Are pickup trucks a safer driving option in Thailand?

[advancebooking]

After seeing this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHiS3ezGNIA

do you think its safer to have a pickup truck in the event of some crazy idiot driving up your rear? Presumably the crush impact of a pickup is a lot better than a normal sedan?

Would a steel tow bar at the back also prevent death from rear crush impact? We have our baby seat in the back and thus would like your opinions.

thanks

[pgrahmm]

Odds are good if you are in a small car it'll be a pickup that's going to be the other vehicle....You'd at least even up the chances....

One guy on here disagrees but the theory of mass does not favor the driver of a smaller vehicle.....If the people in the fatal vehicle had been in a pickup - heavier - larger vehicle they might have escaped death during the primary and secondary impacts....

[Fookhaht]

I love the greater visibility all around the vehicle for drivers of pick ups. Sitting up a little higher seems to increase the visibility is well.

[KhunBENQ]

Might be your chances are statistically better than in a "micro car" or so.

But if a mentally ill on psychiatric medication hits you like this?

(a current case, hiso Merc driver killing two students)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHiS3ezGNIA

I daily browse through the carnage pictures in some Thai site.

Some steel piles are hardly identifiable as a vehicle.

Pickups are no tanks.

They are much bigger than my small Mazda 2 (1000 kg) and still only 1500 kg.

So think about how much stability you can get out of this.

Better think about such a thing

Edited March 18, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[MadMac]

Pickups usually have more torque and power than the eco crutches. This will help safety at any take over.

[khunano]

As mentioned you may have more steel and weight around you in a pick up truck for better protection in case of an impact, however those trucks are also less safe to drive, particularly in the wet and through curves. These vehicles are trucks, rear wheel driven and relatively light on the rear axle if not loaded. I much prefer a front wheel driven sedan that is a lot more agile to handle.

[phitsanulokjohn]

Please resign yourself to the fact that there are NO safe forms of transport in the Los.It makes not the slightest difference,that you may or may not be the greatest driver in the world,if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A large pick up is obviously stronger than a motorcycle or small car,but will be crushed like a soda can if hit by a bus.Thailand doesn't get ranked number 2 in the world for road accidents for nothing.The driving standard here is diabolical at best,and the likelyhood of an accident is real.You can only do your best,I appreciate that,but at the end of the day the reality of driving here is that you are a participant in a lottery.

[KhunBENQ]

Get a Merc S class, it's so easy

The insane who rammed and killed two people (video above) is only slightly hurt.

(don't be fooled by the wrong time stamp in the video, it happened last Sunday)

The insane is in white shirt

Edited March 18, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[evadgib]

We might perhaps feel a little safer with one of these...

Edited March 18, 2016 by evadgib

[PETERTHEEATER]

Mmm.....I thought that in the original report he was indicated as 34 years of age?

[laolover88]

Safer?? There are categorically, NO "safe' Driving Options in Thailand

[snowgard]

If you want drive a save car just buy a Marauder:

[giddyup]

Mmm.....I thought that in the original report he was indicated as 34 years of age?

I believe the guy in the white shirt is his father.

[SOTIRIOS]

...not much structural integrity....

...also if you have an empty bed......easy to wipe out....

[Grumpy Old Man]

I bought the Nissan Navara NP300 for it's modern safety features, 4x4 drive system, excellent seven speed auto, driving position and best in class handling.

I have fitted a tow bar and adjustable height tow ball and STEEL nudge bar to the front.

Your never 100% safe driving in Thailand or any other country but a quality pickup well prepared and maintained helps mitigate the risk of personal injury; I've only used 4x4's / SUV or pickup for the last 25 years

[Ulic]

Of course trucks are safer than scooters but what makes a vehicle safer is the guy behind

the wheel. Then there is the wild card, loony Mercedes driver, Yabba high bus/taxi driver

and cement truck operator who thinks he is an F1 driver. So while nothing is 100% safe,

you can at least lessen the risk somewhat.

[chiang mai]

It's a pickup versus pickup world out there, only silly people drive brio equivalents in that environment.

[bazza40]

As mentioned you may have more steel and weight around you in a pick up truck for better protection in case of an impact, however those trucks are also less safe to drive, particularly in the wet and through curves. These vehicles are trucks, rear wheel driven and relatively light on the rear axle if not loaded. I much prefer a front wheel driven sedan that is a lot more agile to handle.

Eh..........?

He's right. Pickups have a higher centre of gravity, and unloaded can be lethal in wet conditions. Live rear axles and leaf springs went out with button up boots.

I drive regularly between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and almost invariably the accidents I see are a result of a pickup driver losing it on one of the curves.

[khomlong1]

Agree. The taller pickups old or new are clumsy vehicles to drive. You can't beat the performance of a good car for motorway driving.

[CLW]

The structural strength of a pick up is not necessarily better than a sedan.

What gives you some advantage is the higher position, your longer back and the engine hood.

But in case of a turnover same safety

[SpokaneAl]

I am not so sure that things are safer for those extended family members packed into the back of the pick up truck in its bed.

[peterb17]

As mentioned you may have more steel and weight around you in a pick up truck for better protection in case of an impact, however those trucks are also less safe to drive, particularly in the wet and through curves. These vehicles are trucks, rear wheel driven and relatively light on the rear axle if not loaded. I much prefer a front wheel driven sedan that is a lot more agile to handle.

Eh..........?

He's right. Pickups have a higher centre of gravity, and unloaded can be lethal in wet conditions. Live rear axles and leaf springs went out with button up boots.

I drive regularly between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and almost invariably the accidents I see are a result of a pickup driver losing it on one of the curves.

I rather like button up boots- goes with the hipster look.

The guys that whizz past on the motorways are either pick ups, or BM or Benz. I always think wow that pick up has agricultural suspension ( leaf springs) if they have to take some defensive action- not sure about the outcome ?

I'm not a pick up fan- they are for carting Buffaloes . Do they have electronic stability control?

So to answer the OP, if you live up country , have to deal with dirt roads, want a tough machine - great .

Motorways, cities, no way .

[ThaiWai]

If you get hit by a surface to surface rocket like in the video it probably won't matter but generally speaking I never understand the guys who buy cars not trucks here. The roads often suck here, flooding, road obstructions, waaay tooo many speed bumps and who knows what else I can't ever imagine having anything but my crew cab pickup. Just the bed alone has come in handy countless times. Moving, golf clubs, furniture, large appliances, my wife's fat cousin...Pickup all the way!

[CLW]

On the Autobahn yes, I absolutely agree.
But where in Thailand you can drive faster than 100km/h.
May it be to road condition, road design, traffic, speed limit etc.
And the pickup's have also ABS and some ESP

Edited March 18, 2016 by seedy
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[SydneyGuy]

Sounds like you haven't driven a new pickup recently, ABS/EBD, Airbags, ETC.

I feel much safer in my new Ford Ranger Hi rider which weighs 2 tonnes and is 5.4M in length than in a Toyota Vios weighing 1300kg, and very small impact zones.

The pickup manufacturers have spent a lot of time and money to get the new pickups to handle/brake like a conventional sedan, i know which vehicle i would rather be in if i was involved in an accident with a medium/large sedan.

Edited March 18, 2016 by seedy
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[naboo]

I've driven a pick-up for the past 4 years. Prior to that I had driven sedans. The car I felt safest in was my BMW 7-series in the UK. Its handling was exceptional, the balance perfect, brakes were the best I've had, it was solid, I'm sure the crumple zones would have protected me well. The worst car I've driven was an older Ford Fiesta (late 90s version). It was poor in the corners with incredible under steer, brakes only stopped the thing because it was so light, and I'm pretty sure if I had rolled it the roof supports would have crumpled.

The pick-up I drive now is solid, has lots of torque and when the turbo kicks in its quick - overtaking in the correct gear is very safe with very predictable power. However, in the corners it under-steers like the Fiesta, the brakes are truly dreadful and it is by far the most difficult car to drive i have ever stepped in. My chances of being in an accident are much greater (in fact, my only accident has been in this truck), but, when push comes to shove, if its my truck vs a sedan in a head on collision, I want to be in my truck.

So in a truck, I think its more likely you'll be in an accident, but much more likely you will survive an accident. And given the roads of Thailand, my next purchase will also be a truck.

[KhunBENQ]

Mmm.....I thought that in the original report he was indicated as 34 years of age?

I believe the guy in the white shirt is his father.

Sorry, obviously I was mislead by this report in The Nation.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Driver-faces-charges-over-fatal-car-crash-30281869.html

The subtitle is "Jessada Weeraporn (white shirt)".

The report writes about "JENPOP WEERAPORN" with a reference to Jessada (but not about the photo or a visit at police).

Seems like no picture of "Jenpop" available.

Jenpop had a knee injury and was being checked for a concussion.

[hatewaitin]

Simple facts, pickup, light trucks etc. Not really designed as people movers. And anyone who thinks it is safer to be in one is wrong. More weight also equals more inertia. I have seen the result of many a caravan traveller in AU who thought that big vehicle means safe and had 100% fatality in the vehicle with poor results for whom the vehicle hit.

Rule of thumb should always be, buy your vehicle for what you intend to use it for. There are many vehicles that rate well in safety for a price equal or less than a truck.

I say truck because essentially that is what they are and the total cost of ownership over the life of vehicle is far greater than that of a passenger vehicle.

[naboo]

the total cost of ownership over the life of vehicle is far greater than that of a passenger vehicle.

not in Thailand.

[SydneyGuy]

Simple facts, pickup, light trucks etc. Not really designed as people movers. And anyone who thinks it is safer to be in one is wrong. More weight also equals more inertia. I have seen the result of many a caravan traveller in AU who thought that big vehicle means safe and had 100% fatality in the vehicle with poor results for whom the vehicle hit.

Rule of thumb should always be, buy your vehicle for what you intend to use it for. There are many vehicles that rate well in safety for a price equal or less than a truck.

I say truck because essentially that is what they are and the total cost of ownership over the life of vehicle is far greater than that of a passenger vehicle.

we are all entitled to our opinion, but i found this article to be quite interesting.

If you want to keep your passengers and cargo safe, make sure you purchase the biggest, heaviest and most expensive vehicle you can afford. Some of the best vehicles for doing that are half-ton and three-quarter-ton pickup trucks.

According to a recent University of Buffalo study that measured the highest and lowest frequency of personal injury, pickups like the Ram 2500 Mega Cab, GMC Sierra 2500 Heavy Duty and Ford F-150 were some of the safest vehicles. The study surveyed 360 vehicle models from 2010 to 2012 based on insurance loss data from the Highway Loss Data Institute (a nonprofit organization funded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).

Other top performers were high-dollar full-size 4x4 SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne and Land Rover Range Rover, showing a strong correlation between price, weight and safety. The doctor/professor who presented the results at the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine conference in San Diego noted that for every 1,000-pound increase in overall vehicle weight, a vehicle would statistically result in 19 percent fewer injuries during a crash.

Not surprisingly, the study found that subcompact and compact cars had the highest frequency of personal-injury claims.