Culture Ministry unveils 'Better Driving through Thainess' campaign



BANGKOK, 30 March 2016 (NNT) – The Ministry or Culture has unveiled its “Better Driving through Thainess” campaign, training 600 public transport drivers to apply Thai cultural values to their work.

Deputy Prime Minister Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn launched the campaign, which began with a training session under the topic “Smiles on Every Thai Road”.

The project was organized by the Ministry of Culture and 14 relevant agencies with the aim to increase safety on Thai roads by encouraging classic Thai values.

Established ahead of the Songkran holiday, the campaign will seek to create value in proper and courteous driving and will include passing out recognition and stickers to exemplary drivers.

The 600 drivers undergoing initial training have also been invited to a midnight prayer on April 12 to symbolize the beginning of their new driving habits.

-- NNT 2016-03-30

O can see how well this will go if the cultural minister gets the same response as he did with that car show

I would love for these 600 trained drivers to have dash cams fitted to their cars. T'would be a great larf!

All drivers to adopt Lotus position, Wai, and close eyes? Attitude adjustment videos beamed 24/7 at all drivers.

Edited March 30, 201610 yr by laolover88

If that ain't an oxymoron?

How about better driving through education. You know - proven methods of safe driving and how to apply it...... Oh, forget it.

"The Ministry or Culture has unveiled its 'Better Driving through Thainess'..."

Nothing leads to safe and responsible driving better than "Mai Pen Rai."

Edited March 30, 201610 yr by jaltsc

So being polite and courteous constitutes Thainess now....by that logic, there are a lot of westerners who also exhibit "Thainess". Or is the general feeling that westerners are rude, aggressive and arrogant? Yet, I see many Thais exhibiting these characteristics, especially when driving. I think we should request a booklet be made in English, on Thainess....once the culture ministry get's it's head out of it's a$$.

Wasn't it "Thainess" - i.e. a cultural tendency to blatantly disregard laws in general and being all "me, me, me" - that created that road mess in the first place?

Besides that, this "Thainess" moniker really has been flogged to death by now in the local press, tourism ads and official pamphlets that it has entirely lost its erstwhile "novel effect". To be frank, I can't hear it anymore. And I'm probably not the only one.

Better luck with a dry Songkran to conserve water campaign.......

"Smiles on every Thai Road" ????

More like "Deaths on every Thai Road"......

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Ooh, look. A unicorn!

The 600 drivers undergoing initial training have also been invited to a midnight prayer on April 12 to symbolize the beginning of their new driving habits.

I guess getting adequate sleep before getting behind the wheel of a public transport vehicle won't be one of the Thai values.

I still like "Amazing Thailand" campaign the best.

I drive with Thainess. And when I return to my home country, it takes about 3 days for me to remember, watch speed signs, school zones, police will actually chase and stop me, that sort of thing .. so is Thainess when I smile at someone or refuse to look at someone after I have just cut them off ?

Edited March 30, 201610 yr by CMFarang

Midnight prayer for new driving habits. Recognition stickers. Classic Thai values. This Ministry is completely bonkers.

Classic Thai values.

i.e. Me me me ...... and can I borrow your comb and mirror.

Prayuth will love this and meanwhile people will continue to die because of bad driving.

I think that Thai driving habits are the epitome of 'Thainess'.

Jesus wept.

Now I know why.

Edited March 30, 201610 yr by jaywalker

Training them with cartoons on the stage.

Say's a lot...

Edited March 30, 201610 yr by iReason

And with a single suggestion, Thai road deaths were instantly reduced by 98.4%.

Oh come on people, this guy is trying the kind way to improve the dangerous highways in Thailand. But it's about the same logic as talking kindness and understanding with ISIS at one their mass executions. The Thai police got to get off their lazy asses and get tough on traffic law enforcement. Seems like they only show up after there's been an accident. Where I reside here Highway 11 goes through and there are frontage roads on each side. Those frontage roads should have a speed limit no more than 40KPH, oh no those morons act like its the highway and blast through there going way over that. Police should post that at 40 use a radar gun and make more money then they'd know what to do with.

Are they totally unaware of how stupid they look when they come out with this guff?

No........I guess not (sigh).

Ooh, look. A unicorn!

No it wasnt it was my flying pig in fancy dress

All drivers to adopt Lotus position, Wai, and close eyes? Attitude adjustment videos beamed 24/7 at all drivers.

Would that be the Formula 1 Lotus position??

What a joke.. the current style of driving seen in Thailand IS Thainess or Thai style! This man must be blind or driving around his country with closed eyes.

Are they totally unaware of how stupid they look when they come out with this guff?

No........I guess not (sigh).

Thai bible-belt folks.

If that ain't an oxymoron?

Certainly the second syllable.....and isn't thainess a large part of the problem?

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Get police seriously ticketing offenders..., speeding, driving on emergency lanes, tailing too close..., no need to reference more. Then levy SERIOUS FINES. Impose ticket quotas on traffic cops for all I care. If that's what it takes, do it. Watch things change fast. It works.

Edited March 30, 201610 yr by AlphMichaels

Wow...

Everyone has a great idea.

Put a Camara in each taxi, have a auto GPS meter, and give each customer a tag that is given back to driver that rates him, which is uploaded to a star system. Just like Booking.com.