Why does Thailand have so many traffic deaths?

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Because there is effectively no penalty for dangerous driving unless you get into a crash. If there was even a little enforcement on moving violations, the statistics would begin to change.

Yes, but that will never happen, the police are more concerned about collecting tea money than upholding the law, as there

is nothing in it for them personally if they stick to that.

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

How many are actually taught, legally, how to drive/ride in traffic, or even control a vehicle properly ?

Add this to the 'I am better than every other vehicle user on the road' mentality, and it is a recipe for complete disaster !

IMO. driving and riding require about 80% common sense, and that is just not in many Thais mindset.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, DGS1244 said:

Simple answer, Train the police to enforce the traffic laws, which has to include themselves.

Yes, but that will prevent them collecting their usual tea money, so it is not going to happen.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Just1Voice said:

Five or six years ago, Vietnam, who has as many motorbike riders as Thailand, seriously cracked down on motorbike riders.  No helmet?  They confiscate your bike.  You want it back?  Show up with a helmet, and pay a major fine. Driving recklessly or speeding?  They take your bike and hit you with a huge fine.  In less than two years they cut their motorbike accident and death rate in half.  

 

But then, they have an actual police force that enforces the law, totally unlike Thailand. 

 

 

As one poster said in a previous post, corruption has a lot to do with it. What is corruption like in Vietnam? I have no idea.

 

[edwinchester]

Why does Thailand have so many traffic deaths?

 

Because the people in a position to actually do something to reduce the carnage are either incompetent or don't give a shit. Thinking about it probably both.

[StreetCowboy]

Because they have a lot of motorcycles per head of population.  Most countries with a similar ratio or higher of motorcycles to cars have lower wealth, therefore a higher ratio of non- vehicle owners => less motorcycles => less deaths

[Emster23]

"A rule that is not enforced ceases to be a rule"

People's behavior will meet the level of expectations. Vietnam cracked down, and had positive results. Plenty of Westerners here sing praises "Thailand is not a nanny state", drive drunk, reckless, etc and think that is a good thing.

 

[chicowoodduck]

Why? The Thai folks do not have a clue about safe and sane driving....not rocket science.....??

[RikDao]

On just a practical level, Thais rarely seem to want to slow down on the highway. They try to change lanes no matter what, even if it means the car right behind them will run into the car making a right turn right in front of them. 

 

They don't seem to care. Well, not all of them are this way, but plenty are. 

 

My wife's brother drives like he has the brains and decision-making skills of a 9 year old, but there's a big hush in the car if I tell him to slow the f*** down, like I've questioned the King or something. I'll say, "His wife, sister, mother and son are in the car! Not to mention me!" Answer: "Brother know how to drive."

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, RikDao said:

On just a practical level, Thais rarely seem to want to slow down on the highway. They try to change lanes no matter what, even if it means the car right behind them will run into the car making a right turn right in front of them. 

 

They don't seem to care. Well, not all of them are this way, but plenty are. 

 

My wife's brother drives like he has the brains and decision-making skills of a 9 year old, but there's a big hush in the car if I tell him to slow the f*** down, like I've questioned the King or something. I'll say, "His wife, sister, mother and son are in the car! Not to mention me!" Answer: "Brother know how to drive."

 

I tend to agree with this observation that in general Thai's hate to slow down for anything... they will speed up to block pulling into another lane, they will speed up as the lights turn amber, they will speed up in so many situations where a cautionary touch of the brakes is a far more appropriate and safe approach. 

 

In fact, the only thing they do slow down for seems to be the speed bump where they forget that their vehicle has suspension and they almost come to a standstill as they crest the sleeping policeman.

 

It could be that it is this reluctance to be cautious and slow down that increase the frequency of accident and also exacerbates the injuries.

 

However, in truth the fundamental issues are a very basic: Lack of adequate enforcement of traffic rules, lack of general education, lack of driving education, poor road design (frequency of U-Turns).

[gios50hk]

This article is dreadfully misleading - eg: ''.....This is a civilized country with relatively good roads.....''

 

Firstly, Thailand may be many things - but it certainly IS NOT 'civilised' by any stretch of the imagination. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines a 'civilised' country as -

 

'A civilized society or country has a well developed system of government, culture, and way of life and that treats the people who live there fairly: A fair justice system is a fundamental part of a civilized society'.

 

There is not a well-developed government, nor does it treat people fairly (especially foreigners, or honest decent and law-abiding citizens). The justice (sic) system here is abysmally UNfair - and seems to be totally focused on helping criminals not only perpetrate their vile crimes on people but also ensuring  that they are protected against punishment in the extremely unlikely event that are actually caught or investigated.

 

Secondly, many roads are 'relatively' good - but even more are not! Large potholes, uneven and ridged surfaces are the order of the day and the number of roads I have gone down that have suddenly disintegrated into what resembles a ploughed field beggars belief!

 

If you are going to write inaccurate propagandist nonsense - at least have the decency of warning us first!

 

[Rimmer]

An over the top post has been removed

[iReason]

4 hours ago, pattjock said:

To compare  traffic death rate between countries where motorbikes is the main mode of daily transport for most of the population and countries where the portion of motorbike traffic is very small is like comparing apples with oranges.

 

Ridiculous assertion.

 

"Why does Thailand have so many traffic deaths?

"36.2 out of 100,000 people will lose their lives on Thai roads in any given year"

[ChrisY1]

Education......the system is broken and is deteriorating.....people throughout their learning years whilst at school and tertiary...don't learn much about life skills.

Then of course, laws here are not upheld or policed.....the cops, the authorities, educators, governments and etc......just don't understand.....and the elite in Thailand believe that's how it should be.

[janpharma]

According to death-toll one could hardly call Thailand a civilized country.   Education should start at school but even there they don't teach "logic thinking"...So, most of them even don't think...except to play facebook on their phones.  And...if they think (sometimes it happens) than it's only "me, me, ME first".

[connda]

Thais have minimalistic driving skills, traffic enforcement is limited to road blocks as opposed to using patrol cars which means that most of the really horrific driving is never sanctioned, and the sanctions for incredibly unsafe driving are relatively small fines that have no real value as a deterrent.  

Give you an example:  Here in Northern Thailand on Highway 11 we have a frontage road in the Amphur that merges at a 90 angle with the highway.  Immediately to the left of this intersection is a full sized, well constructed merge lane.  About 500 meters down the road is a U-turn in the median.  
95%+ of the locals who wish to head to the U-turn will make a full stop in the middle of the intersection (blocking it for all other traffic behind them), wait for highway traffic to clear (maybe), then cut 90 degrees across the highway to the 'fast' lane, and slowly accelerate toward the U-turn lane in the median.  Cars will have one set of wheels on the far right shoulder and one set on the pavements of the 'fast lane' forcing the 'fast-lane' traffic into the middle of the road or into the 'slow-lane' in order to pass.  It's suicidal.  And most everyone drives exactly like that.  Who taught these people their moronic method of driving?
Myself and a handful of other drivers will make the left into the clear merge lane, accelerate, and merge onto the highway at a reasonable speed to match the oncoming traffic from behind, check for traffic in the 'fast lane', safely merge into the 'fast lane' while adapting to the speed of the flow of traffic, signal a right-hand turn, and enter the right-hand exit-lane to decelerate to a stop at the U-turn at the median.  That's what a trained, sane driver does.  
There are very few trained, sane drivers on the roads in Thailand.  The government shows no will to change this model of driving insanity (other than paying frequent lip service to the carnage) so my guess is that Thailand will maintain that second place standing for years to come.  Obviously, they must think it's an honor to be second place in the world in some venue.  I'm none too optimistic.

[malibukid]

i have looked at fMRI studies. and Asian minds are literally   wired differently.  there is empirical proof that when test subject when given scenarios that predicted future outcomes the Asian population scored poorly.  areas in the brain that are used to predict consequences and make judgements  of future outcomes where not highlighted in the fMRI studies i looked at.  

the relevance to driving means that judgments like speed/stopping distance require the driver to think ahead.  passing another vehicle safely is another area that requires complex calculations. 

culture has a big impact on the developing brain. 

Edited June 25, 2017 by malibukid

[Destiny1990]

Insufficient training of theory rules behavior and practice before obtain license,Speed,unsafe road conditions,no direct improvement  of road part crossings where several severe accidents have been.

[pattjock]

1 hour ago, iReason said:

 

Ridiculous assertion.

 

"Why does Thailand have so many traffic deaths?

"36.2 out of 100,000 people will lose their lives on Thai roads in any given year"

Not sure how you reason?

 

To compare traffic death rate between a country like UK with 34milj cars and 1.3 milj motorcycles with a country like Thailand with 6milj cars and 15milj motorcycles make no sense at all when it's 31 times more likely you will die if you drive a motorbike.

 

I do agree that the mentality of the people here, including the police, also has a lot to do with it.

[fittobethaied]

There is simply no "one answer fits all" for this very complex issue.  The Thais have a very different concept of right and wrong, manners, courtesy and consequences of their actions than we do in the West.  In the US I was taught to drive "defensively", which means that we are to be on the lookout for the way the other guy is driving and when in doubt to give way to avoid an accident.  In this country they drive "offensively" which explains the "me first" mentality.  They are expecting everyone else to watch out for them as in the case of a pedestrian that crosses the street outside of a zebra crossing, or a motorbike that darts out from a side street without looking both ways to see what's coming at him, or the guy that jumps the green light thinking the other guy will observe his own red light, or the guy who runs the red light because he thinks the guy whose light just turned green will yield to him even though he's in the wrong. Or, take for example the guy in the US that flashes his lights as an indication for the other guy to go ahead, but here if someone flashes their lights it means get out of my way...I'm coming through. 

 

The irony in this selfish way of driving is that nobody is ever watching out for the other guy and the other guy is not watching out for you.  He is doing his own thing, never uses his rearview or side mirrors and is focused straight ahead solely on what he wants to do and where he wants to go, and all others are invisible to him.  Hence, until this selfish mentality changes, Thailand will continue to see carnage on the roads, and it will take generations to fix it. So, be careful out there guys, and don't ever trust or expect the other guy to do the right thing!   

[Odysseus123]

Because no Thai is ever allowed to say to another Thai that "You are a <deleted> bad driver!"

 

There are no social (let alone legal) constraints to becoming a bitumin psychopath in this country.

Edited June 25, 2017 by Odysseus123
clarity.

[4MyEgo]

7 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Because there is effectively no penalty for dangerous driving unless you get into a crash. If there was even a little enforcement on moving violations, the statistics would begin to change.

The article I read the other day where a police officer stopped some young school kids, I believe they were under the age of 15 and riding motorbikes. He stopped them because they were not wearing helmets, he made them do exercises on the side of the road as their penalty, just about says it all, he stated that imposing fines on them in monetary terms would create hardship on their families, with thinking like that, they will remain number 2 in the world, maybe they will soon get 1st place, for the biggest dump F's in the world !

[Been there done that]

Welcome to Animal Farm.

[Thaidream]

As much as I like individual Thai people- Thailand is undoubtedly the worst country for driving etiquette that I have ever driven in. I thought Mexico was bad until I came here.

 

I think one of the prior posters hit it on the head when he said no Thai driver worries about anyone else but himself.  They speed incessantly;  go from lane to lane; and almost never give way. Throw in the motorcycles sometimes driven by children and 3-4 people on a bike; lack of any licensing and sometimes no lights - you have all the ingredients for disaster. As a driver, i refuse to drive like they do- I driver extra defensively knowing that someone invariably is going to pull out from a side road; attempt to get too close to me; or simply cut me off. At a green light- I wait to make sure no one is going through the red light in the other direction and motorcycles are not driving the wrong way on the street. Driving is not fun in Thailand- it is serious business-especially when the police come to an accident site.

[RikDao]

4 hours ago, malibukid said:

i have looked at fMRI studies. and Asian minds are literally   wired differently.  there is empirical proof that when test subject when given scenarios that predicted future outcomes the Asian population scored poorly.  areas in the brain that are used to predict consequences and make judgements  of future outcomes where not highlighted in the fMRI studies i looked at.  

the relevance to driving means that judgments like speed/stopping distance require the driver to think ahead.  passing another vehicle safely is another area that requires complex calculations. 

culture has a big impact on the developing brain. 

Hmm, this is fascinating, and completely plausible to me.

 

It's not like I haven't suspected something like this with regard to Thailand, and have always thought it's a result of the Thai education system. Maybe it's more to do the Asian mind, as the above post says. 

 

Luckily, I'm rarely in a hurry to get someplace in this country. Quite the contrary, in fact.

 

(Note: I started driving in Thailand less than a year ago, with a Nissan March, which is a tiny hatchback. Good car, I suppose, but WAY too small after I realized how it is to be driving in this country, something I swore I'd never do anyway. Now I have a small SUV-type vehicle, a Toyota Avànza, and I feel much, much safer). 

[bruceamstutz]

All you need to do is drive in Thailand for a few years and it will become very obvious why there are so many road related deaths.....

[Dave67]

On 2017-6-25 at 3:03 PM, malibukid said:

i have looked at fMRI studies. and Asian minds are literally   wired differently.  there is empirical proof that when test subject when given scenarios that predicted future outcomes the Asian population scored poorly.  areas in the brain that are used to predict consequences and make judgements  of future outcomes where not highlighted in the fMRI studies i looked at.  

the relevance to driving means that judgments like speed/stopping distance require the driver to think ahead.  passing another vehicle safely is another area that requires complex calculations. 

culture has a big impact on the developing brain. 

Agree .Having worked in Asia for 15 years one of the things that is lacking is the ability to plan and arrange interfaces between different parties. Many expats who actually employed to build railways will tell you the same. China do not program the construction of Railways they have a start and a  finish date and its all hands on deck to finish on time and not upset the Government. Hence quality and safety goes out the window

[RikDao]

 

Hey! It just hit me today!

 

Thai traffic fatalities are all coming back as dogs! 

 

Not only will they be settling some karmic debts, but they'll be real sure to be careful out on the roads! 

[YetAnother]

The problem is due to a Thai social attribute ,namely the complete disregard of all others

[Been there done that]

36 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

The problem is due to a Thai social attribute ,namely the complete disregard of all others

Disregard and unknowledgeable can be quite close together.