Thai campaign to urge crash helmets for motorcycle travels begins

[webfact]

Campaign to urge crash helmets for motorcycle travels begins



BANGKOK: -- Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) Thailand says only 7% of 18 million Thai children and youths travelling on motorcycles with crash helmets.

It plans to launch a campaign to increase the figure to 60% within the next three years or by 2017.

The shocking figure of a mere 7% of children and youths wearing crash helmets was disclosed by the country director of AIP Thailand Mrs Ratanawadee Winther.

At a campaign organised by AIP Thailand and Save the Children Organisation at TK Park in Central World themed “The 7% Project - Why Thai children wear no helmets riding on motorcycle pillions, ” she aimed to stimulate awareness of having crash helmets while travelling on motorcycles.

She said that as the foundation found that only 18 million youth population traveling on motorcycles daily, but only 7% wear crash helmets.

This prompted a need to campaign to encourage helmets for their safety.

She said the foundation has already launched campaign in 10 provinces.

The foundation started the campaign first with schools and families as the house and school is the major travel route of children and then will cover all routes they travel.

She said the campaign is not to merely distribute helmets to them, but also to explore how to implement it effectively to cover all provinces to achieve 60% by end of 2017.

She said wearing crash helmets has been encouraged for years but was not achieved because of weak enforcement of laws.

She cited Vietnam as a country where many said could hardly made possible for such helmet wearing campaign since there was no campaign in place before.

But after the law was enacted and campaign kicked start, almost all or 100% of motorcyclists in Vietnam have helmets the next day, she said.

Under the Thai land traffic law enacted in 1979, motorcyclists and pillion riders must wear crash helmets. Violation is subject to 1,000 baht fine.

But survey by road safety monitoring agencies, 55% of people are unaware of the existence of such law, and penalty for violation.

13% understood that riding on pillion riders with no helmets is not guilty.

The survey also revealed that 64% travelled with no helmets because they thought the travel distance was short, while 37% reasoned they did not ride on major roads, 28% said they were in hurry, 21% said wearing helmets made them uncomfortable, and 13 said crash helmets cause their hair style in bad shapes.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/campaign-urge-crash-helmets-motorcycle-travels-begins/

-- Thai PBS 2014-09-15

[JetsetBkk]

All that is needed is for the police to do their jobs.

And it helps if they don't flout the law themselves:

.

Edited September 15, 2014 by JetsetBkk

[marioc]

Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

[Mango Bob]

You want a campaign to have people wear helmets. It's very simple. Get the police on the streets and issue tickets to those who are not wearing them. Not just one time a month but every day. Sooner or later they will learn.

[Banzai99]

When I was a kid on Bikes and Scooters, I never wanted to wear a helmet either.

[muntergok]

Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

Even if they wore bicycle helmets, it would be a giant step in the right direction.

[jacky54]

next maybe they could stop 12 year olds driving motor bikes and restrict the number of passengers on one to two instead of five

[marcusd]

This will never work. What about their Hair styles?

[aarn]

This may be a generalisation, but the five primary factors in decreasing road fatalities, world wide, have been reduction in tolerance of driver intoxication, introduction of speed limits, seat belts, awareness of driver fatigue issues, and the use of helmets by (motor)cyclists. Of course, cars are safer, roads are better, and ER has improved since horses were the main form of transportation.

Helmets usually don't prevent injury, but they do decrease the severity of trauma to the head.

Of course they may feel uncomfortable, and muck-up your hair style. Given the carnage on the roads here (especially poorly back-lit motor bikes on major roads trying to execute a Rturn at night v. low-skilled car drivers in high-speed cars), I would be happy to donate money for shampoo/hair-gel and helmets for motorbike passengers, rather than see the grisly day-after evidence of motorbike v. car incidents. AA

[NongKhaiKid]

This will never work. What about their Hair styles?

As rear view mirrors are for checking makeup and finding pimples to burst.

[Just1Voice]

They hope to have 60% in 3 years. Funny, Vietnam passed their helmet law and within 1 year they went from 90%+ NOT wearing them, to 95%+ of wearing them. But I forget myself. Vietnam is a country with REAL police, as apposed to lazy mafia in brown. This is Thailand, and they are "different". There was once a Transportation Minister who actually claimed that Thai don't really need to wear helmets because their heads were naturally thicker than those of other people. I doubt he had a clue as to the truth of that statement.

[Zumteufel]

Here's a thought. Police stopping everyone not wearing helmet or with broken lights. Every time, instead of ignoring them. No need for campaigns.

[balo]

Thais can't afford to buy real helmets anyway so whats the point ? If they really want to do this they should start removing all the useless helmets sold at Big C and Tesco . And find a helmet that really protects the head in an accident. So this will never happen.

[tomyumchai]

i have to bring helmets in for my G/F as thai helmets are all 'freesize' which means they dont fit 90% of thais as theyre too big, they wobble about and will fall off in a accident. as for the police, if you can extort 200bt for every no-helmet stop then why arnt they stopping all of them? id be driving a mercedes in a year or 2 if i was a thai cop paid for from no helmet and broken light fines.....

[NomadJoe]

AIP has for a long time been trying to get helmet manufacturers to make affordable helmets for children. The helmet manufactures generally don't because there is no market as Thai parents just don't buy them. But Thai's complain they don't helmet their children because there are no helmets available so it's a catch-22.

[thhMan]

Ive seen Police drive past people wearing no Helmets.... Perhaps they where on a manhunt and didnt have time to carry out their duties

Ive seen Police swerve as motorbikes drive at them in the wrong direction.... Perhaps they had to go to a murder scene and had no time to enforce the law

Ive seen Police, jump out and stop farangs with no helmets, while avoiding Thais with no helmets...

Police do their job, but its very selective....

To solve the issue, its not about Police doing their job...

Its about the commander getting sacked first and then sack all the police that dont do their job.... They dont need to be told what to do.. they trained to do it already.... So they need to be let go as they obviously cannot perform their duties.

[gemini81]

Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

Even if they wore bicycle helmets, it would be a giant step in the right direction.

And actually riding them in the 'right direction' with traffic flow would be a step in literally the right direction. Driving defensively, daily I still swerve around bikes and motorcycles cutting me off head on. The helmets, well with the driving I encounter daily, it might be better to wear helmets ever when operating your car I sometimes think, haha.

[Asiantravel]

Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

even many farang just don't get it wearing actual bicycle helmets on the motorbike I mean, what's the point ? it's not about putting any old thing on your head it's about putting something that will serve a purpose upon impact

[Johnnie99]

Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

'Anyway', some protection is better than none at all.

[Johnnie99]

AIP has for a long time been trying to get helmet manufacturers to make affordable helmets for children. The helmet manufactures generally don't because there is no market as Thai parents just don't buy them. But Thai's complain they don't helmet their children because there are no helmets available so it's a catch-22.

Whereas it is true that Thai parents will not buy the helmets for children, there are low-priced helmets available.

It is also true that the helmets might be of low quality but the point is that it is well known that some protection is better than none.

[Chang_paarp]

Helmets are only for people with brains. No brain, no need for helmet.

They are designed to protect the brain.

[Garry]

You could give out free helmets and most would still not use them...

[kamahele]

The police only stop and ask for payment / ticket the driver for not wearing a helmet, hence you see very often the adult driver with a helmet on and his 3 small children behind him with no helmets?

[robertthebruce]

Here in a Phuket I see on a daily basis , Not only Thais not wearing helmets but Farangs too...

We should know better... And I I ain't taking about young holidaymakers, ex pats too...

[prakhonchai nick]

Make the schools responsible. Thousands of kids arrrive at school everyday on motorcycles (sometimes 3 or 4 on the same bike) no helmets, with many drivers well underage.

The schools should turn them away.

The police should stop them and fine them (their parents and/or guardians) heavily...say 5000baht!!! and even confiscate the bikes for 1 month.

That would bring instant results

Too much talk and no action!

Why 60% within 3 years? It should be 100% next week and could be if everyone does their job!

[slygeeza]

pretty stupid trying to enforce this law when the law doesnt seem to state that you have to strap the helmet on. here in Pattaya at least half the people that wear helmets dont strap them on. in my view this is a greater crime because the helmets quite often blow off which endangers the people behind them

[DrLom]

Make the schools responsible. Thousands of kids arrrive at school everyday on motorcycles (sometimes 3 or 4 on the same bike) no helmets, with many drivers well underage.

The schools should turn them away.

The police should stop them and fine them (their parents and/or guardians) heavily...say 5000baht!!! and even confiscate the bikes for 1 month.

That would bring instant results

Too much talk and no action!

Why 60% within 3 years? It should be 100% next week and could be if everyone does their job!

You're kidding right?

Make schools responsible for how students leave home?

Jeez... pass the book why don't you?

Action needs to be taken by police, or can't you see that? There's a copper outside every school in Thailand at 7am. It is their responsibility to arrest for breaking the law, and it parental responsibility to ensure their children travel safely.

Make the schools responsible?????

Edit: Also, you may not know that it is virtually illegal for a school, except private or international schools, to expel a student here!!!! Do a bit of research please.

Edited September 15, 2014 by DrLom

[Larry001]

Simple solution to this problem. Been mentioned so many times in posts above. Problem is; people here are too arrogant to take advice or follow programs from countries who have been successful in reducing road tolls.They think they know better. Remember they are number 2 in the world in road deaths. Maybe they see this as an achievement

[herb59]

Anyway 90% of helmets on sale in Thailand are just useless when riding a motorbike. They look more as bicycle helmets

but good for my bald.

[clifric]

Agree with thhMan - sack the police chief if no helmets worn within say 3 months - he will pass on the threat no doubt. As commented helmets are worn in Vietnam.

I thought motorscooters ridden by under-age children could be confiscated at the school gates until a Thai friend said the parents would not send the kids to school!

Why not make visits to intensive care wards part of the school curriculum?

Now I'll stop as I know nothing will get done in the long term anyway!