Academics suggest ‘more practical’ road safety moves

[rooster59]

Academics suggest ‘more practical’ road safety moves

By THE NATION

 

 

Say pickup owners in rural areas should be able to carry many people to key events.

 

AUTHORITIES have confirmed the controversial ban on passengers in the cargo bed of pickup trucks and extended cabin space will be implemented after Songkran. But road safety experts said yesterday there were more practical ways to ensure long-term road safety.

 

Their suggestions included:

• Registering personal cars and trucks so they can legally carry people and loads; 
• Requiring owners of pickup trucks to have seatbelts and for seats with belts to be installed in the extended cabin space and the cargo bed of pickups; 
• Banning pickup trucks that carry |passengers in the cargo bed from using Level 1 and 2 highways, but allowing them on Level 3 and 4 roads where vehicles go at lower speeds; 
• Imposing a speed limit of 90 kmh and punishing motorists who exceed the limit harshly.

Academics said owners should be allowed to use pickups to carry many people to a specific event such as an ordination or funeral procession in rural areas. But such processions should be banned from inter-provincial highways and supervised by local police. 

 

Most accidents were caused by drunk or reckless drivers, or people falling asleep behind wheel, so police should focus on those issues to curb road deaths, they said.

 

Police in Bangkok issued a letter yesterday to confirm that up to six passengers will be allowed to ride in open cargo beds of pickup trucks during the Songkran period from April 11-17. 

 

The letter signed by deputy chief Pol Maj-General Jirapat Phumjit said that police will fine drivers and passengers in the front seat who fail to wear seatbelts, while allowing passengers to ride in the extended cab space. Operators of public transport vehicles including vans, taxis and inter-provincial buses will be fined if any passengers are found not wearing seatbelts, it said.

 

Pick-up ban was our idea, not PM: Prawit

 

Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, urged the public not to criticise Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for banning passengers from riding in the open cargo bed of pickup trucks. He admitted that he and a joint committee had proposed such a ban for the premier, out of a concern for public safety.

 

In Phichit, provincial transport office chief Surachai Tabya led officials to inspect public transport vehicles, notably vans, and check on drivers’ sobriety to boost road safety ahead of the Thai New Year next week. He also warned van drivers not to let other drivers use their GPS card to avoid being detected for speeding, saying card owners would be held responsible for any illegal action by people borrowing their cards. 

 

On Thursday, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said his agency aimed to reduce road accidents on highways by 5 per cent against the 1,358 accidents last Songkran. Among the measures being taken are: repairs of roads, rest stops, a “real-time” traffic monitoring system, the free hotline 1586 and toll-free motorway services from April 11-18. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30311681

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-08

[jaltsc]

“... road safety experts said yesterday there were more practical ways to ensure long-term road safety.”

 

Thai experts would say that none of these are practical and will not ensure road safety if the long-term habit of ignoring laws and regulations persist. 

 

If you read the reactions of Thai drivers, it had nothing to do with laws and regulations. The protests were against the proposal that existing laws and regulations were actually going to be enforced. They can change all the laws they want and offer numerous safety measures. The big challenge is the changing of a centuries old culture of ignoring laws, Buddhist doctrines, and anything else that pertains to responsibility when it interferes with personal desires and convenience.

[AGareth2]

a step towards helping the poor

[Sphere]

20 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Say pickup owners in rural areas should be able to carry many people to key events.

 

Especially funerals. 

[ezzra]

 

Funny that those " road safety experts " are dispensing their expertise out

of an air-conditioned office, or the worst case, while traveling in a chauffeur driven

Toyota Alphard or a pricy Benz,

Those so called expert would not know how to fix the ills of Thailand traffic

mass if it came and kicked them in the ass,

More visible police present on the roads, stiffer fines and vehicles confiscations

if not paid, and licenses cancellations on the spot for serious law barkers,

all that just might put a dent in the unruly behavior of the average Thai motorist....

[tbthailand]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Most accidents were caused by drunk or reckless drivers, or people falling asleep behind wheel, so police should focus on those issues to curb road deaths, they said.

no kidding... 

 

This "government" is clueless... But, hey, submarines!

[onemorechang]

You need to take a big stick to the Thai Drivers and Riders

Its all they under stand.

The big stick can be in multiple forms.

 

[AGareth2]

6 minutes ago, onemorechang said:

You need to take a big stick to the Thai Drivers and Riders

Its all they under stand.

The big stick can be in multiple forms.

 

in the land of money a big carrot works better

[Chris Lawrence]

If they are serious there would be other areas that need to be scrutinised. What about drug testing long haul bus and truck drivers. The same with Bangkok taxi drivers. Then there is the spending they would need to do to improve transport in the country, and road spending. These measures would kick start the economy and have a positive effect on voters. The fact that a new constitution is written means sweat FA; its just another challenge for people to take the matter to court and debate what is meant or the intent of the constitution to the welfare of people and the state.

[edwinchester]

"Requiring owners of pickup trucks to have seatbelts and for seats with belts to be installed in the extended cabin space and the cargo bed of pickups"

 

Seats and seat belts in the pickup bed.....yeah that's going to happen.

[Ahab]

People drive like idiots in Thailand. Speeding is the norm, passing on blind turns is common, driving the wrong direction (on the highway shoulder) is fairly common. What is truely amazing is that more people don't die on the roads than already do.

[BEVUP]

15 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

"Requiring owners of pickup trucks to have seatbelts and for seats with belts to be installed in the extended cabin space and the cargo bed of pickups"

 

Seats and seat belts in the pickup bed.....yeah that's going to happen.

I dont see nothing wrong with that but apparently there seems to be a difference between makes of vehicles 

On the one hand Toyota Vigo Smart cab hasn't installed anchorage points for the extended cab saying its illegal but yet again you have the Ford that has & all seems ok for the Ford

So I am in the process of engineering the required mounts (from internet rescources  ) for my Vigo

PS : Not worried about insurance companies as personel injury should only be void for those in back 

[petedk]

They can make all the laws they want. There is only one thing that would really help....

Strictly enforce the the existing laws.

Sent from my BLL-L22 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[darksidedog]

Removing vehicles from the road that are in an unsafe condition would go a long way.

How many brake failures do we hear of? How many vehicles have got totally bald tires?

There are a bunch of vehicles out there that should have been scrapped a long time ago, and these are more likely to be in an accident than a new one.

 

 

[jaltsc]

1 hour ago, Ahab said:

People drive like idiots in Thailand. Speeding is the norm, passing on blind turns is common, driving the wrong direction (on the highway shoulder) is fairly common. What is truely amazing is that more people don't die on the roads than already do.

They do...Sort of. Thailand artificially reduces the number of road fatalities by limiting Road Deaths to those who die at the scene of the crash. All those who die after they leave the scene (In the ambulance or hospital) are not counted as Road Deaths. Considering that most people fatally injured in road crashes are pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital (DOA), most people killed in automobile related crashes aren't reported as such in Thailand. 

 

[ChrisY1]

Seat belts in extended cabs should be the manufacturers issue...after all, they put "seats" in the back.

But in the truck bin.....totally stupid idea...the weather would render them useless in no time as UV resistant materials, especially the stitching, is not used.

[Pimay1]

I'm confused which is not unusual. After Songkran will it be unlawful to have passengers in the extended cab (back seat) even if they are using seat belts?

Edited April 8, 2017 by Pimay1

[Ulic]

Jail the driver and owner of the pickup truck 3 years for every passenger that dies while riding

in the back of a pickup. No accident, no harm no foul. However if the vehicle is involved in an

accident and passengers are killed they suffer the consequences of there stupid decisions.

[onemorechang]

4 hours ago, AGareth2 said:

in the land of money a big carrot works better

Yes. why not  give a good insensitive to the cops.

up the fine by say 10% give that straight to the cop writing the ticket .

He may start to do his job then.

Win Win , i would say

 

 

[tandor]

..make it illegal to throw water at any motor cyclist.

[tandor]

..

Edited April 8, 2017 by tandor
duplicated

[transam]

I am not an academic but I for sure could write a list of stuff to save lives but for sure they will not be policed because in LOS nobody cares about anything...........

[Destiny1990]

They have some valid points.by the way max max speed better 80 km for pick ups.most excident involved drunk driving so go after that seriously and yes ban them from highways.

[onemorechang]

32 minutes ago, transam said:

I am not an academic but I for sure could write a list of stuff to save lives but for sure they will not be policed because in LOS nobody cares about anything...........

Yes all true.

But they do care about money,  (money number one )

Give them some of the spoils,  it may work.

Everything else has failed,  Thailand  cant just do the same thing every day

year in year out. that's just dumb.

Its cash incentive time.

Edited April 8, 2017 by onemorechang

[starky]

TV must be having a field day. It's gold. Thread after thread and page after page of debate by what apparently must be so many expert falangs with all the answers to Thailand's problems and yet absolutely no say in it whatsoever. IMO why do the head miles? Just accept that it is what it is, there will be no enforcement, probably very little change to the status quo and no reduction in road deaths. Must be extremely frustrating for so many of you to live here.

[transam]

1 minute ago, onemorechang said:

Yes all true.

But they do care about money,  (money number one )

Give them some of the spoils,  it may work.

Everything else has failed,  Thailand  cant just do the same thing every day

year in year out. that's just dumb.

Its cash incentive time.

Cash...."FINE".....time.............

[Moonlover]

48 minutes ago, tandor said:

..make it illegal to throw water at any motor cyclist.

As a motorcyclist myself, I like it, A German friend of mine suffered a broken ankle last year due to this dangerous and stupid behaviour.  But would it not be yet another rule that will be ignored?

 

And on that note, my M/C will be locked away during the holiday period!

[billd766]

5 hours ago, tbthailand said:

no kidding... 

 

This "government" is clueless... But, hey, submarines!

 

I sort of agree with you but only if you include all the civilian governments who have failed to enforce the law, including the government that passed the law in the first place. But, hey, rice scheme anyone? 

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Ulic said:

Jail the driver and owner of the pickup truck 3 years for every passenger that dies while riding

in the back of a pickup. No accident, no harm no foul. However if the vehicle is involved in an

accident and passengers are killed they suffer the consequences of there stupid decisions.

 

Even if the accident was not their fault but caused by other drivers? The Benz guy who killed 2 in a Honda Jazz (though it could have been a pickup, or the underage, no licence, no insurance (but very rich Daddy and Mummy) who killed 9 passengers in a minibus on the elevated tollway.

 

Not the other drivers fault at all so would you blame them for that?

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, Pimay1 said:

I'm confused which is not unusual. After Songkran will it be unlawful to have passengers in the extended cab (back seat) even if they are using seat belts?

This topic was discussed in the following thread:

 

I suggest you pay it a visit.