Officials consider banning kids from motorbikes
By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- To improve road safety officials are considering making it illegal for children under 6 to ride on a motorcycle.

The move comes as Thailand tries to come to grips with its high mortality from road accidents. More than 10 percent of children involved in road accidents end up dying, and most cases involve them riding on a motorcycle, according to Office of The Consumer Protection Board.

Read More: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/03/11/officials-consider-banning-kids-motorbikes

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-03-11

and what will poor people do?

ignore it?

and what will poor people do?

ignore it?

Get a job? instead of riding around with kids

Or pay more fines to police....they should come up with a plan about how poor people get around first. They pile their kids on bikes as it's their only option

many riding on a motorcycle is there family/parents only means of transport...

Home made side car maybe ?

Old pickup truck with kids in the back any safer ?

just another opportunity to extract money from the poor...good idea but the outcome is well known...

Well, once upon a time no one wore helmets either. Then they started enforcing the law that the "driver" had to be wearing a helmet (but not the other 1-4 people on his scooter). Then they started cracking down even further and now pretty much everyone is supposed to be wearing a helmet while on a motorcycle.

Of course it's going to be a hard sell in some places:

But the good news is, the BIB are practising and ready for the task:

Sort of like trying to ban prostitution. It's too deeply ingrained in Thai society/mentality it will never stop. First you have to provide enough viable alternatives. As long as the poor are kept poor (and under-educated) kids will ride motorbikes and women will sell themselves. Politicians making ignorant proposals gets you nowhere.

Oh wait, I was actually beginning to take this seriously ;-)

Certainly a good idea but completely unfeasible without viable alternatives that I don't see being presented for years to come, especially in rural areas.

If they were serious, they could start to enforce the helmet laws for everyone on a motorcycle. It can be done other Asian countries have succeeded with this goal. It just takes the will to make it happen. If there is one thing the junta could do that would genuinely improve Thai society this is it. (It would save the government a lot of money in the health budget too.)

Even for this Junta this is a stupid idea.

Is it April 1st already??

Good intention but a ban won't happen. Most the govt/police will do is try to increase public awareness of the associated danger (which will fall upon deaf ears), increased police check points, and a higher fine. But if a ban did occur I bet it would only result in a fine if caught.

This is good news, the Government is planning to buy car for everyone with child/children hahahahaha

I thought they were going to stop children DRIVING scoots. That might be possible to do. I see 8 year olds driving around all the time.

Riding on scoots? Fergetaboutit.

I thought they were going to stop children DRIVING scoots. That might be possible to do. I see 8 year olds driving around all the time.

Riding on scoots? Fergetaboutit.

If they were old enough to understand bribes I'm sure they would. Too much paperwork,no compensation, and it's too bloody hot 555.

The law making process in Thailand:

1. Think of a good idea (such as making helmets on motorbikes compulsory)

2. Pass a law

3. Print millions of posters publicising the law

4. Have the BIB rigidly enforce the law for 3.2 minutes

5. Forget about the law and ignore millions of infractions every day until it's the end of the month and the BIB's rent is due or the Mia Noi payment is due.

6. Have a checkpoint to collect Tea Money to satisfy point 5 (above)

7. Ignore the law

8. Repeat steps 5 thru 8 as appropriate.

2 options for the poor if they see police checkpoint,

1) get caught pay the bribe

2)stop and leave ur kid on the side off the road to get hit by drunk driver

Given the prelavent low incomes in Thailand, simply banning children from motor bikes as well as exceeding two adults is not a constructive solution. While subsidized bus service is already in place, it's obvious from the numbers of small families and groups of adults riding motor bikes that buses don't adequately serve the Thai community. The ban will simplay fail.

The government might investigate the design for a low price (bt40k) and energy efficient 3-cycle motor driven vehicle, perhaps in partnership with Mazda who has achieved such a design. But not affordable to low income families. Such a partnership might result in a proprietary design that would attract customers throughout the world where there are large, low income populations with Thailand as the manufacturing hub. Such a vehicle might be designed for conversion into different configurations depending on immediate family needs: two adults with two children, three adults, etc.

This is called sustainable solutions.

What are the rules in nearby poor countries ?

Vietnam. Malaysia. Laos , Cambodia ?

Let the kids ride a motorcycle.

But do ensure that they are not armed with guns and/or machetes.
Thank you.

A complete ban isn`t a good idea IMHO. Even in germany a child of as little as 5 or 6 can be a passenger on a motorbike with appropriate child seat (of course only ONE per vehicle and with helmet). If children aren't allowed to be passengers on a motorbike, what comes next? Ban them from riding their own little bikes to elementary school? They must have the right to be outside traffic participants! Otherwise everything will even more focus on cars, cars, cars. There are really enough of them in thailand!

Riding on or riding? I have seen village kids riding motorbikes at very young ages, but see no reason to restrict children as passenger to an experienced and licenced rider.

Here's an idea, why not introduce a subsidy for first car owners then everyone can own a car............Oh wait!...............

Thailand has enough traffic laws, Just not the will to enforce them properly.

here's the first one, education,

know the traffic laws then get a license

Running red lights

driving opposing to traffic

16 years old to get a license, ie; no more 7y/o's riding around .

Police prepared to do their job

Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed.

Welcome to the 21st century. Nobody will convince me that having children on motorbikes is anything but irresponsible. I think the law should ban under 16s from motorbikes not under 6's.

and what will poor people do?

ignore it?

They could do what other poor people do in other countries. Walk.

and what will poor people do?

ignore it?

Walk............spend less money on lao kao, or spend time inside for disobeying junta orders. If parents really cared about their kids, they would not let them ride on motorbikes!

They can enact all he laws they want, just another law that will be ignored

Too many people cannot afford any other form of transportation so it will be same same

They need to get people to wear helmets and yes that includes passengers

Makes me sick every time I see kids on 2 wheels with no helmets on, even worse

when the driver has a helmet on and kids do not ....

What they should also do is confiscate the bikes of people who have kids with no helmets on as pillion passengers and auction the bikes off every month, thereby giving the police extra money in their pockets and hitting the selfish thoughtless ignorant idiots who think if they wear a helmet the kids don't have to. Whenever I see these people, maybe kid with no helmet between the mum and dad who do have a helmet, it makes me want to rip their helmets off and use it on them to "install" safety awareness. There's nothing that annoys me more than seeing this.