Crash helmet campaign to be strengthened to promote bike safety

[tominbkk]

There was a really awful vid on youlike a few months ago of a husband wife and kid on a bike.  The kid was maybe 3-4 years old.  The husband was riding his bike right in the blind spot of a car, trying to pass it I guess....the car suddenly moved to the left as he couldn't see the bike, knocking them all over.....not even sure if the car driver knew what he had done as it just kept going.  The kid was unconscious, mom hysterical, all without helmets so.....

 

Many bike riders on the road here are big babies that expect you to always be watching for them, always taking horrific chances.  One road on my commute to work is a narrow busy 2 lane road with the bikes constantly taking chances.  At least once a week I go past an ambulance hauling someone off.  If you give them a quick beep on your car horn they will flip you off.  I don't have much sympathy for them.

 

 

[tominbkk]

4 hours ago, DILLIGAD said:

Child deaths don't worry you then?


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Cops should be stopping and immediately confiscating any bike with more than two people or with kids on it, especially the ones without helmets at least.  5,000 Baht fine to get it back.  The fines going towards education programs or rehabilitation.  But cops don't really care about any of that, so people just keep doing it.  I care, but I'm not a cop and have no right to stop anyone, so......

Edited February 8, 2017 by tominbkk

[chrissables]

3 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Yes-I completely agree with you.

Two years ago, and after my step-niece was splattered all over the road (no helmet), I purchased 6 helmets for 5,000 Baht and distributed them to the family.Within 6 months four had been lost or misplaced,the other one lasted less than a year and only old MIL wears hers now from which I concluded that she is the only one with any  brains in the family.

 

I have informed them all that if they are killed on their scooters and are not wearing helmets or in cars where they are not wearing seat belts then I will not be attending their funerals nor financially contributing to them.

 

If they behave like brainless numptys-it is their responsibility and theirs alone.

Your niece was splattered over the road because of....?

[chrissables]

2 hours ago, piersbeckett said:

The crime, in itself is, I would say, victim-less.

 

In the event however of an incident or accident whereby the rider, that is the person responsible for the safe delivery of him/herself and any pillion passenger from departure to arrival whilst in control of the motorbike, has a wider responsibility towards society as a whole in that he/she should not compromise the health service of that society by adding the unnecessary risk of that service having to foot the hospital/medical bill.

 

In the event, however of adults of sound mind agreeing either directly or by implication to travel at their own risk without wearing a legal helmet thereby losing any right to the society's medical care scheme, in other words by so doing they (both rider and passenger) agree to pay for their own medical treatment in its entirety and that they also concede to the subsequent unavailability of any insurance cover regarding medical treatment in respect of such incidents/accidents then I'd say it would remain a victim-less crime.

 

I would add that any child or minor should IMV be compelled by law to wear a legal safety helmet whilst riding or when a passenger and that responsibility should rest with the adult rider or when the adult is the passenger.

 

There should also IMV be an age qualification for being a passenger on a motorbike and a limit of two persons i.e. the rider and only one passenger.

Agreed, and also in Thailand we pay anyway!

 

In fact in the UK we pay, if you are working anyway. National insurance, Employer National insurance and tax.

[chrissables]

2 hours ago, superal said:

You have certainly done all that you can and if they do not heed your advice there is nothing more that you can do . Why there is no strict law enforcement on wearing helmets , police turning a blind most of the time unless there is a purge , is a crime in itself and the police are as guilty as the law breakers . 

Surely if the majority of a countries population refuse to follow a law, the law becomes defunct? 

[DILLIGAD]

Surely if the majority of a countries population refuse to follow a law, the law becomes defunct? 

I would say that those upholding the law become 'defunct'


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[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, chrissables said:

Surely if the majority of a countries population refuse to follow a law, the law becomes defunct? 

Yes.

And to enforce those laws around the villages where I live would require a four fold increase in manpower of the most dedicated and disinterested police force ever known to humankind-so it isn't going to happen in a country run as a group of feudal baronies by the national or local bigwigs which makes Thailand a sort of vast Potemkin village.Someone's upset?Lets pass another law but we won't/can't change the rules that fundamentally govern how Thais relate to each other in a hierarchical society so punishing every person in sight will be just about as effective as Prohibition was in the USA.

 

So..we could take one part of the Potemkin village (the Thai education system) and try to make something of a road safety campaign of it.This might play to their strengths which is usually based on vanity and a collective mindset.It would be a long campaign but one that rewards rather then punishes.Set up clubs in every school-you could call it the King Rama  Road Safety Club "The Little Scooters",start handing out little rewards,badges,prize King Rama helmets, even cash prizes if necessary.Get some high ranking royal personage to sponsor this new club "Best club in Isaan-everyone wore helmets today!" etc...etc..

 

Of course the police would have to be in on it but it would have plenty of advantages for an underpaid and undermanned force which has a marked symbiotic relationship with their own communities.

 

As I said it would have to be for the long haul otherwise the next generation of TV  contributors will be just as alarmed by the road toll as we are.

[Dumbastheycome]

14 hours ago, chrissables said:

I seem to get a lot of stupid smug replies from you, which would be fine, IF you would explain the thought process put into your replies.

 

A victimless crime is just that! A crime without victims. If i ride down to 7-11 now with no helmet. The law would have been broken. Who is the victim?

The   Law....if  you  did  not   die.

[balo]

A stupid idea because a 200 baht BIG C helmet will not save you from head injuries .

Then they need to educate everyone that they need to buy 4000 baht helmets and ban all the cheap copy helmets . So a family of 4 have to pay 16000 baht for helmets  Of course that will never happen .  In Europe it is the law but they can afford it over there, 

 

 

 

 

 

[Keesters]

On 2/6/2017 at 10:07 AM, darksidedog said:

I wasn't aware that the 3 R's had been achieved.

Didn't say it had.

[Keesters]

20 hours ago, piersbeckett said:

 and a limit of two persons i.e. the rider and only one passenger.

This is already law but ignored by many just as many other laws here are.

 

 

[robblok]

6 hours ago, balo said:

A stupid idea because a 200 baht BIG C helmet will not save you from head injuries .

Then they need to educate everyone that they need to buy 4000 baht helmets and ban all the cheap copy helmets . So a family of 4 have to pay 16000 baht for helmets  Of course that will never happen .  In Europe it is the law but they can afford it over there, 

 

Real brand in Thailand, is a dot certified helmet with models under 2000bt and they are good.. so its available.

 

I rode in BKK rush hour traffic yesterday on a bike and 80-90% of the people on bikes had a helmet on. (seen less too but yesterday this was what i saw zipping through rush hour traffic). SO in BKK there is more enforcement and more helmets are used. In general see more then 50% of the riders here with a helmet. 

[Alan Deer]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

Real brand in Thailand, is a dot certified helmet with models under 2000bt and they are good.. so its available.

 

I rode in BKK rush hour traffic yesterday on a bike and 80-90% of the people on bikes had a helmet on. (seen less too but yesterday this was what i saw zipping through rush hour traffic). SO in BKK there is more enforcement and more helmets are used. In general see more then 50% of the riders here with a helmet. 

there is definitely seems to be more compliance with helmet laws.......but it doesn't seem to be leading on to a reduction in fatalities....yet

 

 

Edited February 9, 2017 by Alan Deer

[Odysseus123]

7 hours ago, Alan Deer said:

there is definitely seems to be more compliance with helmet laws.......but it doesn't seem to be leading on to a reduction in fatalities....yet

 

 

I decided to do some rough numbers today from the vantage point of my balcony which overlooks a relatively busy rural feeder road.The city is across the bridge.Time was between 7 and 8am.Here are the modest results.

 

Students in uniforms.

34 scooters went past-6 were solo the rest were tandem with 2 or 3 to the bike.No quartets were noted.1 student driving solo wore a helmet.3 drivers of tandems swore helmets-the rest were without helmets

 

The results were better in terms of civilians.

18 solos went past-11 wore helmets.Most appeared to be women on the way to work in the city,the others appeared to be doing local village trips.12 multiples were noted,of these 5 drivers wore helmets with 3 pillion passengers doing the same.

 

Just a little sample from the backroads of Isaan,The students appear to present a major problem as do the passengers.

[byteHunter]

On 2/6/2017 at 2:14 AM, prakhonchai nick said:

What a simple task it would be for the Police to be near the bus station at 4pm-after school -  and stop all the kids without helmets being worn, fine them and confiscate the bikes for 1 week. ....

They do that in Punnawithi area in Bangkok in my SOI. Not near the school but on the way where all the kids have to go home. 3-4 policy cars come and close the road every month once.

 

There's a small truck with them that carries the motorbikes home.

[Dumbastheycome]

13 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

I decided to do some rough numbers today from the vantage point of my balcony which overlooks a relatively busy rural feeder road.The city is across the bridge.Time was between 7 and 8am.Here are the modest results.

 

Students in uniforms.

34 scooters went past-6 were solo the rest were tandem with 2 or 3 to the bike.No quartets were noted.1 student driving solo wore a helmet.3 drivers of tandems swore helmets-the rest were without helmets

 

The results were better in terms of civilians.

18 solos went past-11 wore helmets.Most appeared to be women on the way to work in the city,the others appeared to be doing local village trips.12 multiples were noted,of these 5 drivers wore helmets with 3 pillion passengers doing the same.

 

Just a little sample from the backroads of Isaan,The students appear to present a major problem as do the passengers.

And  yet at  checkpoints it is only the  driver of the  motorbike  gets done for  no   helmet  anyway! A strange  application  of  a  safety  policy in defiance  of  Thai  law. And  only  at  checkpoints !

I  would   applaud  and  reward  any  RTP member  who at random  stopped  and fined  the  many I see driving  with one  hand  whilst clutching an infant with the other  arm  with a  toddler  standing on the  seat  behind, maybe  more ! Sadly there  are  countless  examples of similar  or worse that  do  result  in tragedy almost daily. 

[Dumbastheycome]

1 minute ago, byteHunter said:

They do that in Punnawithi area in Bangkok in my SOI. Not near the school but on the way where all the kids have to go home. 3-4 policy cars come and close the road every month once.

 

There's a small truck with them that carries the motorbikes home.

So  an industry  has  been  created.  Why   not  also  fine the parents  heavily  for  providing  a  motorbike instead  of  conventional   school  transport? The   majority  of  these  students  now  are  ineligible  to  have  a licence  due  to their  age.  Plus  that they  also transport others  with them . The  parental excuse  is usually   about  convenience . That  usually    means the  convenience  of demonstrating the  affordability (  enhanced   face! )  Luv  em to  death !

[Odysseus123]

46 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

And  yet at  checkpoints it is only the  driver of the  motorbike  gets done for  no   helmet  anyway! A strange  application  of  a  safety  policy in defiance  of  Thai  law. And  only  at  checkpoints !

I  would   applaud  and  reward  any  RTP member  who at random  stopped  and fined  the  many I see driving  with one  hand  whilst clutching an infant with the other  arm  with a  toddler  standing on the  seat  behind, maybe  more ! Sadly there  are  countless  examples of similar  or worse that  do  result  in tragedy almost daily. 

Yes,

Policing on that level in these villages is virtually nil and these rice villages spread out for about a zillion km in every direction.

The students are also aware that the road that they are using circumvents the police check point a few hundred meters up the main road.

 

But the alarming thought is also there that perhaps most,if not all,were only wearing helmets for fear of being caught and not for any road safety aspect of it per se.I find that quite sad and indicates a massive failure in road safety education.Somehow school programs would need to incorporate the parents into the learning cycle as well.

 

I know two families here who forbid their male children access to motor scooters and insist that their sons walk across the bridge to school.I suspect that they are looked upon as freaks in this community and I surely hope that those two boys-who are both intelligent-go on to achieve their goals as they are the only two who appear to have any in this village.

[01322521959]

Why not just hand out something like this. I may well do it myself as I feel very strongly that helmets should be worn unlike the powers that be , who don't really give a monkey's.

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[01322521959]

Yes, racing round Joydens Wood in Kent UK trying to beat my mates C90, I was on my dads Suzuki 50 . didn't give a toss about safety
But that was 1978 ..

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