Thailand has the second highest rate of road deaths in the world

[robsamui]

And to those several people who are saying things like "I love it here. I love the lawlessness. I don't want to live in a nanny state like the USA or UK" - I totally agree.

But somewhere between lawless-insanity and chaos with blood on the streets, and Big Brother watching your every move, is a gentle, placid middle ground. Would YOU let your children run wild with no restraint or guidance, then just shrug and say "karma" when they got killed?

Children need to know where the boundaries are, what they can get away with and what they can't. it's how they develop into responsible adults. They need educating and caring for. Thrashing them and punishing them isn't effective. Nor is letting them do whatever they feel like without restraint.

And that's the image of Thailand - particularly with the way the roads are out of control - as is the entire aspect of being trained to drive and being aware of others on the roads. There's no system, no control, no area of behavior and common-response that's consistent across the nation.

NOT the nanny state and Big Brother. But not blood and bodies on the road either.

Edited February 29, 2016 by robsamui

[The manic]

Skilled defensive driving is required here but Saudi - burma - kuwait- Libya are all worse. To say nothing of Pakistan -india- Afghanistan Iran etc all where I have driven except Afghanistan - Thailand is much calmer and safer - Paris and Rome are dreadful but those countries that have a

safer rating have lost so many basic freedoms it hasn't been worth it. There is no logic to UK laws anymore.

Edited February 29, 2016 by The manic

[MJP]

Skilled defensive driving is required here but Saudi - burma - kuwait- Libya are all worse. To say nothing of Pakistan -india- Afghanistan Iran etc all where I have driven except Afghanistan - Thailand is much calmer and safer - Paris and Rome are dreadful but those countries that have a

safer rating have lost so many basic freedoms it hasn't been worth it. There is no logic to UK laws anymore.

We'd need to see a breakdown of the numbers to make sense of it. My guess it's motorbikes and (very) young, untrained riders who don't wear helmets.

[lvr181]

i love Thailand the way it is.

no enforcement of traffics law is one of the reasons I came here.

I hope the Thai people continue to resist these outside calls for change to the last breath.

take your nanny state radar guns, traffic cameras and police helicopters and SWAT teams and go back to the UK or USA or whatever total police state you come from.

The ridiculousness of your post lies in how profoundly "nanny state" Thailand has become with the government policing not only what people can do and say but also what they can think!

Thailand, much like North Korea, is the ULTIMATE nanny state!

LOL

What would you know about North Korea except for what the manipulative Western media throw at gullible fools like yourself?

Huh? And the media via its belligerent totalitarian leadership is not manipulative in North Korea?

[robsamui]

Skilled defensive driving is required here but Saudi - burma - kuwait- Libya are all worse. To say nothing of Pakistan -india- Afghanistan Iran etc all where I have driven except Afghanistan - Thailand is much calmer and safer - Paris and Rome are dreadful but those countries that have a

safer rating have lost so many basic freedoms it hasn't been worth it. There is no logic to UK laws anymore.

I agree with you about excessive loss of basic freedom in highly-structured nations.

In Thailand there is no free emergency medical treatment, so road accident victims must pay cash for treatment. And foreign tourists with medical insurance are a huge source of income.

But as a compromise - simply establishing regular speed checks and penalties, together with continuous drunk-driving checks would be a sensible step.

It's nothing like Big Brother, and it will cut a lot of accidents as well as bringing the police more income.

[BlindMagician]

Given we are dutiful subordinates in a hilihary hichahorhhip, I have decided to drive a tank. No more problems for me on the roads, nor with parking.

[selftaopath]

I was just trying to use my imagination if Thailand would have Autobahn's without speed limits..........

Well, They have them !!!.... that's the impression I have on the roads here .....

....and they have roads where median divider stripes mean nothing, particularly on blind curves. Perhaps it's a geometry issue: If a truck or bus speeds around a blind corner, it gets to its destination 7/100's of a second sooner if it cuts the corner by a meter over the line. .....unless it crashes.

It amazes me that so many vehicle operators are in such a hurry. Why? When they typically reach their destination they merely sit/go in a hammock etc. Perhaps the aggression is from the culture where many MOST must grovel b/c of the "caste " system running rampant.

If one is poor but drives a big, new truck then they can act like a "hi so" (or at least not a poor village person) and be aggressive toward the affluent, and power mongers.... just sayin.

[yllorco]

Old piece of news (2013), but a helpful warning to motorists.