Highways with straight sections recorded the highest fatal cases or 65.24%, followed by highways 36.89%, and rural or secondary roads in villages and districts, 30.39%.

That's a nice statistic. Err, I make that somewhere around 130% of the total 100%. Good way to fudge the statistics.

Also, anyone seen any roads without straight sections?

Thai people are bad in arithmetic ; they often need a pocket calculator to know how much is 2+2 ...or 10 - 4 ....

If you go to the provinces in the north you will find many highways with rare straight sections; for example rd 1095, Mae_Taeng - Pai - Phang_Mapha ...

60% of deaths are bikes. Enforce the helmet laws. Start education at junior school.

It should be difficult with teachers who don't wear an helmet ...

60% of deaths are bikes. Enforce the helmet laws. Start education at junior school.

It should be difficult with teachers who don't wear an helmet ...

Nor many of the BIB....

until this subject is given the proper advertising the sooner the figures will drop it is imperative that road safety is televised on a popular channel and taught in schools until then the figures will continue to increase the powers that be have got to get it right.

Not much difference to a 'normal' day then. Horrific numbers every day of the year.

Of course, there is so much bottle-necked traffic on the roads at this time that speeding is less than normal.

Hence the fatality figures are "down" on the "normal" ....39 against 70-80 per day.

In perspective it's an enormous loss of lives, the first 4 days over Christmas for the entire country of Australia totalled 14 deaths - go figure what this might mean.,..

Edited December 30, 201510 yr by Artisi

obvious not enough death cases. With section 44 it would be easy for law enforcement...speed cameras, check points, alcohol testing. helmets aso. I think PM doesn't care about his people.

The land of killing roads?

We don't call this news. It is already an entrenched annual routine to reduce the population for good[

22nd December, Pattaya to Udon. Started at 4 AM and arrived around1 PM, no accidents sighted and only a couple of traffic stops where they were nailing dozens of speeders. A total no-drama drive and enjoying the cruise control on the new motor.

26th December, Udon to Nongplalai via Suvarnabhumi. Departed 6 AM, Swampy at 2 PM, picked up friends and home by 5 PM. Northbound appeared gridlocked but easy peasy for me heading south. Waived through one solitary traffic check. No accidents seen but I did reduce Thailand's dog population by one just north of the Bangkok ring road. Result!

29th December, repeat of trip from the 22nd. Left at 6 AM and strangely quiet until I stopped for coffee at the big PTT on 304 between the 'mountains' in Prachinburi. Within 45 minutes, the parking lot was overflowing... and they have a HUGE parking lot there. Looked like a 50/50 split of cars heading north and south. A few traffic bottlenecks either side of Korat, KK and at major rural intersections, arriving in Udon at 3 PM. A total of 5 accidents sighted with 4 of them being relatively low-speed shunts by tailgaters. One bad one near Lex's steakhouse mid-morning where a local on a crotch rocket lost a duel with a pickup. Loads of traffic cones left from the previous weekend exodus on the 2-way stretch through the Prachinburi hills with 2 lanes northbound and 1 lane southbound.

Doing the return trip on 2nd January and contemplating a 3 AM departure to try and get ahead of the rush. I wonder if the cops will move the cones over so that there's 2 lanes south versus 1 lane north through Thailand's version of the Watford Gap.

Wish me luck.

We don't call this news. It is already an entrenched annual routine to reduce the population for good[

More accurately, the annual migration and compliance of Darwin's laws...

Well that looks like a reduction on last year's first day, so maybe the new tough stance on drink driving is having a slight effect! For reference, here are last year's full stats for New Year 2014/15 compiled by Richard Barrow.

7 Dangerous Days on Thailand’s Roads:

Day 1: 58 deaths (39 last year)

Day 2: 70 deaths (47 last year)

Day 3: 60 deaths (75 last year) *1

Day 4: 37 deaths (48 last year) *2

Day 5: 33 deaths (57 last year) *3

Day 6: 42 deaths (xx last year) *4

Day 7: 40 deaths (xx last year) *5

*1 One person injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*2 Four people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*3 Seven people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*4 Seven people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*5 Six people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

For the full article http://www.richardbarrow.com/2015/01/full-road-accident-statistics-for-new-year-2014-2015-in-thailand/

First those stats last year like everything else must be fiction if the average is 70 a day and they dont,its closer to 80 ...... so unless theres weeks with hundreds a day to play catch up its pretty obvious that list is very likely rubbish to begin with.

Its about 50% out for that week when looked at annually as an overall number, which of course is also fudged how they like... if the thais say 26,000 the world stats say 30,000, so its probably closer to 40,000 and no im not kidding, they lie about everything to try and look good we all know that.

secondly it clearly states in the article this year it runs from today until the firth, last year it didnt even begin until the 1st and the holidays were 5 not 7 days so barrow is comparing nothing accurately, like many things tbh.

Which is perfectly ok because this being Thailand means its good enough to get away with.

They are so far up the table 80% of the red are in total chaos or war torn... THATS how bad it is and given they lie like a patpong whore with her 80 year old hansum man i think we can safely say Thailand is actually very likely to be no 1 in the world for road death.

Next time you you hear Thailand no 1 from a Thai at least you'll know what they are going on about.

Edited December 30, 201510 yr by englishoak

The next 7 days will be the same mayhem as every other year. Thai people love to drink, and are normally too drunk to realize that they are totally unfit to drive. Some never realize that fact because they die.

My first Songkran day here 8 years ago and I saw a very drunk policeman in full uniform with holstered gun fall over a load of plastic chairs and tables. Local people helped him up and carried him to his motorcycle, sat him on it and he rode off.....Are you saying we must not follow this example anymore as its dangerous? Damn it!

40 a day is the average annually so at 39 with a margin of error 3% just another day - no different than any other day....

What the sham is the police like to market this period as the most dangerous 7 days in Thailand thus telling the public the other 358 days are not dangerous....

Every driving day in LOS is dangerous but this would be a national disgrace so they disguise it to save face....

Quite pathetic really.....

Well that looks like a reduction on last year's first day, so maybe the new tough stance on drink driving is having a slight effect! For reference, here are last year's full stats for New Year 2014/15 compiled by Richard Barrow.

7 Dangerous Days on Thailand’s Roads:

Day 1: 58 deaths (39 last year)

Day 2: 70 deaths (47 last year)

Day 3: 60 deaths (75 last year) *1

Day 4: 37 deaths (48 last year) *2

Day 5: 33 deaths (57 last year) *3

Day 6: 42 deaths (xx last year) *4

Day 7: 40 deaths (xx last year) *5

*1 One person injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*2 Four people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*3 Seven people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*4 Seven people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

*5 Six people injured on an earlier day succumbed to their injuries

For the full article http://www.richardbarrow.com/2015/01/full-road-accident-statistics-for-new-year-2014-2015-in-thailand/

First those stats last year like everything else must be fiction if the average is 70 a day and they dont,its closer to 80 ...... so unless theres weeks with hundreds a day to play catch up its pretty obvious that list is very likely rubbish to begin with.

Its about 50% out for that week when looked at annually as an overall number, which of course is also fudged how they like... if the thais say 26,000 the world stats say 30,000, so its probably closer to 40,000 and no im not kidding, they lie about everything to try and look good we all know that.

secondly it clearly states in the article this year it runs from today until the firth, last year it didnt even begin until the 1st and the holidays were 5 not 7 days so barrow is comparing nothing accurately, like many things tbh.

Which is perfectly ok because this being Thailand means its good enough to get away with.

They are so far up the table 80% of the red are in total chaos or war torn... THATS how bad it is and given they lie like a patpong whore with her 80 year old hansum man i think we can safely say Thailand is actually very likely to be no 1 in the world for road death.

Next time you you hear Thailand no 1 from a Thai at least you'll know what they are going on about.

Many of these could have been shootings so its not really that bad!

Err....what part of every BIB carrying a Breathalyzer and a fine of at least TB10k for the first level after 0.05% blood alcohol limit is exceeded does this Police force/ government still not understand.

Cash up front for the fine or 10 days in the monkeys cage - no negotiating!!

Like all other counties (pro-rata to the basic wage) financial loss is the only way to make people think twice about getting behind the wheel when pissed.

I am sure fines would pay for the breathalyzer units + the cost dry cleaning of uniforms soiled by scraping the blood and bodies off the roads in the first few months

Actually, does anyone know the Thai official limits for blood alcohol limit for drivers and how the tests are administered??

In perspective it's an enormous loss of lives, the first 4 days over Christmas for the entire country of Australia totalled 14 deaths - go figure what this might mean.,..

Fosters has less alcohol than Singha maybe?

Err....what part of every BIB carrying a Breathalyzer and a fine of at least TB10k for the first level after 0.05% blood alcohol limit is exceeded does this Police force/ government still not understand.

Cash up front for the fine or 10 days in the monkeys cage - no negotiating!!

Like all other counties (pro-rata to the basic wage) financial loss is the only way to make people think twice about getting behind the wheel when pissed.

I am sure fines would pay for the breathalyzer units + the cost dry cleaning of uniforms soiled by scraping the blood and bodies off the roads in the first few months

Actually, does anyone know the Thai official limits for blood alcohol limit for drivers and how the tests are administered??

It depends how drunk you are, what time of day, if you are near a school, How fast you were going, If you were polite enough, How red your nose is, How old your Thai wife is.... there are so many important factors.

Drove from 50km south of Lampang to Chiang Mai and back today and the traffic was not that heavy most of the time. Didn't encounter to many fast movers either. The thing that really surprised me was the north bound and south bound traffic was about equal in volume, normally on a holiday the north bound is 10 times heavier. Did not see any accidents.

These campaign never works but I guess something is better than nothing? But something means I wish the BIB would at least come from underneath those tents and pull some cars over. I went by two today maybe it was lunch hour but all I saw was a guy sitting at a table with a drink cup in front of him no one else was in sight?

It is tough to have a 7 days campaign for anything when the other 3oo plus days people are doing whatever they want. I've been here now for 10 years and for ten years it is the same. I think one year they were something like 5 deaths short of target and they declared their campaign was a success but there was a huge increase in local emergency wards?

I hope Lenny W.. doesn't consider this to be Thai Bashing?

Edited December 30, 201510 yr by thailand49

The land of killing roads?

Not the roads, lack of brains, enforcement, stupidity....

We don't call this news. It is already an entrenched annual routine to reduce the population for good[

More accurately, the annual migration and compliance of Darwin's laws...

Lemmings......

If I know Thai authorities like I think I do, regardless of the death toll, they will say it was a success. Possibly give themselves a special "bonus".

Life continues to be valued cheaply by Thai authorities. Get your discount on Thai roads this holiday season!

No-one cares about road fatalities......least of all the police.........but come Tuesday, announcements will be in the press that the latest road safety campaigns were exceptionaly successful!......no-one cares!

'Thai road safety campaign claims 39 deaths' Somewhat concerning that a campaign already dismissed as the usual waste of space, itself claims the results it's supposed to be aimed at avoiding.​

It is easy to assume that many Thais are rude and aggressive drivers, unfortunately the experience of driving or riding in Thailand can easily suggest that. But we have to also consider Correspondence Bias (PDF) We all are prone to this response. When I first started researching the subject I thought the same. But that suggests that Thai's are aggressive horrible uneducated people who wish us and others harm, that is simply not the case.

Enforcement will not fix things without adequate training as well.

Most Thai road users have not been trained in how to use the roads. The test is so basic that it only requires minimum skills to pass and no provision for learner drivers to do any on-road tuition either.

By comparison in the UK all motorcyclists must do a compulsory basic Training course before riding on the road. This is the same level of training as is required to pass the full Thai motorcycle test, only the CBT includes two hours minimum of on road tuition. The UK full licence test standard is looking for experience. We can normally train someone to test standard but it takes a further four or five days of training and riding experience. In the UK there is now talk of motorway and night driving tuition as well.

In Thailand due to the minimum or non existent levels of basic training people revert to using the roads as pedestrians. Only rules that apply at walking speeds do not always work at traffic speeds. Also it brings people into conflict with other road users playing by different rules.

Add in the lack of observations for fear of confrontation and the belief in spirit protection and reincarnation and Thai Road users behaviour starts to make more sense.

The only answer is for us all to take responsabillity for our own actions and rather than assume others will do the right thing, base our road use on the assumption that the other road users has not been trained adequately and therefore may well do something unexpected. Anyone with experience of driving or riding in Thailand already does this. But that is the difference between experienced and novice road users around the world.

thairoadcraft.wordpress.com

The next 7 days will be the same mayhem as every other year. Thai people love to drink, and are normally too drunk to realize that they are totally unfit to drive. Some never realize that fact because they die.

The average daily death rate is about 80 people a day so you better not go out at all.

And all we do now is await the announcement from the Junta that their safety campaign was a resounding success deaths on the Thai roads slashed by whatever number you want to here.

Hear, here.. 555