New traffic rule being enforced in Chiang Mai

[CMKiwi]

I'm not sue if this is country wide or just CM however the missus just told me of it.

 

Apparently if you own a pick up truck no-one is allowed to sit in the rear tray. In some ways I can understand why. Lots of people in this country get injured/killed every year/day partially due to the drivers who have no regard for whom is sitting/standing in the tray.

 

The biggest damn fool idea is the other part to this 'new' rule.  If you happen to own a single cab pickup (The ones with a rear bench type seat) you are no longer allowed to have people sit on that seat.

 

I know it's pretty uncomfortable on those seats but <deleted>? The reasoning is that in an accident the people in the rear seat cannot get out. I would suggest that if the accident is that bad then the front seat passenger/driver also cannot 'get out'.

 

Perhaps in order to cut down on all injuries the should ban all people from driving/riding in pickup trucks! Well that seem to be the logical next step these clowns will take.

 

Logic and common sense are sorely lacking with the current authorities methinks.

 

Perhaps education of drivers would be a more productive avenue.... sorry that's a stupid thought. No revenue (money) to be made from that. And one must ensure the RTP coffers remain healthy.

 

Ok rant over.

 

Otherwise it appears to be a rather nice day outdoors.

[Sparkles]

We were once stopped at the Mae Hia trafic lights and counted 17 people standing in the back of a pick up.They looked like construction workers.

 

Not sure if that's a record but must have come close.

 

Education sadly in this country is wide spread not only in driving behaviour, throw in education ,environment and health just for starters.

Still languishing in 3rd world thinking

[johng]

[Greenside]

If true it's just another impossible to enforce law put on the books to give the impression that the government is doing something.  Much of the economy would grind to a halt if it were to be seriously enforced - it's the only way low paid construction workers have to get to their jobs and without provision of some viable alternative nothing will ever change.  Contempt for the law is built into the system here.

[Dmaxdan]

Does this mean all the songthaew and tuk tuk drivers are going to either fit seat belts or find another career?

[worgeordie]

Its already been U-Turned, the police wont be happy,more people

now wearing crash helmets,so this was going to create a new

avenue of revenue for them.

regards worgeordie

[Jai Dee]

4 hours ago, CMKiwi said:

I'm not sue if this is country wide or just CM however the missus just told me of it.

You should read our Thai News Forum sometime... 

 

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[naboo]

It all makes perfect sense. 

 

A poster above says its already been uturned - not yet, its been delayed until after Songkran.

[uhhh ohhh]

Any word about 7 people on a motorbike????

[ramrod711]

A few years ago my wife's family came to visit. I have a smart cab Vigo, her father, brother and nephew all wanted to go someplace and climbed into the box. I firmly but politely told them that wasn't going to happen, that they would have to ride inside the cab. They grumbled something about "farang style", but complied. What could I do now, if their is a company that retroactively fits seat belts I would do it and pay the extra tax that is levied for passenger vehicles. I don't know if you remember the Rick Hansen "Man in Motion" tour. He was handicapped after being thrown out of the box of a pickup truck, I wouldn't want to be responsible for something like that. But, there is always a but, someone needs to explain to me how we are all going to be safer in a song taew.

[moe666]

Not a new rule been on the books for years, just told to enforce then later to unenforce

[cyberfarang]

Last year I was given a lift to the town in my friend`s wife`s pickup, the type with rear seats and no doors, had to climb over the front seats to access the back seats. Never felt so insecure in my whole life, my knees were virtually up against my chin and body pressed up against the back of the front seats. I thought, if involved in a serious collision or the vehicle rolls over, I`m done for, I`d never be able to get out the vehicle. And if it caught fire, I may just as well say my prayers and wave the world goodbye.

 

Yesterday I saw a whole family riding on a 100cc Honda Wave motorbike, 2 adults and 3 kids, 5 persons in all. In my opinion banning passengers from travelling in the back seats of 2 door pickups and in the open part of pickups makes absolute sense and even if it doesn`t become law, I would not take the risk anyway.

[FolkGuitar]

The island of Guam has a clever rule; If you want to sit in the back of a pickup truck, there have to be seats installed, each with seat belts.  As rather a lot of older Guamanian women are too large to fit inside the cabs, it's common to have a row or two of seats installed in the pickup beds, and a small step ladder to use so they can mount up.  This would be waaay to costly for the poorer village Thais, but this certainly saves a lot of lives... even on an island with a top speed of 35mph covering most of the roads. (Only one stretch of about 10 miles gets up to 45mph.)