Thai authorities report over 100,000 traffic violations during the long holiday

[webfact]

Authorities report over 100,000 traffic violations during the long holiday

BANGKOK, 21 July 2016 (NNT) - The Royal Thai Police has revealed that it has arrested over 100,000 motorists for traffic offenses during the long holiday, with most cases involving motorcycle drivers failing to wear helmets.

Deputy Spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police Pol. Col. Krisana Pattanacharoen revealed that Commissioner-General Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda had instructed all law enforcement agencies to focus on the prevention, suppression, and public awareness of traffic offenses, as well as their role as public servants.

As of July 19th, authorities have inspected over one million vehicles since the start of the long holiday. The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seatbelt. Pol Col Krisana gave his apologies on behalf of the Royal Thai Police for any delays caused by police checkpoints, saying that the checkpoints are for the prevention of drug trafficking.

In preparation for the large number of people traveling back to Bangkok, the police spokesperson said the Commissioner-General has tasked all divisions, especially Provincial Police Regions 1, 2 and 7, as well as the Metropolitan Police Bureau, with providing public services in addition to their policing duties. Authorities have been instructed to swiftly assist vehicle breakdowns, as they can be a major cause of traffic congestion.

As for public transportation vehicles, Pol Col Krisana affirmed that authorities will strictly monitor vehicles for potential traffic violations, especially breaches in speed limits, in order to ensure safety for the public.


-- NNT 2016-07-21

[Reigntax]

That will boost the tea money stock to cover incidentals between now and the next crack down on traffic infringements announcement.

[tomyummer]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested for no seat belt? Yikes, good thing there was an alcohol ban too during the whole 3-day holiday.

Edited July 20, 2016 by tomyummer

[tropo]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Cute Koala]

Arrested or ticketed....there is a big difference between arresting someone and giving them an infringement for no helmet or seatbelt.

[NongKhaiKid]

No drunk driving offences ?

Oh sorry I forgot it was Lent and no Buddhist would do such a thing.

[PatOngo]

50 -100 baht in the back pocket from each of the perps......Yes!......a successful campaign.

[Smiley Face]

That was likely just one intersection! How about the rest of Thailand?

[balo]

Arrested or ticketed....there is a big difference between arresting someone and giving them an infringement for no helmet or seatbelt.

Just wrong translation I guess, they were all ticketed.

[dcnx]

Those imbiciles were ON THE HIGHWAY here in Chiang Mai, literally running between cars to stop bikers. We were going around 60 and 3 of those idiots ran out and dodged cars to stop us. One grabbed for my arm as I was slowing down to pull over. I screamed bloody hell at them and all they did was smile and say, "this Thailand, I poleet, you have license?"

I swear to the gods above, I would have murdered them if I could have gotten away with it. I wish I had my GoPro running so I could show the world how dangerous these baboons were, all so they could try to get a few hundred baht. On the highway!!!!!!!!

No telling if they caused any accidents or not that dqyz, but chances are high they did. Shame a speeding car didn't run them over.

[jamesbrock]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

[cumgranosalum]

possibily the most meaningless piece of news for the whole holiday?

[cumgranosalum]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

up to 93% of all "accidents" (for want of a better word) are down to human error.

Edited July 21, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Seems to me, they're about 900,000 short on those traffic violations.

[Assurancetourix]

@cumgranosalum : You can write up to 99,9 % and you are near the truth ;

brakes " failed " because of human error in maintenance and so on ...

[jacko45k]

Pah, I could have counted more than that by sitting on a stool all day at the junction of 3rd Rd and Nua on Wednesday alone.

[tracker1]

Would like to see the number of Mini bus and Coach drivers charged for driving offences ? Didn't seem to deter them from their normal driving abilities from what I see and experianced on the road over the holiday period !

Edited July 21, 2016 by tracker1

[dcnx]

Would like to see the number of Mini bus and Coach drivers charged for driving offences ? Didn't seem to deter them from their normal driving abilities from what I see and experianced on the road over the holiday period !

When they ran into the highway to get us, the group stopped many bikes while I was there. Not a single car, truck, bus or tuk tuk was stopped.

[tails]

was that 100,000 per hour? multiply that by 100 and they might be almost half way there

[jamesbrock]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

up to 93% of all "accidents" (for want of a better word) are down to human error.

While I don't dispute your guesstimate, the fact remains that a large proportion of the annual Thai road toll would be reduced if helmet wearing was properly enforced.

While Thailand certainly has a higher percentage motorcycles than most developed countries, it has the lowest percentage of motorcycles of all its regional neighbours bar Malaysia - yet it has the highest percentage of deaths of motorcycle users of all its regional neighbours.

For example, 95% of registered vehicles in Vietnam are motorcycles, as opposed to 59% in Thailand, but only 60% of road deaths in Vietnam are motorcycle users, compared to 73% in Thailand.

Obviously, there are a large number of factors involved, but one telling statistic stands out: the helmet wearing rate. According to the WHO, in Vietnam 96% of drivers and 83% of passengers wear helmets, whereas in Thailand the stats are 52% Drivers, 20% Passengers.

In May 2004, the 4th meeting of the UN Road Safety Collaboration was hosted by UNESCAP in Bangkok, more than forty delegates discussed, amongst other things, the implementation of seven road safety "how to" manuals - which assist governments in implementing some of the recommendations of the World report on road traffic injury prevention. The Helmets How To manual can be found here: http://www.who.int/roadsafety/projects/manuals/helmet_manual/en/ (It is also available in Thai)

In August 2006, the Global Road Safety Partnership held a three-day workshop in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, to develop an action plan to increase helmet use. Thailand was chosen due to its abnormally low levels of helmet use, and its correspondingly high numbers of motorcycle fatalities.

[hdkane]

Where I live, traffic enforcement is basically a road block to check for a current license...I'd welcome some real traffic enforcement...it doesn't bother me much if someone has up to date credentials...I'm far more concerned about the people who drive recklessly...driving here is a bit exhausting, as the trip always seems like an intense computer game, with cars, bikes, and motorbikes darting in and out from every direction...it's even a bit dangerous to walk...the police pay no mind at all...but you are in big trouble if you cannot produce a license to drive (kill)...

Is it because the Thais do not have the money for police vehicles to patrol? Or is it simple apathy?

[Dexlowe]

@dcnx - I swear to the gods above, I would have murdered them if I could have gotten away with it.....

I feel like this every single time I go out on the road, and especially when I see the kinds of antics you describe - unbelievable arrogance, and unbelievable denial of responsibility.

While helmets are a serious issue, I would contend that drunk driving fatalities are far higher than we realize - as we know that the cops don't test every driver in an accident. This attitude is just so much BS - it burns me up with anger. On Khao Talo near the police sub-station, a checkpoint is occasionally erected for the purposes of catching drunks (I think!). One night they stopped me and asked if I had been drinking - I said No, I don't drink, to which the officer replied with a big smile, "very good sir, very good" in English and let me go. Next time I got stopped, I simply said "no" to see what would happen. Nada - no, "then would you mind taking a test, sir". Once again, I simply rode off. Did I just say BS? Ok, BS again.

[connda]

Using the 'cockroach' theorem (if you see one there are 100 more that you don't see), then there were probably 10+ million violations of which 100K were committed within sight of a RTP road block.

Edited July 21, 2016 by connda

[cumgranosalum]

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

up to 93% of all "accidents" (for want of a better word) are down to human error.

While I don't dispute your guesstimate, the fact remains that a large proportion of the annual Thai road toll would be reduced if helmet wearing was properly enforced.

While Thailand certainly has a higher percentage motorcycles than most developed countries, it has the lowest percentage of motorcycles of all its regional neighbours bar Malaysia - yet it has the highest percentage of deaths of motorcycle users of all its regional neighbours.

For example, 95% of registered vehicles in Vietnam are motorcycles, as opposed to 59% in Thailand, but only 60% of road deaths in Vietnam are motorcycle users, compared to 73% in Thailand.

Obviously, there are a large number of factors involved, but one telling statistic stands out: the helmet wearing rate. According to the WHO, in Vietnam 96% of drivers and 83% of passengers wear helmets, whereas in Thailand the stats are 52% Drivers, 20% Passengers.

In May 2004, the 4th meeting of the UN Road Safety Collaboration was hosted by UNESCAP in Bangkok, more than forty delegates discussed, amongst other things, the implementation of seven road safety "how to" manuals - which assist governments in implementing some of the recommendations of the World report on road traffic injury prevention. The Helmets How To manual can be found here: http://www.who.int/roadsafety/projects/manuals/helmet_manual/en/ (It is also available in Thai)

In August 2006, the Global Road Safety Partnership held a three-day workshop in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, to develop an action plan to increase helmet use. Thailand was chosen due to its abnormally low levels of helmet use, and its correspondingly high numbers of motorcycle fatalities.

Not a guesstimate it was from a paper - don't ask which one because I'm not going through all my papers to find it. human error is accepted as between 65 and 95 % depending on the parameters you set. However that is not the point - the figures are to underline the archaic ways in which various people and authorities look at or approach the problem of road safety.

The helmet thing is probably right and has been discussed at length before - with more modern stats too.

The end result will see no significant change unless Thailand adopts the full 5 point road safety plans already put up both to the Thai government and ASEAN.

The thing is it will never be solved on single issue approaches - it requites the full holistic approach which unfortunately requires a total redesign of the highway system.

I'm unable at present to find stats re foreign casualties on Thai roads, but I'd suggest that in ratios and other characteristics they are no different from local stats.

I do agree that enforcing the helmet laws would reduce deaths - to a degree. however the problem is two fold, the attitude of the public and the ability of a totally untrained and unprepared police for to enforce any policy effectively.

[MediaWatcher]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, however, there is the issue of "helmets", the ones the majority wear would pass no recognised safety standards, those that died, without a helmet on, would, in all probability died anyway.

It's not that long ago, that many western countries had mandatory helmet laws, the biggest issue is commonsense on the road, something sadly lacking. Speed doesn't kill, it's the stupidity that does.

Edited July 21, 2016 by MediaWatcher

[tropo]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

It is already the main focus of enforcement. It's virtually the sole focus of enforcement in some areas as is alluded to in this report and as you say t doesn't make the roads safer. Thai people seem to carry helmets around to avoid tickets not for safety. I often observe them putting them on when they see cops then taking them off again.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[jamesbrock]

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, however, there is the issue of "helmets", the ones the majority wear would pass no recognised safety standards, those that died, without a helmet on, would, in all probability died anyway.

It's not that long ago, that many western countries had mandatory helmet laws, the biggest issue is commonsense on the road, something sadly lacking. Speed doesn't kill, it's the stupidity that does.

Of course, and then there's the issue of actually wearing the helmets properly... How many times does one see a mocy rider riding along with a helmet with the strap hanging loose?

It's interesting you should bring up countries having repealed mandatory helmet laws - the WHO booklet I linked to in another post had this to say on that issue:

In the United States, the enactment of motorcycle helmet laws is under the jurisdiction of individual states, and has been the subject of ongoing debate on the balance between personal freedom and public health Those opposed to mandatory helmet laws argue that such laws infringe upon their individual rights On the other hand, those who support them argue that since society bears the burden of the nancial costs of motorcycle crashes, there is a public interest in – and a justi cation for – legislating for helmet use Over the years, states have vari- ously enacted, repealed, and re-enacted “universal” motorcycle helmet laws – laws applying to all riders of motorcycles.

In 1996, a federal policy tying motorcycle helmet laws to the receipt of government funding led to 47 states enacting universal helmet laws After this policy was withdrawn the following year, though, many states quickly repealed their helmet laws, or amended them so that they applied only to young riders.

The consequences of these repeals of helmet laws have been as follows:

• Observed helmet use in a number of states dropped from nearly full compliance while the law existed, to around 50% after repeal
• In several states, there were immediate and dramatic increases in the numbers of motorcyclists without helmets who were involved in crashes
• Deaths of riders under the age of 21 increased even though the law still applies to these users In Florida, deaths to these young riders increased by 188 percent
• Increases were recorded in head injuries and fatalities among motorcycle users For example, the rate of motorcyclist fatalities rose by 37% and 75% in Kentucky and Louisiana, respectively, following the repeal of their mandatory laws.
• Associated with the increase in severity of head injuries was an increase in the costs of treating them For example, in Florida the total gross acute care costs charged to hospital-admitted motorcyclists with head, brain or skull injury more than doubled, from US$ 21 million to US$ 41 million, adjusted for in ation The average costs per case rose from US$ 34 518 to US$ 39 877 in the 30 months after the law change.

The pattern of evidence from the states that have altered their laws on helmet use indicates that motorcycle helmets reduce the severity of injuries incurred in a crash; that the repeal of helmet laws decreases helmet use; and that states that repeal universal helmet laws experience an increase in motorcycle fatalities and injuries

[jamesbrock]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

It is already the main focus of enforcement. It's virtually the sole focus of enforcement in some areas as is alluded to in this report and as you say t doesn't make the roads safer. Thai people seem to carry helmets around to avoid tickets not for safety. I often observe them putting them on when they see cops then taking them off again.

Well, there is enforcement, and there is Thai-style enforcement - where police stop people and let them off with paying a tiny bit of tea money (for any number of infractions). The latter will never increase helmet wearing rates, nor any other driver behaviour that causes increased accidents.

It is unclear which type of enforcement is being reported in this story.

[cumgranosalum]

"The inspections resulted in over 100,000 arrests, mostly from not wearing a helmet or seat belt. "

Wow, that's serious. Arrested?

Yep. Dangerous driving activities such as speeding, running red lights, illegal passing manoeuvres etc are too hard so they pick on the humble scooter rider, net millions then claim bragging rights for a job well done.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

Considering that 73% (17,693) of the 24,237 people die on Thai roads each year (according to the WHO) are motorcycle users, and 88% of these motorcycle users (15,570) died due to head injuries, and 6,228 (40%) of these deaths could be prevented by wearing helmets - I would consider focussing on this issue, and fining 100,000 idiots is a job well done. I don't usually commend the RTP, but I do in this instance.

This one simple strategy could reduce Thailand's death rate from 36.2 to 26.7 deaths per 100,000 - dropping it from 2nd to 30th in the list of the world's deadliest countries.

Of course not wearing helmets doesn't cause accidents—speed, drink driving, reckless driving are the highest causes, mainly due to ineffectual driver education and lax enforcement—but the strict enforcement of wearing helmets would clearly cut the road toll.

I don't disagree with what you are saying, however, there is the issue of "helmets", the ones the majority wear would pass no recognised safety standards, those that died, without a helmet on, would, in all probability died anyway.

It's not that long ago, that many western countries had mandatory helmet laws, the biggest issue is commonsense on the road, something sadly lacking. Speed doesn't kill, it's the stupidity that does.

There are a lot of people who blame "stupidity" for road deaths and incidents - this is not the case - most accidents are caused by human error - but not as you might think "stupidity" - it is perfectly normal people who for one reason or another let their guard down. stupidity is in equal quantities in all countries.

A lot of the reason for the high death rates is what happens after the incident has begun and the nature of that incident.

you'll find for instance that even countries with low death rates have similar collision rates to those with high death rates.

Edited July 21, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[JAG]

"Of course, and then there's the issue of actually wearing the helmets properly... How many times does one see a mocy rider riding along with a helmet with the strap hanging loose?"

What about those who ride around wearing a construction workers "hard hat" - if you fall off your bike your hat will probably fall off your head before you hit the deck. I even saw a "farang" sporting one the other day!

​Mind you the first prize goes to a chap in Chiang Rai who for several years used to belt around with a child's toy plastic English Policeman's helmet strapped to his bonce with a rubber band!

I haven't seen him for a while - maybe he fell off his bike?