Motorbike accident deaths: Thailand number one in the world

[Dumbastheycome]

As per usual  it would seem clear that the  consensus of  opinion is  that the  lack of  consistent law enforcement is the  main problem. And   <deleted>  to those  who say enforcement is  harsh on the poor  etc.

It is  the  lack of  any  incentive  to  respect the  practical intent  of  many  laws that  allows the  arrogant defiance of  any responsibility. 

And  from  witnessed situations  that  includes   far too  many of  the  RTP.

 

 

[fusion58]

Nothing will ever change, because they don't know what they don't know, and they're not interested in finding out.

[Damrongsak]

1 hour ago, fusion58 said:

Nothing will ever change, because they don't know what they don't know, and they're not interested in finding out.

You mean people like my sister-in-law?  She came into the house one hot day recently and turned on the air conditioning in the living room.  She didn't bother shutting any windows. 

[anon4546543]

Young men are always risk takers. A world wide problem. Nothing new in Thailand, land of the motor cycle and scooter. The fact young cyclists die more often is not surprising, just sad.  

[sarwardee]

Young men are always risk takers. A world wide problem. Nothing new in Thailand, land of the motor cycle and scooter. The fact young cyclists die more often is not surprising, just sad.  

The loud mufflers make them feel tough - while everyone else suffers


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[chrissables]

9 hours ago, sarwardee said:

The most reckless riders - and ones that are risking their lives trying to impress their stupid friends - are always the (small) bikes with the loudest muffler.

The sound they produce makes the rider feel big and tough. This outward sign of masculinity is only needed by boys worried about the small size of their penis.

Immediately make these off-market offensive mufflers Illegal and help solve this disaster; if it saves one life, it's been worth it.


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They are illegal.

[DILLIGAD]

They are illegal.

Now that quoted post & the reply, maybe highlight the REAL problem!


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[YetAnother]

it is a social problem; another offshoot of the number 1 horror here= mai pen rai

[akirasan]

12 hours ago, sarwardee said:

The most reckless riders - and ones that are risking their lives trying to impress their stupid friends - are always the (small) bikes with the loudest muffler.

The sound they produce makes the rider feel big and tough. This outward sign of masculinity is only needed by boys worried about the small size of their penis.

Immediately make these off-market offensive mufflers Illegal and help solve this disaster; if it saves one life, it's been worth it.


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There's actually a bit of a push to comply with your suggestion.  

I went into a shop the other day to ask about a yoshimura exhaust for my bike (note: bike, not a scooter) and was told CANNOT because the police are cracking down on loud exhausts in Surin.  He tried to sell me some tin can piece of rubbish instead which I'm sure would have been even louder. 

But at least the thought is there..kind of..

[sarwardee]

it is a social problem; another offshoot of the number 1 horror here= mai pen rai

In Australia, we have an identical phrase "She'll be right mate"


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[fusion58]

It's merely a symptom of a deeper societal problem, i.e., the fact that Thais do not mature beyond a ~13 year-old level of emotional and social (and, all too often, intellectual) development.

[Maggusoil]

Most locals up my way get on a motorbike around the age of six. As most families produce more than one sibling and or they live with or next door to other relatives, its not long before the kids start ferrying each other to school. This is partly due to the parents being involved in other activities, which could range form working to drinking or both together as breakfast up my way is not consumed with 'orange juice'. Also partly due to economics.

 

I am not aware if any road sense is taught to the kids. They are expected to absorb road sense from their peers and or parents. What was that? 

 

One would also think that the road worthiness of motorbikes would require the awareness that a motor bike in the dark with no tail lights is difficult to see. There doesn't seem to be any connection with these thoughts.The issue of road worthiness of vehicles seems to be lost for instance on riding motorbikes at night with no tail lights etc.

 

 

[Lucky mike]

More.....education is key to behaviour change.  The needs to be addressed as part of the school curriculum encouraging use of protection and the ramifications if not adhered too.....perhaps police should be teaching road behaviour and graphic examples of non compliance ?

[DILLIGAD]

More.....education is key to behaviour change.  The needs to be addressed as part of the school curriculum encouraging use of protection and the ramifications if not adhered too.....perhaps police should be teaching road behaviour and graphic examples of non compliance ?

Sounds a good idea but that would change nothing. I work in a Uni with approx 13,000 students. Crash helmets MUST be worn on campus with guards controlling it. Most students carry the said helmets in baskets or in hand up until entering the Uni.

 

Education is completely pointless without policing the roads & harsh fines.

 

 

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[anon4546543]

1 hour ago, DILLIGAD said:

Sounds a good idea but that would change nothing. I work in a Uni with approx 13,000 students. Crash helmets MUST be worn on campus with guards controlling it. Most students carry the said helmets in baskets or in hand up until entering the Uni.

 

Education is completely pointless without policing the roads & harsh fines.

 

 

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I enforce scooter helmet use on the children (of my Thai wife) Because I purchased the bikes, I can do this. They are the only kids around here to wear helmets and decent ones, not the cheap crap ones that I see at Tesco. I wish driving and bike riding lessons could be taught at the schools. But that is asking for too much.

It is mostly young men that die on the roads here and that is true throughout the world. Maybe it is The Darwinian Rule in force. Either way, penalties may not stop the carnage. Age and maturity does seem to work eventually. At least it did with me.   

[wavemanwww]

11 hours ago, chrissables said:

They are illegal.

Illega? Thailand has more laws than Farlang . The only difference which is a big one! We actually enforce our laws.

 

By the way Chris you state Chris is not a Thai name yet no response to Nationality when I asked but INFER Chris is a Western/Farlang name ! Well Chris my Thai wifes surname before I married her and had been married to a Thai is WILAS Wow that is a Farlang sounding name to.

 

Final question are you working for thai govt social media to represent an insane alternative debate?

[pentap]

Under aged kids riding motorbikes illegally. More than two persons on one motorbike. Not wearing helmets and so on, and normally in plain view of the police!

I used to have sympathy for mostThai people but after a short period of time, I came to realise that they don't seem to care, and sadly I've no sympathy at all. They know the law and the risks they take! In trueThai style: UP TO THEM!

I'm a motorbike rider and get stopped at many police check points. I've all the legal requirements and it gives me great pleasure to be able to demonstrate to the authorities that I, a lowly foreigner, can demonstrate that I have respect for the road and law plus myself, unlike the many locals caught out, queuing in the hot sunshine waiting to pay their fines.




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[Dumbastheycome]

7 hours ago, Lucky mike said:

More.....education is key to behaviour change.  The needs to be addressed as part of the school curriculum encouraging use of protection and the ramifications if not adhered too.....perhaps police should be teaching road behaviour and graphic examples of non compliance ?

Can not agree.  Most  know  what is  legal and know it  can be mostly  if  not deliberately ignored .  Mandatory  enforcement  would at  least temporarily  create wealthy police  legitimately at the same time as   reducing  the mayhem !

Making excuses  for  the  "poor"  is as  bogus as excusing the  rich ! Statistically  it is  the so called poor  who  actually cause  the majority of road deaths by blatantly operating unsafe vehicles in an unsafe  manner.

If there is  to be  any generally effective  education it would to  suit the new  focus  of  being attained  via the  wallet !

[digibum]

As someone who rides a motorcycle in the US, I can say that motorcycling is considerably more difficult than driving a car.  To stay alive you need to be an ultra-defensive driver.  With a motorcycle it doesn't matter who's fault it is, you're still the one who is going to pay the highest price in terms of pain or possibly with your life.  That says nothing about the fact that I also won't even ride unless I'm wearing full protective gear, boots, kevlar lined jeans, jacket with body armor, leather gloves, and a helmet.  

 

You get really good at spotting behaviors in drivers ahead of you and knowing what they're going to do before even they do.  See that car drifting to the right?  Yeah, he's going to pull into the right hand lane.  He's thinking about it and subconsciously he's already moving the car in that direction.  I can see that other guy is texting, I'm going to put a car between me and him as a buffer.  And the car over there is obviously following GPS and has no idea where they're going.  They could turn right or left with no notice.  I'm going to speed past them on the straightaway up here to get well clear of them.  

 

In motorcycle training they stress over and over again, be thinking two or three steps ahead.  They give you scenario after scenario and ask what action would you take?  Sure, you could brake and weave right but now you're pinned against a curb and have no exit.  Why not accelerate, weave left and head towards this zone that has has additional exit points?  

 

But I would imagine that 90% of Thais think operating a car is much more difficult than riding a motorbike.  Hell, people let their pre-teen children operate motorbikes so how hard could it be, right?  Combine that with a culture that tends not about the consequences of their actions and Thailand's fatality rates should be of zero surprise.  In fact, they're inevitable.  

 

 

[anon4546543]

2 hours ago, digibum said:

As someone who rides a motorcycle in the US, I can say that motorcycling is considerably more difficult than driving a car.  To stay alive you need to be an ultra-defensive driver.  With a motorcycle it doesn't matter who's fault it is, you're still the one who is going to pay the highest price in terms of pain or possibly with your life.  That says nothing about the fact that I also won't even ride unless I'm wearing full protective gear, boots, kevlar lined jeans, jacket with body armor, leather gloves, and a helmet.  

 

You get really good at spotting behaviors in drivers ahead of you and knowing what they're going to do before even they do.  See that car drifting to the right?  Yeah, he's going to pull into the right hand lane.  He's thinking about it and subconsciously he's already moving the car in that direction.  I can see that other guy is texting, I'm going to put a car between me and him as a buffer.  And the car over there is obviously following GPS and has no idea where they're going.  They could turn right or left with no notice.  I'm going to speed past them on the straightaway up here to get well clear of them.  

 

In motorcycle training they stress over and over again, be thinking two or three steps ahead.  They give you scenario after scenario and ask what action would you take?  Sure, you could brake and weave right but now you're pinned against a curb and have no exit.  Why not accelerate, weave left and head towards this zone that has has additional exit points?  

 

But I would imagine that 90% of Thais think operating a car is much more difficult than riding a motorbike.  Hell, people let their pre-teen children operate motorbikes so how hard could it be, right?  Combine that with a culture that tends not about the consequences of their actions and Thailand's fatality rates should be of zero surprise.  In fact, they're inevitable.  

 

 

As someone that rides a cycle in US just about sums it up. I don't live in the US nor want to. I live in Thailand and there are no real rules here, bikes and cars veer all the time. In a small country that is overpopulated this is to be expected. Especially when there is no formal training given to car of bike drivers. Move on

[Damrongsak]

Only had one motorcycle crash in Thailand back around 1978 when 2 kids on a Honda 50 blew straight through a t-intersection on the far side of a box truck. I hit them broadside right between the driver's and passenger's legs - they were lucky.  I did a nice Superman impression, flying over the bars of my Suzuki 125 dirt bike and landing on the slope of a ditch.  Carrying a full burlap bag of charcoal on the back didn't help matters.  Wobbled away from that with a bunch of sprained body parts.  I did have a good helmet.

 

Some years before when I was a motorcycle mechanic in the USA, I saw what I thought was a pretty good visual alert to car drivers.  A guy on a motorcycle driving by was open carrying a handgun on his right side and the girl passenger was carrying on the left side.  Plain as day, didn't need any day-glow paint.

 

 

[chrissables]

13 hours ago, wavemanwww said:

Illega? Thailand has more laws than Farlang . The only difference which is a big one! We actually enforce our laws.

 

By the way Chris you state Chris is not a Thai name yet no response to Nationality when I asked but INFER Chris is a Western/Farlang name ! Well Chris my Thai wifes surname before I married her and had been married to a Thai is WILAS Wow that is a Farlang sounding name to.

 

Final question are you working for thai govt social media to represent an insane alternative debate?

Illegal. i bought a big bike second hand, it came with an aftermarket exhaust, fined 1,000 baht.

 

I am English. All debate should have opposing views, if not it is not a debate. 

 

Please explain what you consider insane.

[canuckamuck]

The high death toll is the result of the debilitating condition CPDS or caution and planning deficiency syndrome. Until someone finds a cure, the carnage will continue unabated.

[ragpicker]

  I really don't understand what all the fuss is about.  As long as I can still do 90 km/h down Theppasit road and surrounding areas, I'm happy!!

 

[Jdiddy]

Hey look, its this thread again, with all the usual nanny state rules and regulation suggestions, this is Thailand guys

[lvr181]

2 hours ago, Jdiddy said:

Hey look, its this thread again, with all the usual nanny state rules and regulation suggestions, this is Thailand guys

Hope you feel good when u become innocent victim in accident.

[dcnx]

I guess people on bicycles don't die.

[Airbagwill]

On 11/04/2017 at 2:08 PM, darksidedog said:

I would be very interested to see if there was a statistic available, as to what percentage of motor bike deaths in Thailand, was attributable to the person NOT wearing a helmet.

I think you need to do a bit of reading it at least googling....there is a wealth of data to support the wearing of helmets...blame doesn't enter into it....its too late for that.

To get an idea get a friend to walk past you with a lump hammer and make sure it strikes you in the head......warning! This has the potential to crack your skull.....and that us just walking speed...now get them to do it whilst passing on a motorbike at 20 km........or if you like just fall flat on your face onto  concrete without breaking your fall......

 

[Airbagwill]

With ALL road incidents in Thailand it is what happens AFTER the initial act that makes Thailand so fatal....no helmets on bikes doesn't  stop the intitial incident but it hugely reduces the subsequent damage. The lack of efficient centrally controlled emergency services also contributes to the dismal death rates....the dismal state of the roads e.g.roadside hazards such as billboards and tree, also compounds the injuries sustained

[Airbagwill]

It is also worth bearing in mind that whilst human error is the root cause of up to around 90% of all RTAs, most incidents are not the result of rank stupidity or rash driving....they are usually the result of a millisecond's lack of attention and the blame  - If you insist on it is usually attributable in varying proportions to all parties involved  This is not the same as the law either.