Tuk-tuk mows down Kazakh tourist on Hua Hin zebra crossing

[webfact]

Tuk-tuk mows down Kazakh tourist on Hua Hin zebra crossing


Image: FB

Hua Hin: -- A tourist from Kazakhstan crossing the road outside Market Village in Hua Hin was killed after a collision with a tuk-tuk on Sunday. The story was reported on the Facebook page of Kulsawek Sawekwannakorn along with a picture of the bloody aftermath.

Calls have been made to do something to prevent more fatalities at the accident black spot.

"Kulsawek" said that the tourist was crossing the road with his wife. He named the victim as a Mr "Kobet". He said: "I want to express my sorrow to the victim's family. There are many accidents at this spot.

The store management at Market Village and the local authority need to get together to do something about it."

Others online called for lights to be installed while a commenter called Thita Wichaikool said: "On one occasion we stopped at this zebra crossing to allow tourists to cross the road. But each side of us other motorists refused to stop. They must have known people were crossing but they still wouldn't stop."

Other Thais online complained about tuk-tuks going too fast in Hua Hin.


-- 2016-07-04

[Cuchulainn]

Nothing will be done.

Next.

[Mackstask]

Thailand is a <deleted> disgrace when it comes to Thai driver's flaunting Highway Rules, i.e. Jumping red lights, not stopping at crossing's the list goes on and on. No one's safe, pedestrians, motorcyclists, whoever!

RIP Kazakh man.

[DLang]

They need to install traffic lights at this Zebra crossings, in order to get Thais to actually stop.

Oh.

Thais stopping for other people.... against their culture to do so.

[mercman24]

a great shame, i think it should be written in the travel brochures that in this country NO ONE stops for you on a crosssing, people come here and do not know this, crossings are one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians

[KarenBravo]

Easy.

Paint out the Zebra crossing.

It's dangerous as it gives tourists a totally false sense of security.

Thailand hasn't evolved far enough for Zebra crossings to be used here.

[Peterphuket]

What can they do??

A few hundred meters after, there is a traffic light for pedestrians, well when they have to stop they don't care and if possible they accelerate, that's the average thai driving style, and my experience after staying decades in LOS.

[Peterphuket]

I think the only way will help is the bumbs on the roads made about 10cm high and with a distant of 50cm between, then they must slowdown, especially the tuktuks.

[AhFarangJa]

I have stopped at that crossing, put my hazards on to warn other drivers and yet still had to put my hand up to warn pedestrians to wait as I could see a car on my right with no intention of slowing down......my worry is that I may be causing more harm than good by stopping, which is a ludicrous situation to be in.....would I be accountable if, god forbid, someone was hurt?

[mcfish]

on Sukhumvit in Bangkok when there is a sudden break in the traffic of around 100m and I attempt to cross the road it is still deadly as lunatics accelerate to as fast as their car will go to close that gap ..only to be stuck in the same traffic ahead

[bkkcanuck8]

on Sukhumvit in Bangkok when there is a sudden break in the traffic of around 100m and I attempt to cross the road it is still deadly as lunatics accelerate to as fast as their car will go to close that gap ..only to be stuck in the same traffic ahead

The only way to change behaviour is to have zero tolerance and enforce the laws. That may be by putting traffic cameras over crosswalks with signals and at red lights - and send out tickets - if not paid within 30 days a wheel clamp goes on -- and 60 days the vehicle is confiscated and auctioned off.

[harrycallahan]

Traffic lights.... pfffft! Nothing less than boom gates would be enough for a pedestrian to place any faith in.

[eggers]

People need to realise road marked crossings are irrelevant in Thailand.

They are not same as similar crossings in Western countries, where it is compulsory for vehicle to give way to pedestrians.

The fundamental in Thailand is you cross a road at your own risk; irrespective of markings or traffic lights!

[Bob12345]

on Sukhumvit in Bangkok when there is a sudden break in the traffic of around 100m and I attempt to cross the road it is still deadly as lunatics accelerate to as fast as their car will go to close that gap ..only to be stuck in the same traffic ahead

The only way to change behaviour is to have zero tolerance and enforce the laws. That may be by putting traffic cameras over crosswalks with signals and at red lights - and send out tickets - if not paid within 30 days a wheel clamp goes on -- and 60 days the vehicle is confiscated and auctioned off.

Dream on, that would make it hard to distuingish between hiso people and the rest of the population, would require all cars to have license plates, for police to accept they cant make a profit there anymore, and for police to accept that a camera with some electronics can do their job better than they can. Edited July 4, 2016 by Bob12345

[sahibji]

thais apparently do not understand the concept of zebra crossing.

wonder what their traffic code says about it.

make some zebra crossings a part of the driving test

for learner driver and instil in them the importance of zebra crossings.

those who still flout the rules make them pay

with heavy punishment.

[amdy2206]

I wonder how Thai's can be so polite but will never give way to anyone. Either in cars or even going through a doorway. They don't seem to understand that if I approach a doorway and am partway through it there is insufficent room for them to pass as well, but they won't stop, just push through anyway. Same on the roads - I flashed my lights, I'm coming through. To hell with you!! Where is the legendary politeness in that?

[Emster23]

Correct me if I am wrong, but pedestrians don't have right of way in Thailand, unlike most of the world. People on foot are lower status than those in cars, so can be run over with impunity.

[spidermike007]

All that has to be done, to stop the reprehensible driving habits here, is for the police to do their jobs, and the judiciary to grow some cajones. If the law was applied, and the penalties were severe enough, it is what is known in most other countries as a deterrent. There is none here. If this tuk tuk driver was arrested, brought to trial and sentenced to manslaughter, in the first degree, and given the 25 year prison sentence he deserved, along with a million baht fine that his family had to pay, the problem would diminish overnight. All of a sudden, the word would get around, that the police were finally getting serious, and that the judiciary was finally handing out the kinds of sentences they should have been handing out, all along.

As of now, both the police, and the judiciary are acting like small children. Impotent, incapable, and unwilling. And what does that lead to? Mayhem, and alot of unnecessary deaths and injuries. It is all on the government. If they wanted to fix this, they would. It is another blatant reminder of just how little they care about the average person here.

[Jingthing]

I've never understood why they don't try this tactic, except that it would be a lot of work.

Have stealth officers waiting for violations and then CHASE them when they do, and set the fine super high, like 50,000 baht.

Publicize that nationally and actually do it.

Wouldn't that work? In the meantime raising a massive amount of money. A win win except from the criminals.

It seems to me the fact that they never try anything that serious is that the culture here has never been serious about actually protecting pedestrians ... treating them like expendable peasant garbage is clearly part of the social fabric here.

[whatproblem]

Outside my sons school they park on the zebra crossing and the police man there parks his motorbike on the pavement at 90degrees so children have to walk on the road to pass his motorbike ,they just don't care about other people at all

[steveyinasia]

People need to realise road marked crossings are irrelevant in Thailand.

They are not same as similar crossings in Western countries, where it is compulsory for vehicle to give way to pedestrians.

The fundamental in Thailand is you cross a road at your own risk; irrespective of markings or traffic lights!

Same in the Philippines, over there, they will even honk their horn for you to get off the crossing.

[Dukeleto]

a great shame, i think it should be written in the travel brochures that in this country NO ONE stops for you on a crosssing, people come here and do not know this, crossings are one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians

I agree, It is also very very dangerous for you as a motorist to stop at one of these because you run a serious risk of being rear ended by everyone else who isn't even thinking they are going to stop!

[PETERTHEEATER]

I have stopped at that crossing, put my hazards on to warn other drivers and yet still had to put my hand up to warn pedestrians to wait as I could see a car on my right with no intention of slowing down......my worry is that I may be causing more harm than good by stopping, which is a ludicrous situation to be in.....would I be accountable if, god forbid, someone was hurt?

That's exactly it; I make the same judgement on each approach. It can be dangerous to the crossing pedestrians, especially foreign tourists to slow and stop then blocking their view of other traffic approaching with no intention of stopping.

Motor cycles with riders and pax also use this point to illegally U Turn, and the kerbs have levelled to allow this so double trouble. I agree that that an immediate deterrent is to put down 'sleeping policemen' (speed bumps) with enough height to make drivers slow. What's that I hear? There are already too many sleeping policemen in Hua Hin?

This problem needs an active TV safety campaign to educate drivers but, before that the authorities must install beacons and signs indicating that there is a pedestrian crossing ahead. The crossing bars must be maintained to be visual.

A short distance down the road is another pedestrian controlled crossing with traffic signals permitting pedestrians to switch on red stop lights yet traffic still sails through the red ignoring the crossers.

[scorecard]

on Sukhumvit in Bangkok when there is a sudden break in the traffic of around 100m and I attempt to cross the road it is still deadly as lunatics accelerate to as fast as their car will go to close that gap ..only to be stuck in the same traffic ahead

The only way to change behaviour is to have zero tolerance and enforce the laws. That may be by putting traffic cameras over crosswalks with signals and at red lights - and send out tickets - if not paid within 30 days a wheel clamp goes on -- and 60 days the vehicle is confiscated and auctioned off.

Plus there needs to be massive amounts of education using mainstream media, social media and more, ensuring the method of education works, people will see it...

A sidenote: pedestrian crosings have come up for discussion many times in my uni classes, especially when there's a number of exchange students, who make comments about:

- 'I pressed the button and the lights (for the vehicles) went red, I started to walk but the cars didn't stop' or

- Marked crossings with no lights 'I started to walk on the crossing but no vehicles stopped at all'.

This brings completely mixed comments from the Thai students:

- 'There is no law on this subject, the markings on the road and the lights (where existing) are just there to make the road ways look professional but they have no meaning.

- 'It's wrong to ask drivers to stop', people walking should just wait'

and more.

Twice I've had 2 or 3 students (class by class) call relatives who are policemen and ask 'what is the law' on this subject.

On every occasion the answers from the policemen have included:

- 'I I don't know'.

- And from a very senior policeman: 'there are no laws on this, it's up to the drivers'.

- 'Your too serious'.

Massive education needed.

Edited July 4, 2016 by scorecard

[HuaHinHim]

Can anyone tell me what the actual law states (layman terms) as far as the zebra crossings? As a resident of Hua Hin I wait at these crossing for the traffic to pass because no one stops anyway. Education and enforcement needed

[barlinnie]

We recently stayed at a hotel just opposite The Market Village. It is a very busy road and very dangerous trying to cross. However, there is an overhead walkway just a little way down the road.by the school if only people would take the time to walk down and use it. It is a very short distance away. Has anyone tried crossing the Hang Dong Road in Chiang Mai? This must be one of the worst roads for pedestrians to try and cross.

[Dukeleto]

I wonder how Thai's can be so polite but will never give way to anyone. Either in cars or even going through a doorway. They don't seem to understand that if I approach a doorway and am partway through it there is insufficent room for them to pass as well, but they won't stop, just push through anyway. Same on the roads - I flashed my lights, I'm coming through. To hell with you!! Where is the legendary politeness in that?

I have wondered about this myself and the only conclusion is that Thai politeness is exactly that...Legendary. Something only to be found in myth and legend. One can gauge the politeness of a society in the way that they drive and the common courtesy they provide to others who they will probably never see or meet again or gain anything from. Its easy to be polite when your job requires it or if you are attempting to get on the good side of someone for personal gain or advantage. Its something else to be conciderate and to treat people the way you wish them to treat you for no gain but for your self gratification of being kind to another human being without thought for yourself. Something I am yet to see in Thailand. But who knows perhaps I have not been to the places in Thailand where this legendary politeness for no personal gain hails from. I am sure it exists but certainly not prevalent enough to paint the whole of Thailand in the same picture...not even close! The Chinese IMO are about a million times worse!

[ChoakMyDee]

I wonder how Thai's can be so polite but will never give way to anyone. Either in cars or even going through a doorway. They don't seem to understand that if I approach a doorway and am partway through it there is insufficent room for them to pass as well, but they won't stop, just push through anyway. Same on the roads - I flashed my lights, I'm coming through. To hell with you!! Where is the legendary politeness in that?

Maybe because the politeness is a facade. The same as Buddhism, which most don't even practice.

[bark]

They need to posts signs, telling people, to be careful, when crossing the roads.

[lostmebike]

They need to install traffic lights at this Zebra crossings, in order to get Thais to actually stop.

Oh.

Thais stopping for other people.... against their culture to do so.

Totally.

I have been beeped at, verbally abused and even threatened for stopping at pedestrian crossings all over Thailand.

There are no 'rules' whilst driving here. 'Me first' is the norm.

Even worse are the TVF posters that claim Thai roads aren't too bad!