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

[KenKadz]

Educating drivers by the government drivers license department could go a long way.

(Cartoons on TV, etc.)

But first someone has to open the brains and replace that mai-pen-rai attitude with some common sense.

Good Luck with that!

[maccastime]

This is nothing new.many places all over Thailand have these type of crossings.they mean nothing.they should be removed.so dangerous.a lot different in other countries.where people can look carefully before stepping foot onto them.then use safely.my first time in Thailand many years ago i almost walked on a crossing expecting the cars to stop?? 2016 come on Thailand get with the times.have ALL Thais Licenced.for cars and bikes.ban 12 year olds on Motor bikes.

Get serious for once.just look at the road toll here.

[xkkpafi]

Because the majority of Thais are too ignorant, intellectually impaired or not sufficiently educated to safely operate motor vehicles, we have to conclude that by default, a pedestrian crossing is not a place where the traffic stops to allow safe passage across the road, as it is in most civilized countries. Since these cretins are unable to grasp such elemetary basics as this, putting traffic lights as well as having the crossing won't work either, as a red light is like a red rag to a bull as far as these boneheads are concerned.

[schvonsky1]

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.

Very true this boils my piss most drivers a lot of them do not care about foreigners nothing will happen about this so true

[Mudcrab]

Is it possible to put a warning on items like this "Caution - Thread only suitable for Thai bashers"

Seriously, some of the comments on here, while well meaning, only show that the poster has had limited travel experience...in many cases I would suggest the only home country/similar countries and Thailand.

Get around a bit more, forget your western ideals, take some basic life preserving measures, trust nothing that you have learned from the west and you will see that Thailand is similar to a lot of Asian countries.

And drop some of the 50,000 baht fines, wheel clamping and car confiscating demands....it isn't going to happen any time soon.

Accept Thailand for what it is and life will be a lot less stressful for you.

Very sad that a man has lost his life, but it is what it is unfortunately.

[richard_smith237]

Is it possible to put a warning on items like this "Caution - Thread only suitable for Thai bashers"

Seriously, some of the comments on here, while well meaning, only show that the poster has had limited travel experience...in many cases I would suggest the only home country/similar countries and Thailand.

Get around a bit more, forget your western ideals, take some basic life preserving measures, trust nothing that you have learned from the west and you will see that Thailand is similar to a lot of Asian countries.

And drop some of the 50,000 baht fines, wheel clamping and car confiscating demands....it isn't going to happen any time soon.

Accept Thailand for what it is and life will be a lot less stressful for you.

Very sad that a man has lost his life, but it is what it is unfortunately.

You are correct - Unfortunately it is what it is.... I suspect this is what upsets most people who comment on threads such as this.

We see it as such an unnecessary waste of life... A country we live in, a country and people whom we love are being hurt injured and killed through nothing other than simple apathy...

Apathy of those who in positions of decision making power chose instead to do nothing because they are never directly impacted.

Many of these issues could be so easy to improve upon given a little effort, understanding and time, it is that nothing is ever done which contributes to some of the greatest frustrations of people living in Thailand (both Thai and Western).

That many of these issues remain outstanding and unimproved upon for decades is not 'Thai bashing' is expressing our disappointment of the facts and repetitive cycle of unnecessary deaths and tragedies....

......Truck's break failure, busses going down a ravine, mini-vans spinning out.. these are very common headlines - There will be such another tragic headline before the end of the week.. people will loose their lives, nothing will be done to carry forward the lessons learnt of tragic circumstances and events.....

It really is such a great disappointment that a nation of such wonderful people can care so little.

[D3030]

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.

Why don't you go back to your home country, if you believe that crap your selling..

A 50000 baht fine, should only apply to farangs...

And..

Your farang/western way of telling the Thai police, they are stupid, is not the way to go about it..

Saying it's fact, that the Thai people are "expendable, peasant, and garbage?"

Is what your Thai bashing club loves to hear!

[pbonline]

Tuk tuk drives like crazy so that they might be able to get one more customer, and a lot of them is on yabba.

The police should check them up as hard as they do motorbikes.

[Jingthing]

...

A 50000 baht fine, should only apply to farangs...

...

Excellent sarcasm, my dude!

Hats off to you!

[minikev]

A REAL driving test after lessons may help.

[hawker9000]

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!

The fundamental in Thailand is to race to close any gap in traffic that a driver encounters, and pedestrians are invisible in this respect. The only "safe" place for a pedestrian to cross is where traffic is so thick that it's hardly moving at all. (And even then, if a Thai sees you about to cross in front of him, he may well try and edge up against the vehicle in front to block you. And even THEN, you've got motobikes to worry about...)

[Hawk]

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.

Yes, one has to run as fast as possible.

[salavan]

Dam facebook again it's the cause of all thailads troubles

[Rayk]

What do you expect from people, who up to a decade ago were riding buffalo's.

[mike324]

its not only tourist...thais get mow down regularly too....

[bubba1]

There are now crossing guards/traffic police at this crossing stopping traffic to let people cross

[geriatrickid]

Most of the people commenting are unfamiliar with the crossing, but as I am a regular user, I thought it would be useful to provide an update. There is a solution!!!

It's a fantastic, brilliant solution.

 

There are now two bins on each side of the road. In the bins are red flags. The sign in English says for people to take a flag and wave it as they cross the road.  Seriously.

We are to recreate a Mao Tse Tung  red flag waving episode each time we cross the road. no one is doing it as it is idiotic. Perhaps next time they will provide an accordion player.

 

Anyway, there is now a crossing guard on duty during daytime. He blows his whistle to try and stop traffic. There used to be a  guard on duty  two years ago. It was stopped.  Wjhat the crossing needs is a  stop light.  Unfortunately, going by the number of drivers who run the red light in front of Bangkok Hospital on the same road, I doubt anyone will obey it.  The police need to  patrol. They only show up at the end of the month to collect their money in front of the  Family Mart, and  even then are only stopping cars looking for licenses and helmets.

[bluebluewater]

I saw the "red flag" in action yesterday actually.   It took me minute to sort out what was going on as I approached on my motorcycle.  Two young women had the flag pole out and I thought they were going to be doing a bit of jousting as they crossed the road.   That flag is small.  More like a pennant really. 

 

Good luck to them as they made it across all lanes but others who might try will not as no driver will know what is going on the same as I had no idea.   Broken bodies AND the pole with the pretty red flag are going to be lying further down the road.  

[Aussieroaming]

On 4 July 2016 at 10:36 PM, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

I'm not convinced this is entirely the fault of the terrible driving in Thailand.

Are Kazakhstan roads mostly used by fast moving traffic? From what I have seen they get around on donkey carts and old bicycles/motorbikes.

Hi Chi Min looks like a formidable place to cross the road when you first arrive, but it is fairly easy and much safer than in Thailand, as people give way or make space and nobody seems to speed.

The tuk tuk was doing what almost all Thai drivers do, I guess Mr. Kobet wasn't aware of the local customs...

RIP.

uninformed comment that the Kazakh might be partially responsible because they get around on Donkeys. Must be the first time that I saw so many donkeys with Lexus, Mercedes and Porsche badges. Reality is they generally follow the pedestrian crossing rules pretty seriously here and traffic infringements are jumped on quickly because the cops use it as an excuse to bribe the drivers.  

[ClutchClark]

Zebra Crossing?

 

Does that have Aussie origins?

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 8/19/2016 at 3:08 PM, Aussieroaming said:

uninformed comment that the Kazakh might be partially responsible because they get around on Donkeys. Must be the first time that I saw so many donkeys with Lexus, Mercedes and Porsche badges. Reality is they generally follow the pedestrian crossing rules pretty seriously here and traffic infringements are jumped on quickly because the cops use it as an excuse to bribe the drivers.  

If you live in Kazakhstan  and they do indeed get around in expensive cars then someone should tell them there that in Thailand nobody in or on a motor vehicle takes any notice of zebra crossings.

[Moonlover]

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 2:41 PM, Emster23 said:

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2016 at 2:59 PM, HuaHinHim said:

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

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.

 

Section 32 of the Land Traffic Act

The driver shall be careful not to hit pedestrians and may use the horn if necessary. The driver shall be especially careful with children, elderly persons and disabled persons.

(Note: There is no specific reference to pedestrian crossings.)

Section 104 of the Land Traffic Act

Pedestrian shall not cross a way within not more than 100 meters from a pedestrian crossing, except in the pedestrian crossing.

Interpret as you wish!

You can have a good giggle by reading the whole of the ‘Land Traffic Act’ at www.thailaws.com. Click on ‘Acts in English’ and scroll down to ‘Land Traffic Acts’. If you manage to read through the whole lot, you could well be the first to have done so.

 

 

[Henryford]

I was nearly run down on a zebra crossing in Pattaya recently. I was waiting by the roadside at a zebra crossing on Beach road waiting for a gap in the traffic. Finally two cars stopped at the crossing and i assumed it might be safe to cross. As i was half way across a motorcycle came in between the two stopped cars at full speed and missed me by inches.  My conclusion is that zebra crossings are actually a danger in Thailand and should be removed. 

[HuaHinHim]

5 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

Section 32 of the Land Traffic Act

The driver shall be careful not to hit pedestrians and may use the horn if necessary. The driver shall be especially careful with children, elderly persons and disabled persons.

(Note: There is no specific reference to pedestrian crossings.)

Section 104 of the Land Traffic Act

Pedestrian shall not cross a way within not more than 100 meters from a pedestrian crossing, except in the pedestrian crossing.

Interpret as you wish!

You can have a good giggle by reading the whole of the ‘Land Traffic Act’ at www.thailaws.com. Click on ‘Acts in English’ and scroll down to ‘Land Traffic Acts’. If you manage to read through the whole lot, you could well be the first to have done so.

 

 

thanks for that I'll check it out

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

If you actually look many if not most "zebra crossings" in Thailand can hardly be seen by drivers as there are no light controlled "pelican crossings" just some old and mostly worn out stripes on the tarmac without even Belisha Beacons to identify where they are, never mind signage.

Fast moving bikes and other vehicles will come inside/outside and between stopped vehicles, and also beware of vehicles coming from the wrong direction near the curb or in the center of the road.

It is all a big game of "chicken" on the roads in Thailand so you must keep alert.

[Aussieroaming]

On 23 August 2016 at 0:15 AM, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

If you live in Kazakhstan  and they do indeed get around in expensive cars then someone should tell them there that in Thailand nobody in or on a motor vehicle takes any notice of zebra crossings.

I have been working in Kazakhstan for a year now and they follow that particular rule well. You are right though Very few Zebra Crossings in Thailand are worth the paint. Kazakhs drive left hand which may have cocked him up.