Dangerous roads

[ParadiseLost]

I can report from Koh Phangan that the roads are even more treacherous than usual due to the huge amounts of rain we have been having. Many small side roads are not paved and in places there is sand covering half the road. Of course when cars see this they swerve out and only then consider oncoming traffic.

Speed kills here. It only got worse as the roads were paved - pity someone wasn't bright enough to realise dirt roads added to the charm of the place and kept speeds so low there never was a death toll, only scrapes and broken bones...

Edited December 7, 2015 by ParadiseLost

[ALFREDO]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

Sure dangerous - 4th place in the world =Road death per capita=

This speaks volumes!

per capita Samui is quite possibly the No. 1 in the world, not No 4!

Thailand is Number 1, from larger countries if you count that the number 1-3 are only small inhabited = Eritrea, Dom. Republic, Libya.

I believe Koh Samui has a hard fight with Phuket - who has the most death from traffic accidents p. capita.

[evadgib]

A couple of points that hardly warrant a new thread:

1. While driving between Bang Rak & Fishermans village 90 mins ago I passed a foreigner on a motorbike with a top box/helmet box mounted on the rear of his bike. As I passed him I caught the briefiest glimpse of the high visibility vest he was wearing, & once in front of him he became barely visible again. This riders vest was the parallel hooped variety (luminous stripes around the waist), rendered completely useless by;

The top box (rear),

His arms (sides),

His handlebars/consol (front).

I'm posting this in the hope that someone might know the rider & be able to advise him re above. For vests to be truly effective they need the vertical stripes over each shoulder too.

2. A few mins later I approached a static VCP in Maenam. Plod were wearing their 'H's' but they weren't as bright as could reasonably be expected & nor was there any attempt to illuminate anywhere between shoulder and hand, ie no torches, no Darth Vader sticks, not even a Halloween skeleton!. I heard 'toot-toot-toot-toot-toot' but had no idea where/who from or whether it meant 'GO!' 'STOP!' or 'Do The Hokey Cokey!' I pointed out in a fairly stern voice that it's in their interest for drivers to be able to see them & expected my wife to pipe up but she for once remained strangely mute....

Silhouettes on the road frankly isn't good enough but sadly that was more or less all I could see.

(& Yes, I DID have my lights on! )

Edited December 9, 2015 by evadgib