More than five dozen helmet-less drivers arrested in Phuket

[rooster59]

More than five dozen helmet-less drivers arrested in Phuket

Kongleaphy Keam

One of the 63 motorcyclists stopped for not wearing a helmet during the first week of the campaign.

PHUKET: Phuket traffic police made 64 arrests in the first week of the ‘One district, One road, with 100 per cent helmets’ campaign.

The new campaign was launched on February 1 in an effort to improve Phuket’s road safety. Helmet-less drivers caught at checkpoints across the island had their bikes seized and were escorted to the police station to view road accident videos, purchase a 99-baht helmet, and pay a fine (story here).

“Thung Thong Police have set up a checkpoint on Phra Barami Road, located just before the hill leading from Kathu to Patong,” said Sirisak Skoonsorutcha, chief of the Phuket office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

“Every day, we changed the time we conducted the stops,” said Mr Sirisak.

Full story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/More-five-dozen-helmetless-drivers-arrested-Phuket/63136?desktopversion

-- Phuket Gazette 2016-01-14

[Somtamnication]

On a busy day on any of the two Chao Fa roads, that number of helmet-less drivers is met within 15 minutes. What a farce!

[LivinginKata]

Just a typical Thai lady with bikini top under a wrap. Clearly photo taken to show a bit of clevage.

[honoluludave]

What kind of helmet are you going to get for 99 baht? A baseball cap cost more than that

[terryp]

made to purchase a 99-baht helmet .............................. says everything about this place

[trogers]

Ninety-nine baht helmets could be beyond the means of a family of four on a single motorcycle caught in the dragnet...

Being without a helmet kills, but four on a single bike does not.

[Reigntax]

And what about licence checks?

[dashdashdot]

I applaud this! This is a good damn start, and gone about it right propper too

[Briggsy]

Ninety-nine baht helmets could be beyond the means of a family of four on a single motorcycle caught in the dragnet...

Being without a helmet kills, but four on a single bike does not.

But they can buy a 53,000 Baht Honda Click and fill it with petrol twice a week.

[stevenl]

I applaud this! This is a good damn start, and gone about it right propper too

Agree, there is no pleasing some.

[fiddlehead]

Arrested them?
Fingerprinted? Mugshots? Jail time? Court case?
I doubt it.
I don't think arrest is the right word.

Anyway, stay safe out there folks.
I had to drive to Kathu from Rawai last evening, and saw 3 accidents on my way.
One looked very serious. (Lots of blood, lots of spectators)

[Bernard Flint]

No comments that the cops only stopped non thais?????

[Just1Voice]

A 99 Baht helmet? Try a 999 Baht helmet that might actually do some good!

[craigt3365]

Just a money maker for the BiB. 100B fine for no helmet today. Probably get another 100B from the same drivers in a week or so. Just like an ATM.

[useronthenet]

You spend a lifetime counting the traffic violations just in Phuket alone.

[spidermike007]

This is a positive step. Let us hope it is sincere, and that there is some follow up, something you just do not see much here. Consistency in policy leads to greater safety on the roads. An occasion road block leads to nothing. And the 99 baht helmet? If you are going to ride a motorbike on the roads here, it is positively insane to ride without a helmet. And it makes sense to purchase as good a helmet as you can possibly afford. When your head hits the asphalt, at a decent speed, you will wish you had spent an additional thousand baht on your helmet. The human head is about as delicate as an egg, when it comes in contact with concrete and asphalt, at any speed. My guess is that these 99 baht eggshell helmets will not provide much protection in the event of a spill at a decent speed.

Any sort of safety campaign is long overdue here. The Thai government has a tremendous amount of egg on it's face, for not caring about the safety of the public and it's tourists. It is never too late for these indifferent and incompetent officials and police to start caring, and doing something about their horrific problem. Being number two in the world for traffic fatalities is not something to be proud of. Rather tremendous shame, is the proper emotion for these officials to feel, if they care at all.

A deterrent is the first step, in improving the way people drive here. By impounding the bikes, they are sending a message. Inconvenience, and expense, will help to drive the point home. If the tourists and the local people are not wearing good helmets, out of common sense, and a sense of self preservation, than at least they can be taught to wear them out of fear of the authorities. That is a good thing. Whatever it takes to get people to practice basic safety is a positive step.

[tomyumchai]

now......if you could set up a traffic light anpr system AND link it to all mobile phone sims then you would be a multi billionaire in a year by catching red light jumpers, helmetless riders and many untaxed or unlicenced people passing through the junctions...... as theyre never without a phone.

pure fantasy i know but what an easy earner.

[TheKnave]

Yeah, the 99 baht helmet is going to do a lot of good. Probably cost the BIB 33 baht...

Meanwhile, the rider in the pic can polish my helmet, anytime. Although it's scratched and somewhat dented...

[soalbundy]

Just a typical Thai lady with bikini top under a wrap. Clearly photo taken to show a bit of clevage.

She needs another two helmets for those or she may get the sort of helmet she doesn't want

[jvs]

Another aspect of safety while wearing a helmet,how many times do you see riders holding a cap with one hand or using their hand as a sunblock.

Two hands on the handle bar must be safer i would think.

Edited February 14, 2016 by jvs

[stephenterry]

Nice picture of good-looking lady. What is the topic?

[FunkyDunky58]

Hardly newsworthy. Just out of boredom I recently counted the number of drivers with no helmet on a single 26km trip along a dual carriageway and counted 206 (along with 21 driving in the wrong direction, 19 with no lights (at night) and 11 with no registration plate).

[godden]

and the fine for no bra?

[mercman24]

yes and named brand helmets, shoei,shark etc, etc, are not type approved,but a paper mache' helmet is.so was wondering if one had and accident wearing a non approved helmet could this invalidate any claim, as insurance companies, like to weasel out of any claim if they can

[Tchooptip]

In Samui (at least) most tourists do not wear helmet, even though in their own countries they would be stopped by the police in matter of minutes.

A couple of Westerners with a young child on the front, also without helmet can be seen daily too!

As for the younger one, they many times drive much faster than the flow of traffic, overtaking in a random manner from left and right.

...When it is not three of them on three motorbikes talking to each other at slow speed in the middle of the road...

So all those posts about the way only Thai people are driving...really

[1duckyboy]

Wonder what the Farang to Thai ticket ratio is.

[spidermike007]

In Samui (at least) most tourists do not wear helmet, even though in their own countries they would be stopped by the police in matter of minutes.

A couple of Westerners with a young child on the front, also without helmet can be seen daily too!

As for the younger one, they many times drive much faster than the flow of traffic, overtaking in a random manner from left and right.

...When it is not three of them on three motorbikes talking to each other at slow speed in the middle of the road...

So all those posts about the way only Thai people are driving...really

Samui is the most lawless area in the country. Always has been. Probably always will be. The police there are purely decorative, and ceremonial. Of course the police nationwide are some of the least talented, least effective, least serious and least trained, in the world. In general, the RTP is the laughing stock of the planet. The officials on Samui, are the most indifferent in the country, and they have the least pride. Same can be said for alot of the local merchants. Lack of pride is almost a trait that the local merchants and officials on Samui are known for. The reality is, that most of the locals left long ago, with their small fortunes, from exploding land values. Most of the merchants on Samui are transplants, who just do not care about the island. And the mayor is beyond incompetent. The rest the nation barely cares one iota about the Southern Islands, and that goes doubly for the national government, who have ignored Samui for decades.

Edited February 14, 2016 by spidermike007

[Doc46]

That's a very poor result,,,At any given time ,day or night you can see at least Thousand bikes going thru a main road traffic light down here in a matter of an hour and 900 are not wearing helmets,,If they were Really Serious they should Police this 24/7 in the Whole country,,,Agh shit am dreaming again,.

[bbbbooboo]

hmmm..... 5 x 12 drivers(without helmet) @100 baht each = 6000 baht. Simple really

[DrDave]

This is definitely a step in the right direction.

The one problem I see, however, is that mixed messages are being sent to riders. That is, helmets are required when riding a motorbike, but you will only have a problem if you encounter a roadblock. Just yesterday, I saw several helmet-less riders pass policemen riding a motorbike on patrol. The policemen didn't even bat an eye. It's a well-known fact (at least in Patong, and I suspect most of Phuket) that the police will not enforce moving violations (running red lights, not stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks, driving on the wrong side of the road, etc). Traffic regulations are only enforced via roadblocks, so most locals just continue to ignore the regulations unless they think they will encounter a roadblock (which always are setup in locations that are well-known).

Instructing the police to issue citations whenever they see a violation would go a long way toward encouraging compliance with regulations. But that would require them to get off their motorbike and do some work.