52 people killed and 431 injured on first day of Songkran festival on Monday

[Roomuck]

Or we could look at some real statistics, not the often repeated fabrications that many readers lap up. Thailand isn't really even in the top ten.

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

[DrTuner]

Or we could look at some real statistics, not the often repeated fabrications that many readers lap up. Thailand isn't really even in the top ten.

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

Or http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/thailand-has-the-second-highest-rate-of-road-deaths-in-the-world/ and it ain't Dr Who who dunnit. But I'm sure Thais are clever enough to clinch that coveted #1 spot.

[Roomuck]

Or we could look at some real statistics, not the often repeated fabrications that many readers lap up. Thailand isn't really even in the top ten.

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

Or http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/thailand-has-the-second-highest-rate-of-road-deaths-in-the-world/ and it ain't Dr Who who dunnit. But I'm sure Thais are clever enough to clinch that coveted #1 spot.

So you read it on Thaivisa!

From what's on Sukhumvit. Have a look at their source, it is full of holes and is based on their ESTIMATES.

I know you have probably repeated this myth to many, many times and won't want to admit that you are wrong.

But it simply isn't true, unless you say " according to WHOs estimates". It is a myth. No where else agrees with this report of ESTIMATES. They made it up. Thaivisa readers then lapped it up. It happens all the time. Next you will be telling me tourist numbers are down and the Muslims have banned the Germans from eating pork.

[DrTuner]

Or we could look at some real statistics, not the often repeated fabrications that many readers lap up. Thailand isn't really even in the top ten.

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

Or http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/thailand-has-the-second-highest-rate-of-road-deaths-in-the-world/ and it ain't Dr Who who dunnit. But I'm sure Thais are clever enough to clinch that coveted #1 spot.

So you read it on Thaivisa!

From what's on Sukhumvit. Have a look at their source, it is full of holes and is based on their ESTIMATES.

I know you have probably repeated this myth to many, many times and won't want to admit that you are wrong.

But it simply isn't true, unless you say " according to WHOs estimates". It is a myth. No where else agrees with this report of ESTIMATES. They made it up. Thaivisa readers then lapped it up. It happens all the time. Next you will be telling me tourist numbers are down and the Muslims have banned the Germans from eating pork.

You did of course read the disclaimer on the page in the link you gave? "Data Source: Published By WHO May 2014". That was the year before what's on sukhumvit's source data (2015 WHO data, the infographic is from Forbes and statista). Thailand is well on it's way.

Or did you mean when wordlifeexpectancy quotes WHO's figures, it's more reliable than Forbes?

Edited April 13, 2016 by DrTuner

[brling]

Or we could look at some real statistics, not the often repeated fabrications that many readers lap up. Thailand isn't really even in the top ten.

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

Or http://whatsonsukhumvit.com/thailand-has-the-second-highest-rate-of-road-deaths-in-the-world/ and it ain't Dr Who who dunnit. But I'm sure Thais are clever enough to clinch that coveted #1 spot.

Exactly, the rate per 100,000 is Thailand 36.2 and the Uk is 2.9. and our resident Thai apologist "Roomuck" will still try defend Thais on their driving skills. Get a life.

[james24]

Songkran is great fun but considering the droughts and many of these avoidable passings you hv to think is it worth it? Is this a reflection of Thai society for the most part: have uncontrollable fun no matter the cost as this fun is a distraction from the reality? Perhaps this is like much of the world but after living in Thailand I always felt Thailand showed certain things happening everywhere a lot more obviously, in every respect.

Edited April 14, 2016 by james24

[lvr181]

....adults with mentalities of 5-year-olds.....

...and the worst part of it is psychos will never admit to anything....

...so sorry...my bad...

And the drivers are psychotic also - not just the "authorities".

[oldsailor35]

25,600 cases of no driving licences detected. Does that tell us anything, and were they allowed to continue their journeys.

[DrTuner]

25,600 cases of no driving licences detected. Does that tell us anything, and were they allowed to continue their journeys.

Given how easy it is to get a license here, I don't think it much matters if you have one or not.

[oldsailor35]

"the main cause of the road accidents was speeding which accounted for 36.69 percent of the 387 accidents recorded on the first day followed by drunk driving which accounted for 26.87 percent of the accidents."

What about stupidity?

That's what I see every day on the roads in Thailand.

Well it is understandable. Thai drivers generally know no better.

[oldsailor35]

If only the thought could be told I I guarantee you that 70% of all deaths are related to drunk falangs . But that would never be disclosed not to upset The tourist trade and to make us look like idiots..... But we have long ago lost our face with Thais

70% of all deaths in Isaan related to farang. Have you just arrived. Just go on a trip to Isaan and see how many farang you come across not to mention drunk ones. By the way, Isaan is the big, mainly farming area to the North and East of Bangkok

[oldsailor35]

There we go again, despite all the government and the police efforts to minimize the carnage on the roads

the first 52 dead in a day that not even a proper holiday time, one can only sigh in despair and sorrow......

I agree and wonder sometimes, what is it with the Thai people that make them so reluctant to wear a helmet?

The fines are pretty steep, road blocks very common and yet they donot care and carry on drving without one most of the time.

Many times I have seen Thais wearing one only just before the police checkpoint and then removing it directly after.

Since 75% of all fatal road accidents are motorbikes/scooters, not just during Sonkran only, and more than half of these because no crash helmet was used, I would like to know what would it take to make them wear one like everybody does in Europe, for example?

Depends on where you are. On Samui, no one but a few sensible people bother to wear their helmet, because the RTP here are just plain bloody lazy. But drive around Suratthani without your helmet and you will not get far.

[oldsailor35]

Speed limit all cars in Thailand to 80 or 100km an hour.

Worked on all mine sites I worked at in reducing accidents.

Must be an Aussie!......Thailand....and for that matter, most places in the world, is/are not a mine site...........traffic just cannot travel at 40kmh and there are no 200t dump trucks sharing the roads!

Where in oz do they have 200 ton dump trucks running on the roads, i thought that they are confined to mining lease areas. My daughter drives one in Qld., so i will ask her.

[oldsailor35]

To Fairynuff I say I bet all my marbles that u r a Pom or an ozzy and u can not swallow the fact that falangs have $&@" up their Sunkran . It used to be a religious event for Thais , now is a sham. I have traveled around the world and what I kept seeing are drunk idiots like you loosing their face is normal

I still say that you are wrong. Most falang drivers have been educated on how to drive whilst just about ZERO Thai has been properly trained and another point is, compare the number of Thais driving to the number of farang. What you said does not make sense. We have a roundabout here on Samui and i have yet to see any Thai driver who has any idea of who has right of way or where to place his car, Driver education will means less drunk drivers although there will always be the brain dead idiot. Please do not play the "i have travelled the world" card as you are just one, in millions of us.

Edited April 15, 2016 by oldsailor35

[oldsailor35]

I wish I could, but the cops won't do it nighter. If you have understood anything about Thais their sence of respect for dead people is far greater than any other society. Their funerals last days.....ours last hours.

Yes , and they just love to stand around any accident photographing dead bodies on their mobiles, so cut the crap about respect!

[oldsailor35]

Isn't that figure in the ball park for the daily average, in fact it may be a little lower.

Sent from my SMART_4G_Speedy_5inch using Tapatalk

this always gets me as well. the international stats put average deaths on the roads at 72 per day but during songkran it rarely reaches that figure. some say that the official figure only counts people dead at the scene of the crash, not those who die later. i suspect these figures are more likely best case gestimates.

That is correct . Only deaths at scene of accident are recorded as crash deaths. I guess this helps the police figures.

[oldsailor35]

25,600 cases of no driving licences detected. Does that tell us anything, and were they allowed to continue their journeys.

Given how easy it is to get a license here, I don't think it much matters if you have one or not.

Believe me my friend, it matters when the insurance company gets involved.