Thai editorial: Current road-safety measures are failing

[seajae]

Hs anyone ever seen a new set of traffic lights installed anywhere? They dont mind putting millions of new cars on the road and collecting the revenue from that but has any of these roads been updated with safety measures? Ive never seen a set of traffic lights in chiang mai that doesn't look 20 years old.

Actually, yes.On Highway 305, Rangsit- Nakhon Nayok Rd, between klong 7 & 8 near Tesco, a complete set of new lights to facilitate U Turns at a site where there were many accidents due to the speed of westbound traffic. Works fine now, just need a few more similar locations closer to Rangsit and maybe a few more lives may be saved at these crazy U Turn sites.

doesnt matter if there are lights or not, the riders/drivers simply drive through the red light to do their U turn, it will never change as there are never any police on the roads to enforce the laws. In Thailand it appears that thais think by turning on an indicator(or just wanting to turn) they have right of way as well as are allowed to go through red lights and cut off oncoming cars with impunity. Nothing will change until police are made to patrol the roads and do their jobs.

[marko kok prong]

Some of the attitudes are plain crazy,the habit of motorcycles flying out of a side road,joining a main road without stopping or looking,i have never seen anywhere else in the world,when i asked my wife she told "car must care motorsai",it seems if you are in a car,the motorcycle is always right,my freind,had a bike hit him as he braked ,from behind,the idiot wanted,him to pay for the damage to the bike <deleted>?, Last year i saw a girl killed,because she came out of a side road fast ,without checking oncoming traffic,this was a rural road,and instead of sticking to the shoulder,she could not as there where large lumps of mud , left from a tractor,so she swerved out,in to the path of an oncoming cane truck,i was following some way back,the truck was overloaded as usual and had no hope of stopping,i remember the dust and smoke the hissing of the brakes and a split second later saw the mangled bike slide across the other lane,and into the ditch,i could not see the girl[thankfully],but i doubt she would have survived,i thought about stopping,but did not,as often i have heard if a farang is on the scene,they will somehow try to implicate him in the accident,to extort money,also what could i do,so i kept on going shaking, feeling guilty that i did not stop and see if i could assist,as i would in Australia but also thinking to myself that it could have been me who hit her,the oncoming truck had no chance to avoid her,so for the lack of stopping and looking she probably died,or was at least horribly injured, when i returned home later i told my wife some of her family members what happened,they shrugged,

"everything can happen" they said.With that kind of attitude,what hope is there.

[ToddinChonburi]

And what were those safety measures again ?

[Jonmarleesco]

The biggest problem is that Thais have absolutely no concept of safety, road or otherwise, and the authorities no appreciation of that fact. It needs a wholesale change of attitude in regard to raising safety standards in all facets of life, and at all levels, as well as in enforcing - and enhancing - all the relevant laws.

If and until then, nothing will change.

[wabothai]

Of course they are failing, 99,9% of the OP's could have told you. Thai traffic is "Thai roulette".

Highway patrol cars are only parked, police only in well decorated roadblocks to stop for helmets and safetybelts.For the same reason few and up in prison.

It has been said on this forum many times: Attitude change is the only way, no laws are making the difference,

In the meantime just keep on killing you selfish morons.

[island hopper]

Current road-safety measures are failing
The Nation

It is time to get out their rear ends and get to work on enforcing the road rules in other words a little less talk and a lot more action out of the RTP

[masuk]

What this article fails to mention is that the majority of deaths were motorcyclists. Of these, most could have survived had they been wearing helmets. I think that the current laws and 'enforcement' regarding motorcycle helmets has proven to be ineffective and, quite frankly, a joke! Riders simply pay their insignificant fine and continue their dangerous practice of not wearing their helmets. Since the Thai law enforcement systems do not allow for monitoring of repeat offenders, more significant penalties are needed to 'encourage' compliance with helmet laws. I welcome a time when Thailand gets serious about this and ups the ante for helmet violations to more meaningful levels like 500 to 1,000 baht per offense. Maybe then this law will finally have some teeth in it and there will be fewer deaths on Thailand's roadways.

Confiscate offender's motor bikes for 48 hrs, and front up to the police station with a helmet and pay the fine.

[Tomtomtom69]

What this article fails to mention is that the majority of deaths were motorcyclists. Of these, most could have survived had they been wearing helmets. I think that the current laws and 'enforcement' regarding motorcycle helmets has proven to be ineffective and, quite frankly, a joke! Riders simply pay their insignificant fine and continue their dangerous practice of not wearing their helmets. Since the Thai law enforcement systems do not allow for monitoring of repeat offenders, more significant penalties are needed to 'encourage' compliance with helmet laws. I welcome a time when Thailand gets serious about this and ups the ante for helmet violations to more meaningful levels like 500 to 1,000 baht per offense. Maybe then this law will finally have some teeth in it and there will be fewer deaths on Thailand's roadways.

Don't be silly. If they do what you suggest the tea money will dry up.

No, tea money would go UP. Why? Because they could thus charge 300-400 Baht rather than only 100-200 for this type of offence and that would perhaps be enough to encourage a few people into compliance. You gotta hit them where it hurts.

[Tomtomtom69]

Some of the attitudes are plain crazy,the habit of motorcycles flying out of a side road,joining a main road without stopping or looking,i have never seen anywhere else in the world,when i asked my wife she told "car must care motorsai",it seems if you are in a car,the motorcycle is always right,my freind,had a bike hit him as he braked ,from behind,the idiot wanted,him to pay for the damage to the bike <deleted>?, Last year i saw a girl killed,because she came out of a side road fast ,without checking oncoming traffic,this was a rural road,and instead of sticking to the shoulder,she could not as there where large lumps of mud , left from a tractor,so she swerved out,in to the path of an oncoming cane truck,i was following some way back,the truck was overloaded as usual and had no hope of stopping,i remember the dust and smoke the hissing of the brakes and a split second later saw the mangled bike slide across the other lane,and into the ditch,i could not see the girl[thankfully],but i doubt she would have survived,i thought about stopping,but did not,as often i have heard if a farang is on the scene,they will somehow try to implicate him in the accident,to extort money,also what could i do,so i kept on going shaking, feeling guilty that i did not stop and see if i could assist,as i would in Australia but also thinking to myself that it could have been me who hit her,the oncoming truck had no chance to avoid her,so for the lack of stopping and looking she probably died,or was at least horribly injured, when i returned home later i told my wife some of her family members what happened,they shrugged,

"everything can happen" they said.With that kind of attitude,what hope is there.

I don't think you would have been implicated but clearly it was too late. It's a sad tale but clearly the poor cane truck was not at fault. It was the girl who had tunnel vission and could not determine risk.

I have never heard of anyone saying cars must take care of "motosai" as far as I'm aware the general rule is cars blast motorcycles out of their way and if you're a motorcycle rider in the way of any larger vehicle, GOOD F****** LUCK.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Tomtomtom69

[Tomtomtom69]

The real cause is ignorance and insularity. I am recognised as an international road safety specialist (I don't like the word expert). I have recorded, and proven success in many developing countries. I am presently working in Oman for the second time, I first went there in 2005 and introduced measures that were very successful. I was recently asked to come back. I have been a legal resident on Thailand for 9 years, I have tried to help, I have contacted media and government bodies and in the majority of cases I have not even received the dignity of a response. I have written road safety and driver training articles in newspapers and magazines many countries to include UK, Oman, UAE, Papua New Guinea to name just a few. I've also done radio interviews and Q&A sessions. There is nothing in the Thai media that approaches or challenges road safety. The Bangkok Post ignored my request, a TV channel contacted me and stated they wanted my approach to be entertaining.

The successful formula for road safety is known as the 3 E's - Education, Engineering and Enforcement. The world leaders in Road safety are UK, Netherlands and Sweden. All have tried to help Thailand and all have been ignored. This is in contrast to Cambodia, Vietnam and now Burma who have received multi-million dollar grants. Thailand will not allow outside 'interference' - audit and inspection. Its insularity and ignorance is the sole reason and until that changes it will continue to decline.

Well if it's any consolation it must be this attitude and the terrible driving in Thailand that is one reason why the Vietnamese won't allow Thai cars to enter their territory. The original excuse was that having the steering wheel on the wrong side is the main reason for refusal of entry, but I suspect the bigger reason is that the Vietnamese don't want Thais ripping down their barely adequate highways, disobeying speed limits, drink driving, forgetting what side to drive on etc. and causing accidents.

Anyway, according to another poster on the Cambodia thread, Vietnam may apparently never allow Thai vehicles in, not at any time in the near future anyway, despite the advent of AEC 2015.

Myanmar only allows Thai vehicles near the border and has been pushing them back to the immediate vicinity of the border, whereas you could formerly drive up to Mongla near the Chinese border from Mae Sai but not anymore, at least not without a tour.

Cambodia only allows Thai vehicles in at some borders but not really officially.

Maybe you would thus be better focusing your efforts in such countries as Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma) and even China, all countries which would probably appreciate your efforts.

I've noticed incredible changes in road safety over in China in recent years. Sure, they have some way to go, but the presence and relatively good enforcement of speeding laws with lots of fixed speed cameras has resulted in lots of attitude changes over there. And the majority of middle class and educated city dwellers are extremely hesitant to have even one drink and then drive. Talk about a world of difference in attitudes compared to Thailand. Again, the Chinese have the last laugh because they get to drive to Thailand in their own cars, while the Thais aren't allowed to drive up into China by themselves. However, many of those who have driven here have been astonished by the sloppy driving, the speeding, tailgating and other aggressive forms of driving. Sure, there are aggressive drivers in China too and more impatient ones than here, but Thailand does take the cake for being home to the most careless drivers in the region, in my experience.

[DualSportBiker]

Looking at the figures, which are unlikely to be accurate, but perhaps the inaccuracies are consistent...

341 deaths in 7 days = 49 per day

26,000 in 365 days = 71 per day

Actually if you take out the 7 day's figures the annual average gets closer to 72... details...

That is a 30% drop is casualties. Whether the control measures or the publicity campaign are to take credit is up for debate, however it is an improvement. Obviously neither figure is acceptable by any stretch of the imagination.

Not all people die on the spot, my GF's brother took about ten days to die after his second motorcycle accident with head injuries due to no helmet.

Sorry to hear that. Do you know if his death counted against road deaths or some other and erroneous category?

[Jim walker]

How could driving aptitude be questioned in Thailand they are all perfect faultless drivers, just ask any Thai and they will tell you how good they are at driving, and every government for the last 20 years seems to avoid using fixed cameras for speeding and at traffic lights and make the fines really hefty so it can be used as a deterrent not just a few hundred baht given to some corrupt policeman put in his pocket that’s not a disincentive to keep offending and persistent offenders motorbikes or cars impounded and crushed.

[aussiebrian]

What this article fails to mention is that the majority of deaths were motorcyclists. Of these, most could have survived had they been wearing helmets. I think that the current laws and 'enforcement' regarding motorcycle helmets has proven to be ineffective and, quite frankly, a joke! Riders simply pay their insignificant fine and continue their dangerous practice of not wearing their helmets. Since the Thai law enforcement systems do not allow for monitoring of repeat offenders, more significant penalties are needed to 'encourage' compliance with helmet laws. I welcome a time when Thailand gets serious about this and ups the ante for helmet violations to more meaningful levels like 500 to 1,000 baht per offense. Maybe then this law will finally have some teeth in it and there will be fewer deaths on Thailand's roadways.

Helmets are not going to do much in the way of safety if it is just a thin piece of plastic and also not done up properly.

[Thongkorn]

Mainly because they have no respect for the Law, But if the Police are dis honest probably i would be the same. It all starts at school , its called education.

[Cake Monster]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Thai road safety measures.

The core problem lies in the Education of the drivers / riders, and the strict enforcement of all the laws that are being ignored daily by many thousands of " motorists ".

Without a credible, and coherent enforcement of the laws, such as in other countries worldwide have, the carnage will just continue. And the only solution to the " education " of the law breakers is to start issueing large fines, and jail terms for offences, whether that be for not wearing a helmet, to hit and run.

After only a short period of " education / conditioning " the deaths and maimings will drop dramatically.

The only solution to the enforcement issue, is to entirely " sweep clean " the RTP, and a non corrupt, and properly structured Police Force be resurected from the ashes, with possible a new section entirely responsible for all transportation policing ( road, rail, air, sea ) and a Justice System to match in the courts.

But TIT, and things will not change in my lifetime.

[madmitch]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Thai road safety measures.

The core problem lies in the Education of the drivers / riders, and the strict enforcement of all the laws that are being ignored daily by many thousands of " motorists ".

Without a credible, and coherent enforcement of the laws, such as in other countries worldwide have, the carnage will just continue. And the only solution to the " education " of the law breakers is to start issueing large fines, and jail terms for offences, whether that be for not wearing a helmet, to hit and run.

After only a short period of " education / conditioning " the deaths and maimings will drop dramatically.

The only solution to the enforcement issue, is to entirely " sweep clean " the RTP, and a non corrupt, and properly structured Police Force be resurected from the ashes, with possible a new section entirely responsible for all transportation policing ( road, rail, air, sea ) and a Justice System to match in the courts.

But TIT, and things will not change in my lifetime.

I don't agree with your first sentence at all. There is plenty wrong.

Too many u-turns

No red-light cameras

No traffic police patrol cars

Poorly maintained roads

Lack of on the road training

No warnings before road blocks on busy highways

The system whereby vehicles in accidents remain where they are

No rear seatbelt laws

General lack of law enforcement.

These and many more are contributing factors to poor road safety measures in Thailand.

I entirely agree with the rest of your post, however.

[AleG]

Not all people die on the spot, my GF's brother took about ten days to die after his second motorcycle accident with head injuries due to no helmet.

Sorry to hear that. Do you know if his death counted against road deaths or some other and erroneous category?

I have no idea what statistic he became part of; although I've heard that is common for deaths that happen some time after the actual accident to not be counted as road fatalities.

[paulchiangmai]

Looking at the figures, which are unlikely to be accurate, but perhaps the inaccuracies are consistent...

341 deaths in 7 days = 49 per day

26,000 in 365 days = 71 per day

Actually if you take out the 7 day's figures the annual average gets closer to 72... details...

That is a 30% drop is casualties. Whether the control measures or the publicity campaign are to take credit is up for debate, however it is an improvement. Obviously neither figure is acceptable by any stretch of the imagination.

As they said, one an hour. How times change, there used to be 24 hours in a day and now I see there are 71. I know I'm a bit thick when it comes to computers and smart phones etc but I always thought I kept up with how many hours in a day.

[hugh2121]

What this article fails to mention is that the majority of deaths were motorcyclists. Of these, most could have survived had they been wearing helmets. I think that the current laws and 'enforcement' regarding motorcycle helmets has proven to be ineffective and, quite frankly, a joke! Riders simply pay their insignificant fine and continue their dangerous practice of not wearing their helmets. Since the Thai law enforcement systems do not allow for monitoring of repeat offenders, more significant penalties are needed to 'encourage' compliance with helmet laws. I welcome a time when Thailand gets serious about this and ups the ante for helmet violations to more meaningful levels like 500 to 1,000 baht per offense. Maybe then this law will finally have some teeth in it and there will be fewer deaths on Thailand's roadways.

In my opinion, if somebody wants to risk killing themselves by not wearing a helmet, let them carry on.

My concern is for the general lack of sense on the road here. Drivers do not seem able to see that they are doing things wrong and often dangerously. The attitude is that it is okay to ride on the footpath, it is okay to drive on the right "if I want to", It is okay to cut the corner when turning right, it is okay to change lanes in front of a faster vehicle, etc.,etc.

We've all seen this. No amount of instruction will rectify the problem because the perpetrators are mainly uneducated or simply following what others do. An education system which teaches children to work out puzzles and problems by themselves is the only cure albeit long term. Teach them to see the danger for themselves before they act dangerously.

Can't see it happening. Why? Because it would mean Thais admitting they've had it all wrong for years.

[jpeg]

They can implement all the road safety measures they like. But nothing will protect you from the brainless idiots imperilling your chances of living out your span, each and every day.

[DualSportBiker]

Looking at the figures, which are unlikely to be accurate, but perhaps the inaccuracies are consistent...

341 deaths in 7 days = 49 per day

26,000 in 365 days = 71 per day

Actually if you take out the 7 day's figures the annual average gets closer to 72... details...

That is a 30% drop is casualties. Whether the control measures or the publicity campaign are to take credit is up for debate, however it is an improvement. Obviously neither figure is acceptable by any stretch of the imagination.

As they said, one an hour. How times change, there used to be 24 hours in a day and now I see there are 71. I know I'm a bit thick when it comes to computers and smart phones etc but I always thought I kept up with how many hours in a day.

Put "what they say" to one side; they might just be wrong... Take a calculator and enter 26000, hit the divide key, enter 365, then hit "=" and see what the output is... If you want to be more precise, subtract both the deaths and the days of the "dangerous, period from the year first to get 25,659 divided by 358 to get the run rate for days without special policing. You can repeat that for the Songkran numbers and really get the average for normal days verses "dangerous" days.

If percentages are an obstacle for you, you can the take the 49 from the 71 and see if you think that saving the resulting number of lives is a good thing...