Enforce the law or.....

[pigeonjake]

you talk about wearing a helmet,,

yet you can go and get a driving license in less then a day, surely this isnt right,

some people jump off the iron buffalow strait into a pick up truck havnt got a clue of how to use the road, take roundabouts, they just dont understand them, again because they can get a license in a day, no road education, no lessons, nothing

im saying this and i havnt got a clue how to make things better, but as the old saying goes,, this is thailand,

Yes this is Thailand.

But that doesn't seem to register with some people. They want every thing like they had back home.

Enforce the law like the states do. They have more people per capata in prison than any other country in the world. Their court systems are so jammed up it takes for ever to get through one and yet they still have an on going problem with crime.

Perhaps if some one trained in the field with an open mind would try to work out an education system that would fit in with the Thai culture we would see a difference.

Just standing on the side lines and saying why isn't going to do it. It basically shows you have no knowledge of the Thai culture or are just Thai bashing.

my freind

if you look at my posting history over the last 8 or so years ive been a member on here, you will see ive never thai bashed !!!!

i was simply pointing out that being able to go and get a license over the counter without proper training, education on road safety, things will never change,

every other day there is something on the news in the papers showing people dead or very badly hurt through accidents, does this stop people driving without helmets,,,,,,, NO,,

people must have to do proper training and get education on road safety this would be the only way forward, i would say that 90% or the people driving on the roads in thailand wouldnt pass a driving test in the uk,

and by the way i understand thai culture very very well,,so please dont be having a go at me,,,

[benalibina]

you talk about wearing a helmet,,

yet you can go and get a driving license in less then a day, surely this isnt right,

some people jump off the iron buffalow strait into a pick up truck havnt got a clue of how to use the road, take roundabouts, they just dont understand them, again because they can get a license in a day, no road education, no lessons, nothing

im saying this and i havnt got a clue how to make things better, but as the old saying goes,, this is thailand,

Yes this is Thailand.

But that doesn't seem to register with some people. They want every thing like they had back home.

Enforce the law like the states do. They have more people per capata in prison than any other country in the world. Their court systems are so jammed up it takes for ever to get through one and yet they still have an on going problem with crime.

Perhaps if some one trained in the field with an open mind would try to work out an education system that would fit in with the Thai culture we would see a difference.

Just standing on the side lines and saying why isn't going to do it. It basically shows you have no knowledge of the Thai culture or are just Thai bashing.

my freind

if you look at my posting history over the last 8 or so years ive been a member on here, you will see ive never thai bashed !!!!

i was simply pointing out that being able to go and get a license over the counter without proper training, education on road safety, things will never change,

every other day there is something on the news in the papers showing people dead or very badly hurt through accidents, does this stop people driving without helmets,,,,,,, NO,,

people must have to do proper training and get education on road safety this would be the only way forward, i would say that 90% or the people driving on the roads in thailand wouldnt pass a driving test in the uk,

and by the way i understand thai culture very very well,,so please dont be having a go at me,,,

This the 2nd time recently that some poster accused you of....Thai bashing......whats wrong ?

[Keesters]

you talk about wearing a helmet,,

yet you can go and get a driving license in less then a day, surely this isnt right,

some people jump off the iron buffalow strait into a pick up truck havnt got a clue of how to use the road, take roundabouts, they just dont understand them, again because they can get a license in a day, no road education, no lessons, nothing

im saying this and i havnt got a clue how to make things better, but as the old saying goes,, this is thailand,

Yes this is Thailand.

But that doesn't seem to register with some people. They want every thing like they had back home.

Enforce the law like the states do. They have more people per capata in prison than any other country in the world. Their court systems are so jammed up it takes for ever to get through one and yet they still have an on going problem with crime.

Perhaps if some one trained in the field with an open mind would try to work out an education system that would fit in with the Thai culture we would see a difference.

Just standing on the side lines and saying why isn't going to do it. It basically shows you have no knowledge of the Thai culture or are just Thai bashing.

my freind

if you look at my posting history over the last 8 or so years ive been a member on here, you will see ive never thai bashed !!!!

i was simply pointing out that being able to go and get a license over the counter without proper training, education on road safety, things will never change,

every other day there is something on the news in the papers showing people dead or very badly hurt through accidents, does this stop people driving without helmets,,,,,,, NO,,

people must have to do proper training and get education on road safety this would be the only way forward, i would say that 90% or the people driving on the roads in thailand wouldnt pass a driving test in the uk,

and by the way i understand thai culture very very well,,so please dont be having a go at me,,,

This the 2nd time recently that some poster accused you of....Thai bashing......whats wrong ?

I don't see it as Thai bashing when someone suggests improvements in a system that would help save lives, reduce property damage, reduce negative media, for a nation that a poster has adopted as home.

[jollyman]

good luck ying luck

[jollyman]

whats wrong with thai bashing them seems a sensible thing

[ttthailand]

When you have police riding motorbikes without helmets then the thinking is ... why should I wear...

Set an example and people will be more pron to follow.

Traffic Fines need to be increased by 500% and the laws enforced.

Jail time for repeat offenders need to be increased.

And education , education, education ......

[Thaiberius]

you talk about wearing a helmet,,

yet you can go and get a driving license in less then a day, surely this isnt right,

some people jump off the iron buffalow strait into a pick up truck havnt got a clue of how to use the road, take roundabouts, they just dont understand them, again because they can get a license in a day, no road education, no lessons, nothing

im saying this and i havnt got a clue how to make things better, but as the old saying goes,, this is thailand,

Yes this is Thailand.

But that doesn't seem to register with some people. They want every thing like they had back home.

Enforce the law like the states do. They have more people per capata in prison than any other country in the world. Their court systems are so jammed up it takes for ever to get through one and yet they still have an on going problem with crime.

Perhaps if some one trained in the field with an open mind would try to work out an education system that would fit in with the Thai culture we would see a difference.

Just standing on the side lines and saying why isn't going to do it. It basically shows you have no knowledge of the Thai culture or are just Thai bashing.

my freind

if you look at my posting history over the last 8 or so years ive been a member on here, you will see ive never thai bashed !!!!

i was simply pointing out that being able to go and get a license over the counter without proper training, education on road safety, things will never change,

every other day there is something on the news in the papers showing people dead or very badly hurt through accidents, does this stop people driving without helmets,,,,,,, NO,,

people must have to do proper training and get education on road safety this would be the only way forward, i would say that 90% or the people driving on the roads in thailand wouldnt pass a driving test in the uk,

and by the way i understand thai culture very very well,,so please dont be having a go at me,,,

Not having a go at you but anytime I see any farang who claims to "understand" Thai culture I know there is BS. Farangs understand as much of Thai culture as they can as long as it agrees with farang sensibilities and morals. Once outside this framework we haven't a clue. To pretend otherwise is absurd.

[pigeonjake]

i live in the sticks in a small village,

and i can tell you that thai culture there is different then in a tourist area,,

but this thread my freind isnt about thai culture or me understanding it

[chrissables]

Keester, if they would get caught everyday without a helmet and had to pay they would change their habits quite quickly. Now its just a minor issue.

Personally I don't care much about the helmet law, its up to the person not wearing one. Though only exception is of course when a car hits them and they die. Then the car gets to blame while a helmet might have saved them. Personally if there was no law that made me wear a helmet i would still wear one.

I must say i find it very irritating when I'm driving to come across people with no helmets. Immediately I think to myself "He/she obviously doesn't care too mush about protecting their own life.....but expect every other road user to take care of it for them".

Actually they think, "mind your own business you stupid arse"!

[chrissables]

Regarding helmet use, they understand that in reality they don't save lives, so they choose to ignore stupid laws.

Maybe they are not the sheep we have become in the West, and good for them!

Now you're just making stuff up. I'm an experienced motorcyclist (not in Thailand, no thanks) and have read several books on safety driving. Most fatal injuries can be prevented with use of a quality full-faced helmet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety

• "And "The data indicates that in 68.7% of all cases, the helmet was capable of preventing or reducing the head injury sustained by the rider (i.e., 33.2% + 35.5%)."
• "Concussion and brain damage, as the head violently contacts other vehicles or objects. Riders wearing an approved helmet reduce the risk of death by 37 percent.^[33]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_findings_in_the_Hurt_Report

• "The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention or reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure."

Of course, you can think it's all propaganda.

I am not making anything up, statistics show in any state that had a helmet law, when repealed the death rate was the same.

Your date is what people think against what happened!

[h90]

In Thailand they never cancel a law. There are thousands of old outdated laws. Some contradicting each other. If you enforce them, everything will collapse.

[sundrenched]

Regarding helmet use, they understand that in reality they don't save lives, so they choose to ignore stupid laws.

Maybe they are not the sheep we have become in the West, and good for them!

Now you're just making stuff up. I'm an experienced motorcyclist (not in Thailand, no thanks) and have read several books on safety driving. Most fatal injuries can be prevented with use of a quality full-faced helmet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety

• "And "The data indicates that in 68.7% of all cases, the helmet was capable of preventing or reducing the head injury sustained by the rider (i.e., 33.2% + 35.5%)."
• "Concussion and brain damage, as the head violently contacts other vehicles or objects. Riders wearing an approved helmet reduce the risk of death by 37 percent.^[33]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_findings_in_the_Hurt_Report

• "The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention or reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure."

Of course, you can think it's all propaganda.

I am not making anything up, statistics show in any state that had a helmet law, when repealed the death rate was the same.

Your date is what people think against what happened!

I'd love to see that data. Source?

[kkerry]

I don't ride a motorcycle much any more but out of curiosity did a quick Google about the effect of repealing helmet laws in the US.

It wasn't only about the increase in death and injuries, there was also an increase in the severity of the head injuries.

For what it's worth, all the links (from 2000-2013) I read came to a similar conclusion, but of course your googling may find different...

http://www.thecommunityguide.org/mvoi/motorcyclehelmets/helmetlaws.html

States in the U.S. that repealed universal helmet laws and replaced them with partial laws or no law consistently experienced substantial:

• Decreases in helmet use, and
• Increases in fatal and non-fatal injuries.

States that implemented universal helmet laws in place of partial laws or no law consistently experienced substantial:

• Increases in helmet use, and
• Decreases in fatal and non-fatal injuries.

[Keesters]

Regarding helmet use, they understand that in reality they don't save lives, so they choose to ignore stupid laws.

Maybe they are not the sheep we have become in the West, and good for them!

Now you're just making stuff up. I'm an experienced motorcyclist (not in Thailand, no thanks) and have read several books on safety driving. Most fatal injuries can be prevented with use of a quality full-faced helmet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety

• "And "The data indicates that in 68.7% of all cases, the helmet was capable of preventing or reducing the head injury sustained by the rider (i.e., 33.2% + 35.5%)."
• "Concussion and brain damage, as the head violently contacts other vehicles or objects. Riders wearing an approved helmet reduce the risk of death by 37 percent.^[33]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_findings_in_the_Hurt_Report

• "The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention or reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure."

Of course, you can think it's all propaganda.

I am not making anything up, statistics show in any state that had a helmet law, when repealed the death rate was the same.

Your date is what people think against what happened!

What statistics?

[NoshowJones]

OP.

Presumably you knew the score before moving here (if indeed you have.)

Therefore live and let live.

Don't try and change what's not broken.

Or you will end up in the scary world you left.

Big brother,nanny state.

Is that what you want?

Your last two sentences, NO, that's not what we want, but we do want Thailands dreadful road deaths to be greatly reduced, police out on the roads and doing their jobs.

[NoshowJones]

The first time I came to Thailand the most pleasant thing was the lack of regulation after living in an industry and world dominated by it. So if you have fears and worries about the system here, keep them to yourself and let the others enjoy the pleasure of being here.

I liked that a lot too.. however the longer you live here you see the results of no rules. Something could be improved, i mean the road carnage is not something to be proud of.

I agree that Thais can be dangerous on the road but the only time I see road rage is by a farang. Mostly the Thai drivers/riders are much more considerate and patient.

Your first sentence may have something, but your last is one of the biggest loads of rubbish I have ever seen on Thaivisa.

[NoshowJones]

I get the impression that many Thais break the law because they see the people about them doing it and getting away with it. The law ha to be enforced without consideration to the persons position in society.

Those people breaking the law in the higher social position need to made an example of. Why? Because many people look up to them and think if it is ok for them to do then it is ok if I do it. The law should be dished out equally i.e. No one is above the law.

Pity it doesnt work in practice

As you probably know, a person is above the law in this country if they are very rich.

[NoshowJones]

In the UK you drive without insurance and a licence and are caught your vehicle is impounded until the problem is resolved and then you have to pay a very big fine to get it back or if you don't pay the fine the vehicle is either sold or scrapped would something similar work here

I have never heard of that rule in the UK, but I certainly agree with it.

[NoshowJones]

»Comments.......«

Agree...

You three Es of law enforcement, educate???? This is Thailand. The other two, definitely.

[NoshowJones]

AT THE WEEKENDS I SIT IN A LOCAL BAR JUST PASSING THE TIME WITH A FEW LEO'S.THIS BAR IS ON A ONE WAY STREET ( TRAFFIC FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) IF I HAD A LEO FOR EVERY CAR OR MOTOR BIKE THAT WENT UP THE WRONG WAY I WOULD BE PI**ED AS A NEWT. THEY HAVE NO REGARD FOR SAFETY. ONLY LAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON WHILST DRIVING DOWN THERE I WAS MET WITH A CAR COMING THE OPPOSITE WAY WANTING TO TURN DOWN A SIDE STREET BECAUSE IT WAS QUICKER THAT GOING ROUND THE BLOCK.I HAD 2 MOTOR BIKES BEHIND ME AND ALSO 1 CAR AND I DID NOT AND WOULD NOT MOVE TO LET HIM PASS JUST STRTED TO EDGE UP THE STREET. THE ABUSE I GOT WAS USUAL BUT I STOOD MY GROUND AND MADE HIM BACK UP RIGHT TO THE JUNCTION WHERE UPON HE JUST STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I WAS NOT BEING PEDANTIC JUST CORRECT THEY DON'T LIKE IT UP EM

Good post, but keep in mind there are some one way streets that don't apply to motorcyclists, I mean legally, there is one in my village, and a few in the next town.

I hope you were not driving "down there" after you had your "few" leos.

[NoshowJones]

The first time I came to Thailand the most pleasant thing was the lack of regulation after living in an industry and world dominated by it. So if you have fears and worries about the system here, keep them to yourself and let the others enjoy the pleasure of being here.

I honestly don't get that. Give me some examples of regulations that bothered you in your home country. And not those regarding prostitution -- I don't mean that as a snide comment, but I understand that many prefer that not to be illegal.

Is it the freedom to drive motorcycles on the pavement you like? The freedom to dump toxic waste in the river? The freedom to release toxic fumes in the air? Seeing "hisos" encroach on national parks?

For me, all the things that are illegal in my home country are things you shouldn't be doing in the first place. So what are these oppressive laws you're escaping? Real question.

As I said before keep your fears and worries to yourself.

That's not an answer. What "freedom" is it you want here that you don't have in the West? To run a boiler room? Drink-driving? Being a pimp? That's undoubtedly what some really have in mind, but it's hardly legit.

Freedom to not buy a television licence, (the BBC can show adverts).

Freedom to not pay council tax, (we pay income tax).

Freedom to not pay a lot of money to some authority because you want their permission for a home improvement (this applies mainly to home owners, I repeat owners).

Freedom to not spray your taxi a certain colour at your expense (this applies to some taxi owners).

This applies to the UK.