Road deaths, injuries higher in first 3 days of the "seven dangerous days"

[ginjag]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

[ginjag]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

[buhi]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Most are motor cycle accidents, drivers often below 20 years old, out to impress the female hanger ons.

They drink hard stuff and have no control over it.

No helmets and highly tuned two strokes, which as an ex motor cycle rider , I know have incredible acceleration.

My step son used to be one, I banned his racing bike from our house.

I know where it is now, but believe he has quit; has a nice live in girlfriend and am often up early hours and know they are at home.

I do blame the police though, they accept the bribes and arrange the venues!

Edited December 31, 2013 by buhi

[buhi]

The only way to change the mentality of drivers is to have tight law enforcement. If there's hardly any risk of getting caught when driving drunk or speeding , there's no reason for many to not go driving after drinking a gallon or so and to not stick to the speed limits..

Singing monks won't do the job. Competent and allover present police will.

Houston we have a problem.

Offering something to ponder...

I personally don't see the lack of law enforcement being as simple as laziness, lack of education/training, and/or simple-minded BIBs/policy makers, I reckon it's far more contrived than that.

As it stands the BIBs can healthily top-up their monthly income by setting-up 'occasional stings'. They can wholly rely upon that income.

If they were to, say, 'enforce' the law on an hourly/daily basis, the people would largely reform to abiding by the rules, thus the cash-cow hops the fence never to be seen again.

Worth a thought...?

Do not need to ponder, you are correct.

Pay up or the motorcycle is taken to the police compound.

Road safety and law enforcement is not profitable.

[marko kok prong]

in town this morning,two guys driving motorsai,paraletic,weaving all over the place,guy on the back swaying like he was doing a limbo dance,i was behind them,suddenly they stop,he falls off,staggers up,luckily i am going slow and have anticipated this,but am worried because no doubt the motorsais behind me are very close and probably looking at the meter of road in front of their front wheel,guy gets up,he's okay,taking a call on his mobile, i suddenly remember him thrashing about at his jacket before he fell off,to get at the phone of course,so he stands there swaying in the road,whilst stopping all traffic as his mate slumps on the bike in front ,in the middle of our narrow lane,so i cannot proceed as the street is very narrow and cars are coming the other way,then a gap opens in the oncoming traffic so i try to edge around them,but by now motorsais are flowing around me like water,i felt like tooting with the horn,but seeing his drunken state thought better of it,eventually i was able to get around,when i looked in the rearview mirror,they were still there ,other motorsais swarming around either side of them,they are probably still there now.

[IDL]

in town this morning,two guys driving motorsai,paraletic,weaving all over the place,guy on the back swaying like he was doing a limbo dance,i was behind them,suddenly they stop,he falls off,staggers up,luckily i am going slow and have anticipated this,but am worried because no doubt the motorsais behind me are very close and probably looking at the meter of road in front of their front wheel,guy gets up,he's okay,taking a call on his mobile, i suddenly remember him thrashing about at his jacket before he fell off,to get at the phone of course,so he stands there swaying in the road,whilst stopping all traffic as his mate slumps on the bike in front ,in the middle of our narrow lane,so i cannot proceed as the street is very narrow and cars are coming the other way,then a gap opens in the oncoming traffic so i try to edge around them,but by now motorsais are flowing around me like water,i felt like tooting with the horn,but seeing his drunken state thought better of it,eventually i was able to get around,when i looked in the rearview mirror,they were still there ,other motorsais swarming around either side of them,they are probably still there now.

So just another day in paradise.

[balo]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

I have problems to understand that kind of thinking , so you mean that Thais do not care if someone dies?

I know that Thai families look at their sons and daughters as the most important thing in life, because they will be there and take care of them when they get old.

[GAZZPA]

"Now that most people have reached their destinations, such as home towns or tourist sites, and started their celebrations, officials have been instructed to set up checkpoints for drunk drivers, speeding motorists and motorcyclists without helmets..."

I would think that the time to have set up the checkpoints would have been before the161 deaths and 1,390 injuries occurred. This, especially after the government officials made such a big deal about this year's safety campaign to reduce road crashes, deaths and injuries. Are these people that ignorant that they don't realize that it takes more than words and posturing to increase road safety? For those of us who have lived here for a while, we all know the answer to that question

Agree. It's just another load of hot air from the government. Lots of news print and statements but no action at all.

I have no statistics to back this up (before anyone asks) but i think it is safe to assume that it is lucrative time of year for the BIB with tea money. So, getting drunk, being pulled over and coughing up some tea money is hardly a big incentive for people to not do it.

They Police should do the obvious thing, if drunk they are arrested, lose their license and are fined. If anyone is found not to have a license you should be arrested and fined 5,000 baht. If you are a serial offender for drink driving or without a license you go to jail,,,

i know people will argue these points / numbers but that doesn't matter. As long as something is put into place and "enforced" then times will change very quickly.

All of this should be backed up with a national government campaign on the clamp down.. It's would not be too difficult to make a big difference here as things are so out of control, people will soon get the message.

I have seen this topic so many times before and the overall view from people is pretty common: "enforce the law and get rid of the tea money culture" People are being killed on the roads at a terrible rate, how bad do the statistics have to get before something is done?

[IDL]

"Now that most people have reached their destinations, such as home towns or tourist sites, and started their celebrations, officials have been instructed to set up checkpoints for drunk drivers, speeding motorists and motorcyclists without helmets..."

I would think that the time to have set up the checkpoints would have been before the161 deaths and 1,390 injuries occurred. This, especially after the government officials made such a big deal about this year's safety campaign to reduce road crashes, deaths and injuries. Are these people that ignorant that they don't realize that it takes more than words and posturing to increase road safety? For those of us who have lived here for a while, we all know the answer to that question

Agree. It's just another load of hot air from the government. Lots of news print and statements but no action at all.

I have no statistics to back this up (before anyone asks) but i think it is safe to assume that it is lucrative time of year for the BIB with tea money. So, getting drunk, being pulled over and coughing up some tea money is hardly a big incentive for people to not do it.

They Police should do the obvious thing, if drunk they are arrested, lose their license and are fined. If anyone is found not to have a license you should be arrested and fined 5,000 baht. If you are a serial offender for drink driving or without a license you go to jail,,,

i know people will argue these points / numbers but that doesn't matter. As long as something is put into place and "enforced" then times will change very quickly.

All of this should be backed up with a national government campaign on the clamp down.. It's would not be too difficult to make a big difference here as things are so out of control, people will soon get the message.

I have seen this topic so many times before and the overall view from people is pretty common: "enforce the law and get rid of the tea money culture" People are being killed on the roads at a terrible rate, how bad do the statistics have to get before something is done?

Yep, it gets under the skin of most of us [visitors].

Take a peek at what I offered to "ponder", above, it may assist in your futile efforts to think 'you can make a difference'; I certainly used to think I could.

[cbluck58]

Not again with the Thai driving........how many more times ?

We all know they can't drive - live with it or go home .

[IDL]

Not again with the Thai driving........how many more times ?

We all know they can't drive - live with it or go home .

Liked it in the main, but the "bugger off" quote has been used to death, too.

What next, people asking what visa they should get...?

[1ma]

A total of 1,322 road accidents on the first three of the "seven dangerous days" of the New Year holiday period claimed 161 lives and caused 1,390 injuries, the Road Safety Centre reported yesterday.

But I thought that they prayed to the ghosts to help?

[aguy30]

Congratulations to Thailand for the great improvement in reducing fatalities. Only 52 people per day is a big reduction from the normal 72 per based on the WHO estimates of 26,312 traffic deaths in 2010.

Why isn't anyone concerned about the "normal" of 72 deaths per day for the whole year? Thailand has one of the very highest rates of traffic deaths for any country in the world at 38.1 per 100,000 people. If only the BIB and government did a better job for other 358 days in the year.

WHO report based on 2010: http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A997

Edited December 31, 2013 by aguy30

[Thaddeus]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

I have problems to understand that kind of thinking , so you mean that Thais do not care if someone dies?

I know that Thai families look at their sons and daughters as the most important thing in life, because they will be there and take care of them when they get old.

In my experience, they do care about their own family, but if the victims are not known, it elicits little more than a shrug.

[Hawk]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

I have problems to understand that kind of thinking , so you mean that Thais do not care if someone dies?

I know that Thai families look at their sons and daughters as the most important thing in life, because they will be there and take care of them when they get old.

In my experience, they do care about their own family, but if the victims are not known, it elicits little more than a shrug.

The local natives of this sunny land are as Buddhist as a fungus! Compassion for all beings, yeah right! If they are "truly" Buddhists why don't they put the real Buddhism into practice instead of being greedy thoughtless materialists. Monks with huge bank accounts and a fleet of cars sets a fine example for the ordinary folk to follow, Materialistic Buddhism, cheat, rob and think only of yourself.

[PeterSmiles]

Only two provinces this year - Chaiyaphum and Samut Songkhram - had no accidents.

Two entire provinces who didn't have an accident on the 3 most dangerous days of the year ?

Where is the Guinness book of world records when you need them.

[ginjag]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

I have problems to understand that kind of thinking , so you mean that Thais do not care if someone dies?

I know that Thai families look at their sons and daughters as the most important thing in life, because they will be there and take care of them when they get old.

I was not Thai bashing, I agree with you there are those who cherish--there are those who expect a return for bringing them up--and there are those who really do not give a hoot-my example. if they did they would never allow their kids on a M/Cycle let alone with no crash hat.

I believe the ones that cherish are the ones that dearly love and care for-----the ones that want a return for the labours of having them are some of them that condone the sex trade not care what the kids are doing for a living and wait for PO money every month.

[Khonper]

A total of 1,322 road accidents on the first three of the "seven dangerous days" of the New Year holiday period claimed 161 lives and caused 1,390 injuries, the Road Safety Centre reported yesterday.

How does this statistic stack up against the 358 dangerous days of the Rest of the Year period?

First 3 days average is 54 killed per day, average for the year is 71 killed per day (26500/year) so traffic campaign seems to work. Hard to believe.

[takkatan in the land]

There should be nothing more revered than life itself.

Isn't this a Christian philosophy? Buddhists get resurrected so come back.

Our dog is the reincarnation of the previous two. Ask my wife!

Visitors should just come here enjoy the weather, the scenery, the lifestyle and relax. Concentrate on what is good here and not vex everyday about what is in your opinion, bad.

you are not thinking like your wife? are you?

if yes be careful to don't do certain things where the dog is around.

Now seriously, I don't know if you think like thais or not.

But when I worry for how they drive is because there are more innocent people driving in the roads,

me included and probably yourself as well, that may they worry to lose their lives.

[myluckythai]

If you think thai drivers are bad, uneducated, lacking self-development skills and unrespectful, it means you haven't driven to Isaan in new year. I thought I saw the worst kind here in Bangkok but after taking a journey on 28 December morning to Buriram, I was impressed to see how can they lose everything that us human.

Police handling accidents is a joke, no warning, no alternative routing, people just wait and go pee near road (men & women & children). It took 2.5 hours to remove one pickup and one small truck to open single lane road.

Oh yeah... Buriram and other places here in the farmlands are much worse indeed. terrible mentality

[AndersM]

Where are they getting the stats for this? The last 3 days I have seen at least 7 accidents in chaiyaphum province. It is so retarded driving on the roads here that we stop driving before dark because you never know what is going to go down.

[EricBerg]

If you are drunk and cause an accident in my home country you get a jail sentence , and you lose your license . If you killed someone in an accident maybe 6 years in prison .

Life is cheap here.

This is true---I pointed out to my old neighbor ( who let her 10 year old son take her m/cycle-and no crash hat) what if he died, what would you do,???

Her answer was WE would make another baby.

I have problems to understand that kind of thinking , so you mean that Thais do not care if someone dies?

I know that Thai families look at their sons and daughters as the most important thing in life, because they will be there and take care of them when they get old.

In my opinion in general there's much more acceptance among Thai people when someone dies than among westerners. Perhaps that has to do with that reincarnation part of their faith. Doesn't mean life is cheap for Thais, but the emotional impact of a loss seems less and shorter.

[thrilled]

People love to get kemaw.The same thing happens every year in Thailand.It's getting so it's getting to dangerous to travel out.

[allan michaud]

I mean no disrespect to the dead and injured but I really don't understand why the Thai media make such a fuss over the holiday periods each year. According to stats (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html) there are something like 26,000 road related deaths each year, which is over 70 per day, so actually the figures for the holiday periods seem to show the authorities efforts to reduce the daily slaughter are working. It should be renamed "Seven slightly less dangerous days".

[ratcatcher]

Anyone that thinks Thai roads are particularly dangerous might find this video from Russia quite interesting.

Admittedly in winter but spectacular.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/5RAaW_1FzYg?autoplay=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0