Thai campaign to urge crash helmets for motorcycle travels begins

[Joe Bloggs]

Proper impact-tested motorcycle helmets are not cheap but on the other hand, mopeds don't go very fast.

Tourists who hire motorcycles NEED TO BE AWARE OF RAM-RAIDERS. I know this because a friend of a friend knows a couple who took a holiday in the Far East. They were riding along the main road when the noticed a car waiting in a side turning. It seemed that the people in the car were waiting because the moped had right-of-way.

When the moped drew level with the junction the car shot out of the side turning and the couple were knocked off their bike. The people in the car got out but instead of helping they just robbed the couple then drove away.

Wallets gone, passports gone, a wrecked moped to pay for and huge hospital bills. Thousands of dollars were needed.

Take care!

[Fiddlesticks]

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.

Very clever use of words here. Notice it did not say "wearing helmets the next day"! I believe most Thai motorcycle drivers HAVE helmets. In fact they are hanging from handlebars, or in the front basket (usually obscuring the headlight during night driving!). They simply do not WEAR the helmets.

All these campaigns are of no effect if there is not enforcement. I for one, would like to see fines for not wearing helmets increased to the point that they cause real financial pain, say in the area of 500 to 1000 baht.

[nickjam]

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!

Agree with everything you say. I've always thought that fining the head of the school was another possibility. For every child caught without a helmet in the uniform of your school, the director pays a significant fine. They either pay it themselves or can put that onto the parents, or the child is suspended. ALL adults in positions of influence should take some, dare I say it....responsibility. In my school we've had kids coming to school on motorbikes and in Porsches. None of them were driving legally. My school thankfully took a stand, most have complied, some have been pulled from the school by rich parents, disgusted at being told what to do.

[masuk]

THREE points I'd like to make.

1) In Vietnam, motorbikes are impounded for 48hrs if the drivers have no helmet. The bikes are released after a fine has been paid and they have a helmet with them

2) Ever noticed how often motorcyclists turn and look backwards, rather than use their mirrors. It only takes 2 seconds for someone in front to stop and pow!

3) What is is about NOT looking to the right before entering an intersection. Trust in a lucky charm maybe? Avoiding eye contact?

[phetphet]

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

no helmets.jpg

Thai Police Farang No Helmet.jpg

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

Those Police helmets look to be such cheap quality. Like those ones in Big C.

.

[kannot]

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.

But they can afford to buy the bike eh???

[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!

Agree with everything you say. I've always thought that fining the head of the school was another possibility. For every child caught without a helmet in the uniform of your school, the director pays a significant fine. They either pay it themselves or can put that onto the parents, or the child is suspended. ALL adults in positions of influence should take some, dare I say it....responsibility. In my school we've had kids coming to school on motorbikes and in Porsches. None of them were driving legally. My school thankfully took a stand, most have complied, some have been pulled from the school by rich parents, disgusted at being told what to do.

So the school Director is supposed to oversee every child leaving home in the morning? Are you kidding also?

[wvavin]

Wearing of crash helmets in Thailand? Its not going to happen in our lifetime!

[Khun Paul]

Lets start with the Police themselves abiding by the law and then we can start, every school insists that their children wear helmets on arrival and leaving, everyone on a motorcycle must also wear a helmet, from 2 yrs to 90 yrs old.

The fine is minimum 1000 baht every time, just because you have a ticket does not mean you do not have to wear one.

[DrLom]

Lets start with the Police themselves abiding by the law and then we can start, every school insists that their children wear helmets on arrival and leaving, everyone on a motorcycle must also wear a helmet, from 2 yrs to 90 yrs old.

The fine is minimum 1000 baht every time, just because you have a ticket does not mean you do not have to wear one.

In addition, first fine 1000? Local policeman outside school make 100 baht for every student arriving on a motbike, they earn more than it's worth to give a ticket - it aint going to change! The school has no power - expulsion is virtually against the law - .... unless you know better about government school warnings???

[brubakertx]

I think the funniest thing is, the people riding their motorcycles while holding their helmets in their hand. They think they're soooooo smart, incase they see policeman, but I look at them, and think they are a bunch of buffalos!

[SanSaiExPat]

There is an assumption here that wearing a helmet prevents death from motorcycle accidents. Is that a valid assumption?

[Munsterman]

The lead story says:

"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."

I'm worried for the 13% who claim they understood that "riding on pillion riders with no helmets is not guilty."

[catweazle]

Yeehaa! Let's sell more of those useless Calimero Eggshells

Crackdown on safety helmet manufacturers and stiffer helmet quality regulations would be the call of the day, no?

Oh yeah, let's think.... Hhhhhmmm - Yes! Let' allow the crap helmet shops to continue selling the crappy plastic shells while we are cracking down on the good tax paying high quality equimpent shops or big bike dealers and make some cash instead!

[NoshowJones]

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!

The police in my village all ignore riders with no helmets, underage riders, and four to a bike. The reason I think is because the police are local and don't want to upset anyone. before the martial law, the police came to the village about once a week stopping and checking vehicles and motorbikes, but now you never see them.

[brubakertx]

If you have shit for brains, then you really don't need a helmet.

Thai or farang.

Edited September 15, 2014 by brubakertx

[NoshowJones]

THREE points I'd like to make.

1) In Vietnam, motorbikes are impounded for 48hrs if the drivers have no helmet. The bikes are released after a fine has been paid and they have a helmet with them

2) Ever noticed how often motorcyclists turn and look backwards, rather than use their mirrors. It only takes 2 seconds for someone in front to stop and pow!

3) What is is about NOT looking to the right before entering an intersection. Trust in a lucky charm maybe? Avoiding eye contact?

No 2. I always look over my shoulder after checking my mirror and signal before I change direction etc. maybe that can be seen as looking backwards.

[Tracyb]

The streets around Chiang Mai University are teaming with kids on motorbikes with no helmets. Watching from nearly every street corner, police on motorbikes simply watch these kids drive by. The future of this country rests with these kids. Many of them will never reach their potential as their brains will be splattered across the streets when their heads hit the pavement, crack open, and spill their contents.

No enforcement = no compliance. Where's the NCPO when you need them?

[allan michaud]

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

Many look like kids baseball helmets, just hilarious.

This is down to one thing, police enforcement of the law. All very simple really, if the police stop everyone without a helmet and fine them 1,000 baht each time they will stop. Having a campaign with no real enforcement is a waste of time. By real I mean continuing enforcement, not just a few days then back to normal.

[aarn]

SanSaiExpat raises a thought provoking point:

<<There is an assumption here that wearing a helmet prevents death from motorcycle accidents. Is that a valid assumption?>>

We all remember MotoGP ride Marco Simoncelli, tragically died wearing a high-tech helmet a few years ago.

All these measures - wearing helmets, not drink-driving, having functional rear lights - will never stop accidents and death.

They will reduce the accidents, and the terrible consequences for victims and family.

The tragedy experienced by so many Thai families is out-of-proportion with what I was familiar with, living in a western country with stringent helmet laws. AA

[louse1953]

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

My father in law was killed last Thursday,rearended on his bike by a sleepy driver.Major head trauma because of no helmet.I kept telling him after his 1st minor accident.Whether the helmet would have saved him,we will never know,but his chances would have been better.Enforcement every day is the answer,once they learn,there goes a source of income.

[allan michaud]

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THREE points I'd like to make.

1) In Vietnam, motorbikes are impounded for 48hrs if the drivers have no helmet. The bikes are released after a fine has been paid and they have a helmet with them

2) Ever noticed how often motorcyclists turn and look backwards, rather than use their mirrors. It only takes 2 seconds for someone in front to stop and pow!

3) What is is about NOT looking to the right before entering an intersection. Trust in a lucky charm maybe? Avoiding eye contact? alt=w00t.gif>

No 2. I always look over my shoulder after checking my mirror and signal before I change direction etc. maybe that can be seen as looking backwards.

Regarding number 2. I have been riding bikes almost every day for the past 32 years, all over the world. I was trained in the UK and one thing that is encouraged is what is called the "lifesaver". This encourages riders to quickly check over their shoulder before turning, rather than relying entirely on your mirrors, which on occasions can have blind spots. Also if you are following someone and intend to look over your shoulder you should have ensured there was plenty of time to stop before taking a quick look. Your point is silly.

[robertthebruce]

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

My father in law was killed last Thursday,rearended on his bike by a sleepy driver.Major head trauma because of no helmet.I kept telling him after his 1st minor accident.Whether the helmet would have saved him,we will never know,but his chances would have been better.Enforcement every day is the answer,once they learn,there goes a source of income.

Sorry to hear about your Father in Law, so sad....

[Gandtee]

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

no helmets.jpg

Thai Police Farang No Helmet.jpg

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

.

And what about the police who do not wear a helmet?

[phosphorescent]

All civil servants (especially teachers as they are supposed to be role models) and their families should be forced to wear helmets by their HOD. If they or their children are caught on a bike without one, they should have a mandatory reduction in salary for 3-6 months. Medical expenses for civil servants and their families are covered by the government, so the government should have a say in how they conduct themselves when it comes to safety.

[akampa]

Joe Bloggs, on 15 Sept 2014 - 16:52, said:

Proper impact-tested motorcycle helmets are not cheap but on the other hand, mopeds don't go very fast.

Tourists who hire motorcycles NEED TO BE AWARE OF RAM-RAIDERS. I know this because a friend of a friend knows a couple who took a holiday in the Far East. They were riding along the main road when the noticed a car waiting in a side turning. It seemed that the people in the car were waiting because the moped had right-of-way.

When the moped drew level with the junction the car shot out of the side turning and the couple were knocked off their bike. The people in the car got out but instead of helping they just robbed the couple then drove away.

Wallets gone, passports gone, a wrecked moped to pay for and huge hospital bills. Thousands of dollars were needed.

Take care!

You cannot say mopeds do`nt go very fast I have had on numerous times had mopeds going at least 80 or even 90 kph along side me on a super highway jeeze even at 40kph you would have a serious injury.

[davidstipek]

Hmmm....

If a lot you you remember kinda like this in America when they pushed to get kids to wear for Bicycles.... Everyone has to remember Kids are the same no matter where they live...

If police see amongst group of riders (Motorcyclists) One wearing Helmet... Reward him!!! (Or Her) give coupon for something free... I am sure Tesco and Big C would join this Promotion. "To wear... To Promote wearing of Motorcycle Helmets!!!

I did this in America on My Motorcycle, but in English. In the little Town I grew up in the police also attached to their Motorcycles and on rear of Cruisers Decal... It worked! They had whole classes of Gradeschool children and their Parents Participate in 4th of July Parade!!

I wanted to share with Officials here in Chiang Mai 1st to get Governors attention then spread to whole province... Her is a Picture of my Motorcycle...

They could Dress up an Officer in Uniform and add a Cape to make him look like Super Hero. Add a Nametag: Capt. Thai One One!" Have him sit on my bike pointing to name on Tank and his Helmet.

Then make Poster...

Print below picture: Tie one On... Thai One On... No matter how it spelled.... Just wear One... Then add it spelled in Thai language!!!

Protect your Family!! "Thai One On...!"

[wicketkeeper]

Egg HAMMER,

HAMMER Egg

TV Campaign and billboard

[sawadee1947]

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.

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....

That implements that there is less space for brain....!

[rubl]

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.....

Whenever I'm offered a helmet by a motorcy driver it mostly sits precariously on top of my head which would only help in ensuring a cracked skull.

Mind you, this being Bangkok with people more educated than in the provinces I'm hardly ever offered a helmet