what a great idea ............................................NOT!

It's a well know fact that ghosts cause road accidents. To remedy this--hang a stuffed animal from your rear bumper (yep, like you see all over BKK), and the ghost will play with it instead of causing your accident.

If you do have a wreck and you DID have the aformentioned stuffed animal--then obviously, you didn't buy the appropriate kind.

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lau kaow or lao kao ? or laow kaow... dammit i know how it goes in spoken thai but never got an agreement on the spelling version... now i have to add Laos Khow to the list... good grief

Officially 'lao khao' in Royal Thai General System romanisation.

Typical of the ignorance of this country. Exactly wht it is going down the 'gurgler'

not sure why it matters, as we farang are always in the wrong anyway, unless up country where they not want to even know you. lol

Please note what the Director actually said . . .

However, Mr. Wachira also stressed that road safety depends on the commuters′ caution and willingness to follow safe driving practice.

Volunteers from ′Stop Drink Network′ and a group of student reinforced the message by joining the ceremony to promote a campaign against drunk-driving habit during the festive season. The volunteers also organised a service stop at Khao Peeb Intersection where drivers are given wet napkins to refresh themselves.

“It is crucial not to drink and drive, not to drive too fast, and not to drive while you are too tired”, said Mr. Wachira, “Our district had prepared the service point to facilitate the drivers when they are looking for a stopover, and we had instructed officials to carefully monitor the roads to prevent any accidents.”

Using their religion to also convey safety messages is actually pretty smart. The merit making gets the attention of those who rely on amulets rather than defensive driving and then introduces them to other means of protecting themselves and other road users.

Or is my thinking going a little too deep here?

No, you're not MJP. Praying to a higher power or even having religious beliefs may seem backward to some modern-day thinking. However, I believe all religions teach that their adherents have to act responsibly too. And this is the message that Mr Wachira is trying to get across.

Wow.. now we have the actual proof we've all been waiting for.. Thailand the Land of Smiles has really lost all grip on reality!!

Coming into the year 2014 with an abundance of worldwide technology & statistics available on vehicle or road safety measures, the best Thailand can offer can offer is:

Monks incantations to help reduce road traffic accidents,

Not a mention of improving driving skills before the issue of a driving licence, or the taking away of said licence due to poor driving ability, or even an increase in testing & maintenance of vehicles on the road!

This will send the right message all the way through to the Russian tour operator.. they can now send more tourists over in the happy knowledge that they will have all protection they need from the highest level & all come home again....

albeit in a body bag in the cargo hold!!

Third world, and always will be!

We shouldn't mock it wasn't so long ago that Rick Perry the governor of Texas and Presidential wannabee assembled the gullible to pray for an end to that State's drought.

Reading the responses I guess very few of the uptight know it all posters actually read further than the header.

Try it, and then respond.

Reportedly, the authority also renamed the Asian Highway Network in the district area as Mongkhol Road (Holy Road), to strengthen the luck of all commuters and passengers.

Perfect, and to assure nirvana for everyone, they should rename the BIB collecting donations on the highways as "monks".

Reading the responses I guess very few of the uptight know it all posters actually read further than the header.

Try it, and then respond.

The "uptight know it alls" will respond identically even after reading the whole article. They're incapable of thinking outside their predetermined biased attitudes and totally incapable of lateral thinking in regard to cultural differences.

They also cannot read between the lines of badly written/translated media releases that frequently simplify the facts using inappropriate English usage and translations .

And anyway, they rarely let logic get in the way of a good rant.

I'm sure most of them are the type of people we'd cross the road to avoid if we knew them.

(I'll steal the first response before somebody posts it: "....and if you cross the road you'll get nailed by a Thai driver.")

Aaah the power of prayer over education cannot be disputed in Thailand.

Forget driving tests just get everybody blessed by a monk that should reduce the road toll.

Have a monk posted on every bus to scare the evil road crash spirits away

Am I being too cynical?

<deleted>! Just do your f...ing jobs and protect Thai people intead if this crap.

protect Thai people from whom? themselves? a simple observation would inform any casual obsever that Thai people don't follow road safety rules.

i have a brilliant idea. why not have a driving test that actually has something to do with actually driving ....... and possibley a public awareness campaign being broadcast on tv showing the death and destruction each and everyday. then again a lot of Thais may see that as purely entertainment. Hmmmm ... what to do >

I totally agree with you.

If the government were serious about this they could implement many thinks that would reduce the road toll and protect Thai's from Thai's.

A few things come to mind.

1 proper driver training ( as you said)

2 enforcement of laws. Helmets, speeding, drunk driving, overtaking , cutting corners, etc etc

3 monitoring of long distance commercial drivers.

4 overloaded and over sized vehicles, particularly pickups

5 seat belts for passengers in the back of cars.

6 child restraint systems

7 riding on top of trucks and in the back of pickups.

8 actually having speed signs

9 non corrupt police

10 police setting example by wearing helmets that are done up.

Etc etc etc.

Or you could just say meaningless dribble, do nothing and get to the number 1 spot of the worlds most dangerous country to be on the roads with in 3 years.

I think the later will be the most probable outcome

Finally some action is taken to reduce the number of death in traffic!

<deleted>! Just do your f...ing jobs and protect Thai people intead if this crap.

protect Thai people from whom? themselves? a simple observation would inform any casual obsever that Thai people don't follow road safety rules.

i have a brilliant idea. why not have a driving test that actually has something to do with actually driving ....... and possibley a public awareness campaign being broadcast on tv showing the death and destruction each and everyday. then again a lot of Thais may see that as purely entertainment. Hmmmm ... what to do >

I totally agree with you.

If the government were serious about this they could implement many thinks that would reduce the road toll and protect Thai's from Thai's.

A few things come to mind.

1 proper driver training ( as you said)

2 enforcement of laws. Helmets, speeding, drunk driving, overtaking , cutting corners, etc etc

3 monitoring of long distance commercial drivers.

4 overloaded and over sized vehicles, particularly pickups

5 seat belts for passengers in the back of cars.

6 child restraint systems

7 riding on top of trucks and in the back of pickups.

8 actually having speed signs

9 non corrupt police

10 police setting example by wearing helmets that are done up.

Etc etc etc.

Or you could just say meaningless dribble, do nothing and get to the number 1 spot of the worlds most dangerous country to be on the roads with in 3 years.

I think the later will be the most probable outcome

I could add a million.

PARENTS, riding with kids to set the biggest example by wearing a crash hat. if mama or papa don't do nobody doe's.

Maybe the monks ought to do the same with every government worker, politician, police, government contractor, and army general.

Wow.. now we have the actual proof we've all been waiting for.. Thailand the Land of Smiles has really lost all grip on reality!!

Coming into the year 2014 with an abundance of worldwide technology & statistics available on vehicle or road safety measures, the best Thailand can offer can offer is:

Monks incantations to help reduce road traffic accidents,

Not a mention of improving driving skills before the issue of a driving licence, or the taking away of said licence due to poor driving ability, or even an increase in testing & maintenance of vehicles on the road!

This will send the right message all the way through to the Russian tour operator.. they can now send more tourists over in the happy knowledge that they will have all protection they need from the highest level & all come home again....

albeit in a body bag in the cargo hold!!

"However, Mr. Wachira also stressed that road safety depends on the commuters′ caution and willingness to follow safe driving practice.

Volunteers from ′Stop Drink Network′ and a group of student reinforced the message by joining the ceremony to promote a campaign against drunk-driving habit during the festive season. The volunteers also organised a service stop at Khao Peeb Intersection where drivers are given wet napkins to refresh themselves.

“It is crucial not to drink and drive, not to drive too fast, and not to drive while you are too tired”, said Mr. Wachira, “Our district had prepared the service point to facilitate the drivers when they are looking for a stopover, and we had instructed officials to carefully monitor the roads to prevent any accidents.”

It's true that evil spirits are to blame for most road accidents, mostly whiskey.

You beat me to it. That's exactly what I wanted to write...!!

Aaah the power of prayer over education cannot be disputed in Thailand.

Forget driving tests just get everybody blessed by a monk that should reduce the road toll.

Have a monk posted on every bus to scare the evil road crash spirits away

Am I being too cynical?

...no...!

Mr Wachira failed to note some salient points;

Get a brain!

Of course evil ghosts are real, remember the american documentary called "Ghost Busters"!

It's true that evil spirits are to blame for most road accidents, mostly whiskey.

Thai white whisky, Loas Khow. This is the most favoured one they call Nong Khai label.

Suppose Monk prayers are a better bet, look at all the smashed up amulets in crashed vehicles.

But it is up to the individual, if he/she feels safer -good. Their driving plays a big part though.

The Thais have turned Buddism into EVIL spirits? Monks Prayers? So they say there is a super being and not "we are part of a greater universe as Buddah taught? What a load of CRAP.

Have the Catholics stop doing exorcisms or not yet?

How about sacrificing a couple of goats? Works like a charm for the Hindudus: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/6979292.stm

Leave the goats alone. Couple of politicians should do the trick...one from each side:-)

I recently helped build a small road network in the UK. Only about 1.5km of single carriage highway and a roundabout along with widening an existing A-Road.

Now these roads were for a new commercial and retail development and were to be adopted by the local council. I dealt with the local authority highways inspector (who was an absolutely fantastic chap, very knowledgeable and helpful).

I'll cut to the chase here. The design and risk assessment for safety on British roads goes into some pretty extreme detail. Road layout, driver visibility, road camber, drainage and surface texture, signage and lighting, turning radius and kerbs, toucan crossings, verges . . . .I've written whole reports on it. They want it right before adoption and even before they'll grant a 'Part 1' which says the public can use the road even it's still privately owned.

Although the driving here is bad and there's still debate whether there is actually a test, I think a lot of the accidents here have to do with the design and construction of roads which, like the UK before, were not designed for such large and fast moving vehicles.

This place never ceases to amaze.

Well TAT called it Amazing Thailand

Im amazed that so many brain dead individuals load up the truck with all the family and more booze than you should drink in a month.

Then try to head to the old home town.

Madness to think a bit of chanting will reduce the road accidents.

Good grief.

We are guest in this country and resent that you making fun of the Thai Religion

Just make fun of your Religion or the Religion of the country you come from

Madness to think a bit of chanting will reduce the road accidents.

Well, if the driver is chanting, then he ain't sleeping, so it may help.

It is the way of religion.

God, Gods, and more Gods.

Thais love their gods.

They really believe this stuff too.

No facts ever stop them.

They love Gold, cars, and drink too and I do not think Buddah taught that as the way to a higher level of life.

Of course he told them he is a man and they still say here that he is a GOD so there it goes.