NCPO to enforce stricter traffic rules to prevent road fatalities during Songkran Festival

[webfact]

NCPO to enforce stricter traffic rules to prevent road fatalities during Songkran Festival

BANGKOK, 22 March 2016 (NNT) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has instructed every agency related to road safety to campaign against drunk driving during the renowned Songkran festival next month.

NCPO Deputy Spokesperson Col Sirichan Nga-thong said the council expressed concern over road safety during the festival, which goes from April 12 - 14. Checkpoints will be set up in various spots across the country to facilitate traffic, suppress illegal activities, and provide first aid treatment.

Authorities have been instructed to strictly enforce road rules to safeguard the lives of motorists during the festival period. Meanwhile, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is gearing up to organize this year’s festival under a traditional theme at Sanam Luang.

A famous Buddha statue ‘Buddha Sihing’ will be transported from the National Museum Bangkok and placed at Sanam Luang for people to pay their respects. The 50 district offices in the capital city are also expected to observe Songkran in a traditional manner at a temple within each district.


-- NNT 2016-03-22

[Mango Bob]

Ok, just do it and let see what the numbers show. Let see if the Thai people on their motorcycles are going to now drink and drive.

[NongKhaiKid]

' Enforce stricter traffic rules ' and just how many times have we heard that before ?

The slogan's been taken out, dusted and used in time for Songkran and then will be carefully packed away until December.

As so many posters regularly comment why does road safety only become an issue twice a year and in any case it's all just talk.

Edited March 22, 2016 by NongKhaiKid

[jamesbrock]

Yeah, because those checkpoints, with the cops sleeping under the shade for most of the day, are so effective!

[NongKhaiKid]

Yeah, because those checkpoints, with the cops sleeping under the shade for most of the day, are so effective!

I drove north from the Pattaya area just after New Year and did a large portion of the journey through the night.

I passed lots of road safety units with warning lights, all lit up like Christmas trees etc but one major element was missing, none of them were manned or at least those supposedly on duty weren't exactly visible !

[Ceruhe]

Considering how many times traffic rules have been enforced by now, I'm worried for getting pulled over getting into my car in the first place.

Well then, time to get this hot balloon lift off with the hot air that's being provided again

[Just1Voice]

Let's see, they tried this last year (and every year for the past 7 that I've been here), and every year, the death toll goes UP! Yeah, great program.

[thai3]

Just an attempt to re arrange the deck chairs. What they need to be doing is introducing a real driving test to replace the Micky mouse one that has been responsible for so many deaths by passing incompetent drivers, and those never driven on the roads before and with almost no understanding of the highway code.

Edited March 22, 2016 by thai3

[z42]

Pretty sure the only way to "prevent" any road deaths is to make everybody walk. And we all see that Thais by en large have somewhat of a disdain for walking

[jamesbrock]

Yeah, because those checkpoints, with the cops sleeping under the shade for most of the day, are so effective!

I drove north from the Pattaya area just after New Year and did a large portion of the journey through the night.

I passed lots of road safety units with warning lights, all lit up like Christmas trees etc but one major element was missing, none of them were manned or at least those supposedly on duty weren't exactly visible !

Similarly, last Songkran I drove from Bangkok to Chonburi, then up to Korat. We spent several days near Phimai, driving to Buri Ram several times (good Irish pub!), then drove down to Bangkok - almost exclusively during the day. I passed dozens of checkpoints over the week, at various times of the day, and was not stopped once; indeed, not once were the cops even out stopping others!

Even if they were manned constantly, they're invariably always at the same spot, so people either avoid them or slow down when they're coming up to them - then drive like maniacs, with no concern for their own, or anyone else's personal safety, everywhere else...

[MYKTHEMIN]

Nothing will ever change here until western standards of training are implemented, until then if ever all just hot air..

[ThaiKneeTim]

Most of the bad driving habits I see are ignored by the police because they have the same bad habits and therefore see nothing wrong.

Driving the wrong way down a road against oncoming traffic. Now this is bad enough when the hundreds of cyclists and motorcyclists do it every day, but some do it in cars too, and I've seen one wagon and drag truck doing it on a dual carriageway.

Motorcyclists coming out of a side turn without looking, and overtaking other motorcyclists without looking to see if any other traffic is coming.

Motorcyclists cutting corners, and cutting across to the wrong side of the road 100 metres before the right turn they want to take, and then ending up in the wrong side of the road in the side turning as a car approaches.

Driving cars like they are on a motorbike and feigning surprise when they can't drive down the wrong side of a car coming out of a side turn like they did in their motorbike.

Driving cars in the left lane when they want to take right turn at the lights, then racing you to be first when the lights change and cutting you up in the process.

Now; can anybody explain to me the logic in the police having a motorcycle helmet clampdown, fining drivers without helmets, but waving through a whole family on a motorbike without helmets because the driver is wearing a helmet!?

Driving is crazy here, but I still think it's better than Nairobi, that's a kind of crazy in it's own class.

[lust]

Stop trying to protect everyone and let nature take it's course. Does anyone think that Earth is short of people?

[webfact]

Govt plans crackdown on drink driving during Songkran
By Coconuts Bangkok


A rescue worker inspects the scene of a car crash on the side of a highway during last year's Songkran. Photo: Alexander Hotz

BANGKOK: -- The government will crack down on drink driving during the Songkran festival, allowing authorities to seize licenses, confiscate vehicles, and arrest and detain offenders.

The measure aims to to make it safer for Thais traveling back home and cut down on road accidents during the festival, Bangkok Post reported. Authorities will be empowered to confiscate licenses of offenders for up to 30 days, impound their vehicles for up to seven days, and send drunk drivers to a 15-day "behaviorial adjustment program."

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/03/22/govt-plans-crackdown-drink-driving-during-songkran


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-03-22

[FireMedic]

Who wants to bet a round of beer that in a few weeks it will come out that this was the deadliest Songkran holiday ever recorded?

[ezzra]

Every year they use this article to say the same old tired things, so much so than they have a template

for this article already that come up every year after year, in the end, the dead will die and the injured

will be hurting same o' same o'........

[kotsak]

To paraphrase: SSDY

[Scouse Twoccer]

Who wants to bet a round of beer that in a few weeks it will come out that this was the deadliest Songkran holiday ever recorded?

May just as well make that bet 1m quid. You're hiding behind an assumed name on an anonymous forum, how will we collect from you when you lose?

[maoro2013]

Maybe 'more strictly enforce traffic rules'

The headline a bit misleading?

[trainman34014]

Very tired of reading the same thing year in and year out. Until they educate people to 'obey the law' and the powers that be 'enforce' the laws in a meaningful way, nothing will ever change the carnage on Thai roads.

[scorecard]

Very tired of reading the same thing year in and year out. Until they educate people to 'obey the law' and the powers that be 'enforce' the laws in a meaningful way, nothing will ever change the carnage on Thai roads.

"educate to obey", good point but let's also add 'know the law'.

Example: Older Thai students discussing this in the class room, some saying vehicles don't ever have to stop, even if there are pedestrians on the crossing.

One student called her uncle, a senior cop, student asked her uncle to share the actual law, he said: "by the law if drivers can see there are people waiting to cross they must stop and must not move their vehicle until all the pedestrians have stepped foot onto the other side footpath or stepped onto the area after the black and white strips have stopped".

Many other students spoke strongly that this was not correct, they claimed strongly hat it's not the law and it's not fair to expect drivers to stop at pedestrian crossings.

At next lesson of One of the objectors said she has called the LTO and they told her the same as the senior cop mentioned just above. But also mentioned it's not olite to ask drivers to stop.

Another student said he has asked a cop friend (a quite junior cop) about this. The junior cop said "there are no laws at all about this subject and people should not expect vehicles to stop, ever, even at a pedestrian crossing you should just wait until there are no cars."

Confusion abounds.

[bark]

Really they need to celebrate Songkran in China. 1.7 billion people. 5 good days of heavy drinking and driving could reduce the population by

400,000-500,000 people. If successful, they could celebrate every month.

[trainman34014]

Very tired of reading the same thing year in and year out. Until they educate people to 'obey the law' and the powers that be 'enforce' the laws in a meaningful way, nothing will ever change the carnage on Thai roads.

"educate to obey", good point but let's also add 'know the law'.

Example: Older Thai students discussing this in the class room, some saying vehicles don't ever have to stop, even if there are pedestrians on the crossing.

One student called her uncle, a senior cop, student asked her uncle to share the actual law, he said: "by the law if drivers can see there are people waiting to cross they must stop and must not move their vehicle until all the pedestrians have stepped foot onto the other side footpath or stepped onto the area after the black and white strips have stopped".

Many other students spoke strongly that this was not correct, they claimed strongly hat it's not the law and it's not fair to expect drivers to stop at pedestrian crossings.

At next lesson of One of the objectors said she has called the LTO and they told her the same as the senior cop mentioned just above. But also mentioned it's not olite to ask drivers to stop.

Another student said he has asked a cop friend (a quite junior cop) about this. The junior cop said "there are no laws at all about this subject and people should not expect vehicles to stop, ever, even at a pedestrian crossing you should just wait until there are no cars."

Confusion abounds.

Correction....Ignorance abounds !

[ThaiKneeTim]

Very tired of reading the same thing year in and year out. Until they educate people to 'obey the law' and the powers that be 'enforce' the laws in a meaningful way, nothing will ever change the carnage on Thai roads.

"educate to obey", good point but let's also add 'know the law'.

Example: Older Thai students discussing this in the class room, some saying vehicles don't ever have to stop, even if there are pedestrians on the crossing.

One student called her uncle, a senior cop, student asked her uncle to share the actual law, he said: "by the law if drivers can see there are people waiting to cross they must stop and must not move their vehicle until all the pedestrians have stepped foot onto the other side footpath or stepped onto the area after the black and white strips have stopped".

Many other students spoke strongly that this was not correct, they claimed strongly hat it's not the law and it's not fair to expect drivers to stop at pedestrian crossings.

At next lesson of One of the objectors said she has called the LTO and they told her the same as the senior cop mentioned just above. But also mentioned it's not olite to ask drivers to stop.

Another student said he has asked a cop friend (a quite junior cop) about this. The junior cop said "there are no laws at all about this subject and people should not expect vehicles to stop, ever, even at a pedestrian crossing you should just wait until there are no cars."

Confusion abounds.

I was unsure about crossings in Thailand as this is a confusing area. In the UK a zebra crossing, signified by alternating black and white strips, gives pedestrians priority, whereas in some countries they simply mark the only crossing point that may be used but do not give priority to pedestrians.

I know that in some countries a charge of 'jaywalking' May be brought against pedestrians using any other place to cross, but this either isn't the case here, or possibly the police are asleep in their little kiosk and don't give a <deleted> either way.

[Chicog]

Yeah! CRACKDOWN!

*snore*

[300sd]

This country cracks me up!

[NeilSA1]

".... crack down on drink driving during the Songkran festival..."

Why only during Songkran?

[Lannig]

".... crack down on drink driving during the Songkran festival..."

Why only during Songkran?

Because:

- that's the time of the year when people drink the most heavily

- it'd get too tiresome for poor overworked policemen to do this all year long

- it would deprive politicians from the pride of making such an announcement every year

[SABloke]

I think the biggest problem is that traffic police don't know HOW to do their jobs. They can set up checkpoints and...and....well the point is they don't do ''active'' policing: they will catch a drunk driver at a checkpoint, but won't chase a driver that runs a red light...hell, they run the reds themselves

[Lannig]

Generally agree, although I'd say it differently: they do what they are told to do, nothing more.

Unlike a western cop, they won't catch someone running a red light unless explicitly told "today you are going to stand at that intersection and catch people running the red light". Same goes for helmets e.g. the cop whose job is to regulate the traffic in front of a hight school won't blink an eye when seeing most of the students leave on their bikes without helmets.

That's not his job today. He might be pulling them over along some nearby road the next day if told to do so because that day is "crackdown on helmet-less bike drivers day".

Actually I remember discussing with a cop from my neighborhood while having a drink in front of his house and that's precisely what he told me, adding "I'm not paid enough to do more".

Edited March 22, 2016 by Lannig