Thailand third worst in the world for road deaths; Phuket killing someone every three days

[webfact]

Thailand third worst in the world for road deaths; Phuket killing someone every three days
Phuket Gazette


Dr Thanapong Jinvong says Thailand has the third highest annual rate of road traffic deaths in the world. Photo: Saran Mitrarat

PHUKET: -- Over 300 people from throughout Southern Thailand yesterday concluded a two-day seminar geared to develop methods to reduce road-traffic deaths.

Thailand currently ranks third in the world in annual road-death rates, with 38 fatalities per 100,000 people. Only Niue (a Polynesian island whose name translates to "Behold the Coconut") and the the Dominican Republic have higher rates, said Thanapong Jinvong, Director of the Academy of Road Safety at the National Health Foundation.

“Someone dies in Thailand from a road accident every half an hour. In Phuket, we have one death every three days. That's why it is imperative that we find a way to reduce the death rate,” Dr Thanapong told the Phuket Gazette.

“We've set a goal to reduce the number to 1:10,000.”

Phuket's "success" in reducing road deaths made the province the ideal location for the road-safety seminar, said Wiwat Seetamanotch of the Phuket Provincial Traffic Accident Support Team.

“We've managed to reduce road deaths from 200 in 2007 to 111 in 2013,” Dr Wiwat said. “We expect to have fewer than 100 road deaths this year.”

Phuket's heaviest fatality rates occur between 6pm and 10pm, and again from midnight to 1am, explained Dr Wiwat. In the evening, the roads are crowded with people returning home from work, who are often tired and want to get home quickly. The late-night accidents are often caused by drunken drivers, he added.

The more we know about what causes road accidents, the more we are able to prevent them, Dr Thanapong stressed.

Dr Wiwat listed many of the measures taken since accident-prevention plans in Phuket were implemented in 2005: installation of more traffic lights; operating some traffic lights 24 hours a day; changing gradients on dangerous curves; changing road surfaces to increase friction; adding rubber strips; putting reflectors on guard rails; installing speed cameras; and adding warning signs.

“We've also had success convincing people to wear helmets. For the last three years, Phuket has ranked number two in Thailand for helmet use,” Dr Wiwat said.

Police are also doing their part by stepping up the number of people they stop for riding without helmets or driver's licenses, he noted.

However, one of the most critical things to do is to change how Thais think about accidents, Dr Thanapong said.

Thais have traditionally felt that accidents occur because of bad fortune, or other kinds of mysterious forces. An Assumption University poll showed that 26 per cent of a survey group believed that accidents could not be prevented.

“We need to change those mental constructs," Dr Thanapong said. "They must also realize that road accidents can happen anywhere and at any time.”

Those taking part in the seminar, held at the Boat Lagoon, developed safety plans to be implemented once they return to their home provinces. The group plans to meet again in May to discuss progress, and then in August to discuss their results.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2014/Thailand-third-worst-in-the-wold-for-road-deaths-Phuket-killing-someone-every-three-days-24395.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2014-01-25

[JetsetBkk]

Confirms what we all thought. Shameful.

[sam sen]

how about some capital investment in road safely rather than throwing money out of the window to win the next election?

[Mosha]

One of the 2 countries Thailand above only has a population of about 1500. So a single death there soon raises the death rate.

[noikrit]

. Only Niue (a Polynesian island whose name translates to "Behold the Coconut") ... ...... I'm Sorry ....

Edited January 25, 2014 by noikrit

[eezergood]

He will be struck off soon! Bringing Thailand into disrepute!

[pokerface1]

A road safety campaign or brain washing out of old and dangerous driving habits is best served up in prime time TV. Showing all the blood and guts at meal time across all channels. Another less brutal series of ads should be aimed at the kids prime time as well so they can learn about being a safe passenger by putting pressure on the driver to be more careful.

In the end the quickest way to fix the problem is to reward the good drivers and punish the bad ...it's that simple

[LivinginKata]

I had realised that Thailand has a bad road death record, but I had not expected it to be so high on a world scale.

[Nowhereman60]

Your not telling us something we already know.

[grumpyoldman]

I think for Phuket the stat is getting better. I remember it being a death a day.

[Just1Voice]

The majority of road accidents in LOS is due to a lack of "cognitive reasoning" and "common sense" in the gray matter located between Thai ears.

Nope.

You generally get all the safety you can afford... Putting it down to "cognitive reasoning" is pretty racist, huh?

The vast majority of the carnage on Thai roads is due to economic conditions that put so many Thais on motorcycles- which are 20-30x more dangerous per km than a car, and (almost) infinitely more dangerous than walking.

A little poorer, and they'd be riding bicycles or walking. A little richer, and they'd be riding in their own individual seats in cars with seat belts fastened.

Nothing the least "racist" in my post at all, other then in your mind. Simply stating well known facts. Anyone who has been in Thailand for any length of time is well aware that cognitive reasoning is simply NOT a strong point with Thai in general. They think only of themselves, and only for the moment. For the most part, their concept of "the future" only extends until "tomorrow". How many Thai have you ever known that actually admit that something is their fault, or apologize for anything? In over 6 years of living here, I've yet to meet one. I've had construction workers who show up at my house, 2-3 hours later than they were scheduled to of course, and then have to borrow MY tools to do a job for which THEY should have the tools for.

And I completely agree with terryp in regards to what he wrote. In other words, they don't THINK, only act without thinking.

[pj123]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

[edwinchester]

A road safety campaign or brain washing out of old and dangerous driving habits is best served up in prime time TV. Showing all the blood and guts at meal time across all channels. Another less brutal series of ads should be aimed at the kids prime time as well so they can learn about being a safe passenger by putting pressure on the driver to be more careful.

In the end the quickest way to fix the problem is to reward the good drivers and punish the bad ...it's that simple

Every now and again I see very graphic accident pics at the local municipal bus station. All the gore you could ask for. For whatever reason people either ignore or don't seem to notice.

[Just1Voice]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

Re-read the article. It says 1 person every three days in PHUKET, not in all of Thailand.

[impulse]

The majority of road accidents in LOS is due to a lack of "cognitive reasoning" and "common sense" in the gray matter located between Thai ears.

Nope.

You generally get all the safety you can afford... Putting it down to "cognitive reasoning" is pretty racist, huh?

The vast majority of the carnage on Thai roads is due to economic conditions that put so many Thais on motorcycles- which are 20-30x more dangerous per km than a car, and (almost) infinitely more dangerous than walking.

A little poorer, and they'd be riding bicycles or walking. A little richer, and they'd be riding in their own individual seats in cars with seat belts fastened.

Nothing the least "racist" in my post at all, other then in your mind. Simply stating well known facts. Anyone who has been in Thailand for any length of time is well aware that cognitive reasoning is simply NOT a strong point with Thai in general. They think only of themselves, and only for the moment. For the most part, their concept of "the future" only extends until "tomorrow". How many Thai have you ever known that actually admit that something is their fault, or apologize for anything? In over 6 years of living here, I've yet to meet one. I've had construction workers who show up at my house, 2-3 hours later than they were scheduled to of course, and then have to borrow MY tools to do a job for which THEY should have the tools for.

And I completely agree with terryp in regards to what he wrote. In other words, they don't THINK, only act without thinking.

And yet, they're 5 chess moves ahead of a typical westerner in sizing up other people they meet, and their stature relative to those people, and how to best "manage" their relationship with other people.

And a Thai lady with a 4th grade education can take a university educated western guy for everything he has, and send him packing with nothing.

I can assure you, they are thinking. 100% of the time. Different than you and I think, perhaps, but in a manner that fits the requirements of their society- not the one we left back home.

They have done a calculation of the benefit they derive by driving against traffic, weighed against the 1/100,000th of a percent chance they'll be in an accident if they do. Heck, we'd do exactly the same if our nanny upbringings didn't tell us that there's a high % chance of getting caught by the cops- on top of that 1/100,000th of a percent chance of getting into an accident.

And to contend that "cognitive reasoning is simply NOT a strong point with Thai in general" is denigrating an entire society based on inapplicable norms from "back home". That is racist.

Edited January 25, 2014 by impulse

[eezergood]

A road safety campaign or brain washing out of old and dangerous driving habits is best served up in prime time TV. Showing all the blood and guts at meal time across all channels. Another less brutal series of ads should be aimed at the kids prime time as well so they can learn about being a safe passenger by putting pressure on the driver to be more careful.

In the end the quickest way to fix the problem is to reward the good drivers and punish the bad ...it's that simple

Every now and again I see very graphic accident pics at the local municipal bus station. All the gore you could ask for. For whatever reason people either ignore or don't seem to notice.

or just dont give a f...........

Edited January 25, 2014 by eezergood

[pj123]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

Re-read the article. It says 1 person every three days in PHUKET, not in all of Thailand.

From the article: "Thailand currently ranks third in the world in annual road-death rates, with 38 fatalities per 100,000 people.... Someone dies in Thailand from a road accident every half an hour"

[edwinchester]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

Re-read the article. It says 1 person every three days in PHUKET, not in all of Thailand.

From the article: "Thailand currently ranks third in the world in annual road-death rates, with 38 fatalities per 100,000 people.... Someone dies in Thailand from a road accident every half an hour"

The 38 deaths per 100k is the same figure given out at a joint press conference by a Thai Interior Minister and the WHO just before last Songkran. Covered by both The Nation and BKK Post.

[Just1Voice]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

Re-read the article. It says 1 person every three days in PHUKET, not in all of Thailand.

From the article: "Thailand currently ranks third in the world in annual road-death rates, with 38 fatalities per 100,000 people.... Someone dies in Thailand from a road accident every half an hour"

PLEASE go back and read the HEADLINE - "Thailand third worst in the world for road deaths; Phuket killing someone every three days"

Is English not your native language?

Edited January 25, 2014 by Just1Voice

[grumpyoldman]

It'll stay this bad as long as there is no road rule enforcement.

How many times do I see foreigners and Thais alike blowing through red lights? Give me a 50thb note for every time and I'm as rich as Thaksin.

[impulse]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

And which numbers, too.

For example, Togo has less than 1/2 the deaths per 100,000 population (17.2 to Thailand's 38), but over 100x the deaths per 100,000 motor vehicles (14,050 to Thailand's 118.8).

Which means that a vehicle in Togo has a 14% chance of being involved in a fatal accident this year. Makes Thailand seem kind of tame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

Edited January 25, 2014 by impulse

[Asiantravel]

The majority of road accidents in LOS is due to a lack of "cognitive reasoning" and "common sense" in the gray matter located between Thai ears.

Nope.

You generally get all the safety you can afford... Putting it down to "cognitive reasoning" is pretty racist, huh?

The vast majority of the carnage on Thai roads is due to economic conditions that put so many Thais on motorcycles- which are 20-30x more dangerous per km than a car, and (almost) infinitely more dangerous than walking.

A little poorer, and they'd be riding bicycles or walking. A little richer, and they'd be riding in their own individual seats in cars with seat belts fastened.

Your reasoning reminds me so much of the gun debate in USA. Blame the gun instead of the gun user

just because people have motorbikes it doesn't mean they have to use them in a dangerous way as they do on Thailand's roads.

In so many cases the motorcyclist is travelling so fast that would be unable to bring the vehicle to a halt safely if it was necessary to do so.

The irony is, they rush around on these things (and the taxi riders are amongst the worst ) but for what?

So they can end spending so much of their time at their destination sitting and staring into oblivion. They have no etiquette.and no consideration whatsoever for other road users.

So don't blame the motorbikes, blame the ridiculously low level of motorcyclist and driver education in this country.

[Skint]

Proper driving lessons and stricter tests.
The police are also part of the problem unless the scrap the whole force and start again nothing will get done.

As for the top 2 other countries I would have thought Egypt, Iraq even India a higher rate


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Patje]

The majority of road accidents in LOS is due to a lack of "cognitive reasoning" and "common sense" in the gray matter located between Thai ears.

Nope.

You generally get all the safety you can afford... Putting it down to "cognitive reasoning" is pretty racist, huh?

The vast majority of the carnage on Thai roads is due to economic conditions that put so many Thais on motorcycles- which are 20-30x more dangerous per km than a car, and (almost) infinitely more dangerous than walking.

A little poorer, and they'd be riding bicycles or walking. A little richer, and they'd be riding in their own individual seats in cars with seat belts fastened.

I have never read so much <deleted>...so all the idiots who ride the WRONG WAY (cars and bikes) are not to blame, the fools who undertake in Cars bus's and trucks are not to blame , the donkeys that make instant uturns in 6 wheel trucks are not to blame and the flat heads who drive bus's with 1 foot on the brake are well .....not to blame ....

Total agree with the above answer, all the Thai need is common sense on the streets. Try to count the drivers on motor cycles that are calling and even texting ( those are the ones you can see, the ones in the cars and trucks not, because of the dark windows )

[impulse]

The majority of road accidents in LOS is due to a lack of "cognitive reasoning" and "common sense" in the gray matter located between Thai ears.

Nope.

You generally get all the safety you can afford... Putting it down to "cognitive reasoning" is pretty racist, huh?

The vast majority of the carnage on Thai roads is due to economic conditions that put so many Thais on motorcycles- which are 20-30x more dangerous per km than a car, and (almost) infinitely more dangerous than walking.

A little poorer, and they'd be riding bicycles or walking. A little richer, and they'd be riding in their own individual seats in cars with seat belts fastened.

Your reasoning reminds me so much of the gun debate in USA. Blame the gun instead of the gun user

just because people have motorbikes it doesn't mean they have to use them in a dangerous way as they do on Thailand's roads.

In so many cases the motorcyclist is travelling so fast that would be unable to bring the vehicle to a halt safely if it was necessary to do so.

The irony is, they rush around on these things (and the taxi riders are amongst the worst ) but for what?

So they can end spending so much of their time at their destination sitting and staring into oblivion. They have no etiquette.and no consideration whatsoever for other road users.

So don't blame the motorbikes, blame the ridiculously low level of motorcyclist and driver education in this country.

You'll never hear me saying guns are dangerous. I own many.

But proof positive of my point are all the foreigners I see zipping around breaking all the rules of man and physics on scooters here in Bangkok and Pattaya and Kanchanaburi and.... If the crappy driving is down to the Thais' "lack of cognitive reasoning and common sense", how do you explain all the foreigners who do the same? Is it contagious? I think not. Like the Thai's, they have learned that zipping around saves time, and the chances of a negative consequence are outweighed by the benefits of time saved. At least, that's their (very western) calculus.

Bottom line is people do what they do because of consequences. And that's down to enforcement, not "lack of cognitive reasoning and common sense". As long as the benefits of breaking the laws outweigh the consequences, laws will be broken.

And the studies that say scooters are 20-30x as dangerous as cars comes from surveys in the USA and Australia- not Thailand. Which indicates that scooters are dangerous, regardless of how "right thinking" the drivers are. As long as the vast majority of vehicles on Thai roads have 2 wheels, the traffic statistics will continue to be bleak. If they want to change the statistics, they'll need to change the proportion of 2 to 4 wheel vehicles, and/or change the cost/benefit equation for breaking the rules- through enforcement.

[simple1]

These numbers are higher than I have read in other articles about road deaths in Thailand. If the rate is 38 per 100,000 and Thailand's population is 66.8 million, that is 25,384 deaths per year.

However, the same article then says that one person dies every half hour. That comes to 17,520 fatalities.

The official government numbers are about 13,000 but these only list deaths at the scene of the accident and do not count victims who die later in hospital or at home. So 17,520 is probably a better approximation of the real number. That then works out at 26 deaths per 100,000.

I am not saying that this is still not a problem but accurate numbers do help.

Re-read the article. It says 1 person every three days in PHUKET, not in all of Thailand.

From the article: "Thailand currently ranks third in the world in annual road-death rates, with 38 fatalities per 100,000 people.... Someone dies in Thailand from a road accident every half an hour"

The 38 deaths per 100k is the same figure given out at a joint press conference by a Thai Interior Minister and the WHO just before last Songkran. Covered by both The Nation and BKK Post.

For years Thai authorities claimed the road toll was decreasing and prior to 03/2013 was around 11k p.a. In the article in The Nation below dated 03/2013 it quotes approx 26k killed p.a. in recent years.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html

Unless he saying road deaths have dramatically decreased throughout Thailand (or possibly not included those who later died at hospital); something wrong in the OP numbers as by my maths person dying from traffic accidents throughout Thailand at one very 30 minutes is 17,520 p.a.

Edited January 25, 2014 by simple1

[jocko]

Last week the BBC had a program on about Vietnam and one part of it showed the presenter on the back of a Vespa look alike and behind him lots of other scooters and noticed that all the riders had helmets on.

[lee b]

I would of never of thought that Thailand would of been 3rd, after living in the middle east for many years i would of thought that countrys such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia would of been higher than Thailand.

[fiddlehead]

Reaction time!

How many remember doing that test at the driver's licence center and watching Thai people try to switch from one pedal to the other before the lights change?
From my experience, I watched 6-8 Thai people and NONE of them did it on the first try.
Out of 3 or 4 farangs, taking the same test, they all did it successfully the first time.

Is it heredity? Or just not caring, as they know they'll get enough chances until they succeed?

Sure the lack of police enforcement of rules (and Thais just not understanding the rules) has something to do with it.
But, I do believe that we (farangs) are generally quicker in our thinking and acting process.

[FiestyFarang]

"The late-night accidents are often caused by drunken drivers, he added" easy to solve if the willingness is there, random breath tests like in Australia and an efficient penalty point system on licenses, but as many motorcycle drivers do not have a license this needs to be addressed first. There will then be those that say this would ruin the "relaxed" atmosphere of the islands like Phuket.