple you dumb ass government, hire real road cops give them radar guns and write tickets for speeding! Speed is killing thousands of people every year. "Speed Kills"!!!!! Period.

[schultzlivgthai]

I was a driver in America for twenty years, and being in Thailand can't believe these people can be so reckless, careless and rude on the roads. They honestly have no common sense behind the wheel.

[Nibbles48]

It's real simple you dumb ass government, hire real road cops give them radar guns and write tickets for speeding! Speed is killing thousands of people every year. "Speed Kills"!!!!! Period.

I think speed is a minor issue here.

People speed even in counties that have pretty safe roads.

It is the lunatic truck drivers and pickup drivers that pull straight out of a u-turn on a 110KM/H road in front of speeding traffic. Or driving the wrong way down a carriageway, or motorcycles going round the elevated u-turns the wrong direction. The drivers just swinging straight out in front of you to get across to a u-turn (especially trucks and buses). The jumping of red lights too early or too late.

I drive all over Thailand and most of the silver spray paint on the roads are at u-turns and traffic light controlled junctions. These are the major black spots.

In Korat in the past 6 weeks there has been 3 fatal accidents at the exact same traffic light controlled junction 1.5KM from my house and all caused by trucks smashing into vehicles waiting at the lights.

They really need to crack down on these truck drivers and their companies. 5 year prison for causing death should be mandatory. Bring in 'dangerous driving' laws with mandatory 1 year bans and huge fines for the company owner. Dish out huge fines to drivers for breaking traffic laws, and use the revenue to close down the u-turns on the high speed roads and build elevated u-0turns instead.

Then may they see an improvement.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Nibbles48

[SamMunich]

You have to be glad, the figure is not higher!

And the only reason, why there is not more carnage out there is the hassle with police and insurance in case of an accident and even more important: you must pay for repairs etc!!! And that, when you propably haven't paid the full 4 years or more of the financing...

Sure, driving lessons would help, knowing the traffic rules would help, law enforcement instead of milking the driver would help. BTW the max speed outside of towns and villages is 90 kph, except where indicated different.

I have been riding around for many years on a scooter or a motorcycle and some 10+ years in a car. In the beginning I had on average one accident per every two years when riding on two wheels. That stopped lately. But I did 80+ km per day to and from work for many years on a scooter...

The magic thing to avoid accidents is to drive passive and to anticipate, that others might drive like crazy. And watch your back!

Sam M.