Thailand: 8 Killed, 13 Injured in One Day in 3 Separate Traffic Accidents

[oldlakey]

3 minutes ago, yardrunner said:

My wife, Thai and not a driver visited the UK now when we are out she sees a driver doing something stupid her comment they do not know how to drive not like England. but having said that I think that there would be much more bad driving in western countries if it were not for traffic patrols and cameras and keeping a record of drivers traffic offences

I am in full agreement, but all it proves is that good competent policing works, and by its non appearance in Thailand it becomes all the sadder

[Essaybloke]

Lotus Boy you got it right in general. I know there are very good careful drivers in Thailand, but OMG there are some who take the most enormous risks. I do a lot of driving between Rayong and Surin and every time I am stupefied at the risks drivers take- overtaking trucks on a blind left hand bend in the road (think about it), pulling out to overtake when there are cars, buses, trucks coming in the opposite direction, and don't get me started on some of the ridiculous speeding! Methinks in places road design may add to the problem.  

[robertthebruce]

1 hour ago, cooked said:

Thanks for letting me know, gee I didn't know any of that. Don't stop there, tell us what else you hate about Thailand and when you are leaving.

 

 

Always one is there, ...how come it took you so,long....oh let me think, To many Leo's .....

 

 

[SunsetT]

2 hours ago, LotusBoy said:

 

Do you have all day?

Alcohol, stupidity, Alcohol, ignorance to other traffic users, Alcohol, Drugs, Alcohol, no road markings, Alcohol, "me first", Alcohol, no lights or markers on the road, Alcohol, no seatbelts, Alcohol etc. etc. etc. etc.

You forgot.....almost zero driver training, and no law enforcement. Although  it would be unfair to penalize breaking the rules of the road when 99% dont even know the rules of the road!.....Why? because they are not taught the rules of the road. Lack of education again!

 

[Honthy]

This is still better what the US can produce every weekend.

On the other hand, most of the roads are dangerous, partly because of their conditions, partly because of natural facilities.

Most of the drivers think they are the best and they are sitting in an F1 car  in an F1 racing. But in reality their practice in any cases are poor.

[hobobo]

3 hours ago, cooked said:

26 000  fatalities a year = 70 per day. Sorry about the people involved but what <deleted> is this about?

Natural selection

[kannot]

39 minutes ago, whaleboneman said:

I do not believe the 1% are so stupid as to drive through red lights at 100 kph unless there were police stopping cross traffic. 

the 1% yesterday did this, if  my Wife  was  still here I could get the footage out of the webcam for  you but she s just left for BKK There were no Police I dont know who was in the 2 Mercs but they had lights inside the grills, these cars  had been  built with this they werent stuck on the roof or inside on the dashboard. Both had RED  plates so were newish, The junction was a T junction not a crossroads, the point is NO rules  applied to them whatsoever, they were also weaving in and out to pass every car in a very dangerous  way.

[kannot]

13 minutes ago, Essaybloke said:

Lotus Boy you got it right in general. I know there are very good careful drivers in Thailand, but OMG there are some who take the most enormous risks. I do a lot of driving between Rayong and Surin and every time I am stupefied at the risks drivers take- overtaking trucks on a blind left hand bend in the road (think about it), pulling out to overtake when there are cars, buses, trucks coming in the opposite direction, and don't get me started on some of the ridiculous speeding! Methinks in places road design may add to the problem.  

Every U turn is a death trap forcing traffic from a slow lane to the fast lane then to pull out into the fast lane  of the opposite carriageway usually like a tortoise.......madness

[kannot]

9 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

You forgot.....almost zero driver training, and no law enforcement. Although  it would be unfair to penalize breaking the rules of the road when 99% dont even know the rules of the road!.....Why? because they are not taught the rules of the road. Lack of education again!

 

you do get a very nice  video in how to be "nice" when driving, just about failed every  issue  they really needed to mention, mind you many were too busy on their phones or asleep to watch when i was in there last ( month ago)

[LotusBoy]

2 hours ago, cooked said:

Thanks for letting me know, gee I didn't know any of that. Don't stop there, tell us what else you hate about Thailand and when you are leaving.

 

I did not say I hated Thailand, so why would I leave? You must be chauffeured around in your private jet to see how bad the driving is here. Whilst normal people (like me) have to endure the bad driving skills of Thais.  You asked a question and I merely answered. Anyway, whatever floats your boat or jet in your case. 

Edited November 21, 2016 by LotusBoy

[kannot]

2 hours ago, Sphere said:

Consider this a warm-up for "7 deadly days" coming up at the end of the year.

which are actually the same as the other 364 days (365 this year "bonus")

[transam]

I reckon the "me first" mentality is a biggy regarding the road carnage..I even get the "me first" at Tesco checkouts...

[Neal Davis]

I lived in Hungary for 23 years (now Thailand 2 years). In 1991 Hungary was similar to Thailand now. When deaths were over 4 per day ( Hungary has a population of less than 10 million) the government decided to act. What they did and it has worked was to hit people in the pocket. 10% over the speed limit Ft 30,000 ( 3,670 baht) increasing on a sliding scale. Jumping red lights and other road offences carry stiff penalties. Average salary in Hungary Ft 181,200 (22,104 baht) a real dent from the monthly salary. Within a short period a noticeable difference could be realised. Police corruption was endemic in the early 90's but with determination this has been greatly reduced. Hungary had the same problems as I read here people no insurance or driving licence all have been tackled , but not 100% solved. In my opinion the authorities need a desire to solve this. In Hungary there is an expression " A fish smells from the head"

Sad to say hitting the pocket seems only way to solve.

[kannot]

38 minutes ago, cooked said:

I didn't say it was false. I am saying yes, yes , yes we know that a lot of Farangs think that Thais are lazy, stupid and selfish, I get bored with reading this stuff all the time. I drive a LOT and maybe because I can think like a Thai none of this bothers me, I just expect it.

Some of us might think that they can remember a time inn the UK and Italy when people drove just as they do in Thailand today.

Some of us might think that the fault lies in a completely inadequate attitude towards road safety training and awareness. I can remember road safety ads from 60 years ago ('don't be an amber gambler', 'look right, look left, look right again' etc). Never saw even one road safety ad here, who's fault is that?

As a  kid we had a friend in Milan I used to go there for holidays, really nice guy  a  Surgeon, ear /nose/ throat..every morning  he'd  take us to the station the wrong way up a one way street circa 1975 ish......everyday

[cooked]

20 minutes ago, LotusBoy said:

 

I did not say I hated Thailand, so why would I leave? You must be chauffeured around in your private jet to see how bad the driving is here. Whilst normal people (like me) have to endure the bad driving skills of Thais. Perhaps you don't live here, anyway, whatever floats your boat or jet in your case. 

Well you still come across as a hater. I drive around 25000 Km a year, short, medium and long distance.

[jesimps]

2 hours ago, cooked said:

Thanks for letting me know, gee I didn't know any of that. Don't stop there, tell us what else you hate about Thailand and when you are leaving.

Now you tell us what he said that you think is incorrect and why you think he hates Thailand. I bet the guy loves the place at least as much as you, the only difference between you both is that he's normal and you're a Thai-bashing policeman and a goody two shoes to boot.

 

[PattayaBoy]

Cops too busy stoping same bikes over and over again

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[deecee10]

13 minutes ago, cooked said:

Well you still come across as a hater. I drive around 25000 Km a year, short, medium and long distance.

Cooked - for an ageing ex-hippy you ought to have lost the chip on your shoulder by now.

[Get Real]

The safety is that everybody is assured about that all people with a driver license, really got the education they needed for have the knowledge and be able to show the resonsibility needed in traffic.
When the education is so good, then there is a pure mystery that it happens so many accidents. LOL

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, cooked said:

Thanks for letting me know, gee I didn't know any of that. Don't stop there, tell us what else you hate about Thailand and when you are leaving.

It's possible to point out the flaws in society without hating the whole country. What is worse, is the attitude that one must love everything or nothing.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 minutes ago, Get Real said:

The safety is that everybody is assured about that all people with a driver license, really got the education they needed for have the knowledge and be able to show the resonsibility needed in traffic.
When the education is so good, then there is a pure mystery that it happens so many accidents. LOL

Education is not the answer. In my country most people tailgate dangerously while driving at high speed on rural roads, and they all had compulsory education.

Other than punishment, I don't have an answer. Perhaps making everyone travel by public transport till effective self driving cars are cheap enough for everyone.

Edited November 21, 2016 by thaibeachlovers

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, LotusBoy said:

 

I did not say I hated Thailand, so why would I leave? You must be chauffeured around in your private jet to see how bad the driving is here. Whilst normal people (like me) have to endure the bad driving skills of Thais.  You asked a question and I merely answered. Anyway, whatever floats your boat or jet in your case. 

 

When "cooked" asked his question he was obviously asking why, when on average 70 people a day die on the roads, does this comparatively low, unremarkable figure for one day, qualify as "news"?

 

Who in Thailand, except for the families of those involved and the "news" hungry, "ain't it awful" members of Thaivisa, will give it more than passing consideration, if that?

 

Answer: No-one.

 

So it will be the same tomorrow.  And the day after.  And the day after that.

 

Not really "new" at all.

 

The mayhem will stop when Thailand adopts those Western ideas and attitudes (established, developed and hardened over a period of nearly 2500 years) that do not allow such carnage to occur on the roads.   As it does not occur, for instance, in the UK.

 

In the same way that all sorts of "bad" things, that occur in Thailand, do not occur in the West.

 

Do you think the West will last long enough (or in the future be influential enough) for that to happen?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Enoon

[cooked]

24 minutes ago, deecee10 said:

Cooked - for an ageing ex-hippy you ought to have lost the chip on your shoulder by now.

What chip is that, prithee?

 

Here's a quote from Lotusboy: "

"Do you have all day?

Alcohol, stupidity, Alcohol, ignorance to other traffic users, Alcohol, Drugs, Alcohol, no road markings, Alcohol, "me first", Alcohol, no lights or markers on the road, Alcohol, no seatbelts, Alcohol etc. etc. etc. etc."

and a couple of other posters have gone along in the same chip on their shoulder vein.

They only thing I have written that might be construed as negative was in comparing driving here with that in the UK and Italy 50 years ago. I also get accuse of not living in Thailand and not driving a car at all. This has nothing to do with the price of onions but yes, I live here and drive a lot.

[hotchilli]

Lanes.... what are lanes??
In Thailand the whole road width is a free-for-all !!!

Same as traffic lights.. just there for guidance, not to be taken seriously...
Railway crossing barriers, just duck under or go around them... I could go on but Xmas is coming!!!!

This is Thailand, don't expect too much !!

[khunpa]

I drive every day in Chiang Mai and I am not surprised. People drive like crazy here and its mainly because you never see any traffic police to control anything.

 

Besides that... Tourists (especially Chinese and Farangs on motorbikes) should also be banned from driving around. They often create dangerous situations in the traffic, which crazy enough already.

 

All the traffic accidents are in my opinion mainly a result of corruption and police not doing their job. I dont think it is so much about culture, ignorance or anything like that. Thailand is still a place where you can drink and drive and get away with it, mainly because there is no police present or due to corruption.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by khunpa

[bbbbooboo]

hmmmm..... yet another day of senseless slaughter on the Thai roads......70 killed a day.......nearly 3 people every hour of every day....scary isn't it ?

[transam]

6 minutes ago, khunpa said:

I drive every day in Chiang Mai and I am not surprised. People drive like crazy here and its mainly because you never see any traffic police to control anything.

 

Besides that... Tourists (especially Chinese and Farangs on motorbikes) should also be banned from driving around. They often create dangerous situations in the traffic, which crazy enough already.

 

All the traffic accidents are in my opinion mainly a result of corruption and police not doing their job. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, even where I am I rarely see a traffic cop, and there are zillions of them...So, where are they, why isn't there commanding officers giving out tasks daily to the troops...

 

Any idiot can see folk will do what they like if there is no officialdom loitering out there to nab 'em.....

[fish monger]

5 hours ago, cooked said:

26 000  fatalities a year = 70 per day. Sorry about the people involved but what <deleted> is this about?

Natural selection.........

[Krataiboy]

The current vogue for wearing black, coupled with the fact that many Thai motorcyclists don't use lights at night, is not exactly conducive to reducing the slaughter on Thai roads.

[laislica]

3 hours ago, joebrown said:

I've lived in Thailand for 12 years and love life here, with no intention of leaving.  I wholeheartedly agree with what 'LotusBoy'  wrote. If you don't understand how bad the driving standards are here you are beyond help.

 

 

So many posters refer to "The Rules of the Road".

Let's get this straight, the rules are Asian Rules and NOT Western Rules.

Traveling on Thai Roads is an almost hallucinatory potion of sound, spectacle and experience. It is frequently heart-rending, sometimes hilarious, mostly exhilarating, always unforgettable -- and, when you are on the roads, extremely dangerous.

Asian Rules are somewhat different to what we, from the west expect.
As a guide, most Indian road users observe a version of the Highway Code based on a Sanskrit text.
These 12 rules of the Indian road are published for the first time in English and I'm sure that you will see many similarities to Thai style driving:

 

    ARTICLE I:

    The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.

    ARTICLE II:

    Indian traffic, like Indian society,is structured on a strict caste system. The following precedence must be accorded at all times. In descending order, give way to:

    Cows, elephants, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, camels, light trucks, buffalo, jeeps, ox-carts, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, pigs, pedal rickshaws, goats, bicycles (goods-carrying), handcarts, bicycles (passenger-carrying), dogs, pedestrians.

    ARTICLE III:

    All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim: to slow is to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat. This is the Indian drivers' mantra.

    ARTICLE IV:

    Use of horn (also known as the sonic fender or aural amulet):

    Cars (IV,1,a-c):

        Short blasts (urgent) indicate supremacy, IE in clearing dogs, rickshaws and pedestrians from path.
        Long blasts (desperate) denote supplication, IE to oncoming truck: "I am going too fast to stop, so unless you slow down we shall both die". In extreme cases this may be accompanied by flashing of headlights (frantic).
        Single blast (casual) means: "I have seen someone out of India's 870 million whom I recognise", "There is a bird in the road (which at this speed could go through my windscreen)" or "I have not blown my horn for several minutes."

    Trucks and buses (IV,2,a):

    All horn signals have the same meaning, viz: "I have an all-up weight of approximately 12.5 tons and have no intention of stopping, even if I could." This signal may be emphasised by the use of headlamps.

    Article IV remains subject to the provision of Order of Precedence in Article II above.

    ARTICLE V:

    All manoeuvres, use of horn and evasive action shall be left until the last possible moment.

    ARTICLE VI:

    In the absence of seat belts (which there is), car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times.

    ARTICLE VII:

        Rights of way:

        Traffic entering a road from the left has priority. So has traffic from the right, and also traffic in the middle.

        Lane discipline (VII,1):

        All Indian traffic at all times and irrespective of direction of travel shall occupy the centre of the road.

    ARTICLE VIII:

    Roundabouts: India has no roundabouts. Apparent traffic islands in the middle of crossroads have no traffic management function. Any other impression should be ignored.

    ARTICLE IX:

    Overtaking is mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake every other moving vehicle, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you.

    Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions, such as in the face of oncoming traffic, on blind bends, at junctions and in the middle of villages/city centres. No more than two inches should be allowed between your vehicle and the one you are passing -- and one inch in the case of bicycles or pedestrians.

    ARTICLE X:

    Nirvana may be obtained through the head-on crash.

    ARTICLE XI:

    Reversing: no longer applicable since no vehicle in India has reverse gear.