It's not enough to hold your child in a car - why Thais are being told to use car seats.

[Oceanbat]

Rubbish indeed. More child deaths here than pretty much anywhere in the world from kids being launched through windshields and crushed on the ground from motor bike crashes. That's not really the point here. I live here, I have a Thai wife and a Thai born son. We have a child seat on both cars and when we travel we make sure the Hotel that picks us up has a child seat in the car. We are lucky for two reasons. 1. we can afford it and 2. we actually love our son and we would be devastated if something happened to him that could have been prevented by us. Not everyone is born equal and not everyone loves their kids the same. They are FACTS.  Most people don't think it will ever happen to them.  Self worth, the value you place on your children is something very visible. Look around, you can see people who don't give a f..k here everywhere. They don't care about themselves they surely don't give a shit about you. Making car seats mandatory is like the 'Helmet Law' it's there but no one cares or even Polices it.  You are on your own here that's is for sure!  ;-)  Happy traveling!

With you on this. Ours don't travel in cars without child seats unless absolutely necessary i.e. Taxi sometimes

OB


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[Golden Triangle]

Only Three points to make.

 

Every one seems to agree that Thailand is approximately 30 years behind the rest of the world in car/bike/truck/bus/coach/minibus safety and that it is in fact a case of 'work in progress' I sincerely hope that they can catch up sooner than that.

 

Secondly, what would Captain James T Kirk or John Luc Picard make of this mess if they had one of their invisible hideouts observing the locals, I have a feeling that they would call it barbaric and stupid but due to Starfleet rules were unable to respond or assist as they sat helplessly watching the indigenous population wipe themselves out.

 

And lastly, having to get up at some stupid o clock in the morning I had the local news on the TV,  a new mother, on her way home from the hospital on the back of a bike, I assume the father was driving, the swaddling cloth they had around the New Born, flapping in the breeze, said cloth wrapped itself around the rear wheel, baby and all, whether that baby survived or not I don't know as I never had any follow up, but to me personify's the total lack of regard for safety of children in this country.

 

If a child dies they will just have another, that is how Buddha works.

 

[garbolino]

12 hours ago, quadperfect said:

Every day i see a few dozen familys on motorbikes and a few dozen moms with infants in bamboo seats in front of them.

Why even bother with a article like this. 

This is just another article that shows how far thailand is behind in road safety.

I am guessing about 30 years from now thais will have similar road safety as to western worlds today.

But in 30 years the west will have high speed guided transport and thailand will have baby car seats and law enforcement .

there IS NO LAW enforcement except in the case of farangs....i have seen as many as 5 on a motorbike.....  countless riders NO HELMETS  many non strapped passengers in back of pickups....need I say anymore....Oh and many motorbikes with NO MIRRORS ....new ones at that...

[Davejf2017]

If the Thai family can afford a car they can afford child seats.

[thhMan]

It really depends on the value a parent puts on their child.... Perhaps hold off on a new car or new TV for a while...

[janclaes47]

12 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Thais just don't seem to understand any of the concepts of road safety,

 

 

I told my ex that the son had to wear a helmet when her mom took him to school.

 

She answered, my mom doesn't ride where the police checks.

 

I told her, this is not about police checks, but staying alive when you get an accident.

 

She then answered, my mom doesn't get accident.

 

That is where I gave up.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, phetpeter said:

I love all this baby sir will save your life etc. but, when I was born in1957, there was no seat belts or baby seats. The baby wrap up snug in there cocoon wrapping probably has a better chance of survival than in the seat! plus just in case the new mum drops the baby! Oh! I am still here and kicking. Sure some people have accidents, and some people die. But today in my town nobody crashed, nobody died and certainly no babies died from motor accidents. Sure a few motorbike idiots when down, banged up a bit, but no deaths.and no young children on the bikes that went down because most had a caring parent driving carefully.

This is the uneducated post of the day... week or even year... The stupidity of 'I didn't have a baby seat and I'm ok' comment is extreme.... Those who were in an accident without a child seat are either dead, brain damaged or extremely lucky... 

 

In fact - the above post is so galatically stupid it has to be a troll... 

[chrisinth]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

and we all know most people always plan for all contingencies , especially Thais   

Many people , not only Thais, dont realize the physics of a crash, but even when they do, they have to make difficult choices.

    We in the west became wise to the subject only after advocacy groups fought for it and we resisted,  eventually government adopted   but we still resisted. and eventually  most of as, not all fell in line.

Thailand is at a different stage of their development, and have to make difficult  choices.

Unfunded mandates can have a negative affect.  Why do you think we have a negative population growth rate in the west? do you think its because we dont like Boom Boom ?

There is a cost to the Nanny state.

Your points on western evolution of road safety are spot on.

 

I'm not especially old (under 60) and neither myself, my two brothers or my sister ever were put in a baby seat. And a more protective set of parents you wouldn't find. I wonder how many people on this thread of a similar age were protected with baby seats when they were of that age? 

[Queenslander]

 

 

It was said 30 years ago, it stands today…Thailand is all 'Smoke and Mirrors'…say it, get your name in lights…then forget all about it.

[Tofer]

Is there a child seat made to fit the drivers seat? From what I've seen kids are now driving cars not just motorbikes!

 

I thought also that the majority of deaths on the road were motorcyclists, surely that should be the priority to remove kids from the one arm dangle or bamboo seat wedged in front. I've even seen a child (3-4 years old) sitting on the petroleum tank of his parents trendy road bike. Not to mention those that actually drive the motorbike as young as about 8-9....

 

That old argument about what the locals can afford doesn't wash. When I was a kid we didn't have a car, we caught buses!

[richard_smith237]

It is a little known fact that most Western countries are behind when it comes to child safety in cars. 

 

In Sweden a Child has to be rear-facing in their car seat until 4 years old. 

 

 

This is not so in the UK, infact there is little information in the UK supporting this but the trend is slowly shifting. 

 

 

 

I am quite OCD about this issue and heavily researched car seats for my Son. I ended up purchasing a little heard of brand (Clek) which isn't even available or certified in the UK and hence not legal in the UK (I use it in Thailand) - But, it is the best and safest car seat I have found (Clek Foonf - purchased in Singapore).

[Dodgydownunder]

The very loving and caring parents of a five year old boy (neighbours of mine) let their child sit on the dashboard facing the rear. That will work very well in the event of a crash.

[dinsdale]

Thais think seat belts are dangerous. They really have no idea and that's the way the top 5% want it.

[Dodgydownunder]

 

A Thai airbag.

[anon4637435435]

My wife and i didnt contemplate this being a choice or not. My wifes Thai and she insisted. Her sister also. Upbringing perhaps?. Nothing wrong with a little education for the masses. So long as they are listening.

Come to think of it we dont know anyone else thats used them. People must have thought we were weird...

[richard_smith237]

At Bumrungrad hospital I see wealthy Thai's in expensive cars (some with chauffeur drivers) pull up and their kids are unrestrained... seeming wealthy and educated Thai's are simply uneducated when it comes to child safety. 

 

I know of few Thai's who use a child seat in their car... their usual excuse is that their child doesn't like it. 

 

Now our son is 3.5 yrs old the car seat is like 'baby heroin'... As soon as he's strapped in he falls asleep (most of the time).

 

 

 

[eeyang wah]

4 hours ago, janejira said:

The assistant nurse at the hospital I delivered in here suggested we take our newborn out of the carseat on the way home from the hospital because.. we weren't travelling far and baby didn't seem to like it.

 

This was not a suggestion in passing; she was insistent the whole way from the nursery to the hospital entrance and while waiting for my husband to pull up the car.

 

We did not take her advice. But I was almost made to feel guilty for putting my baby in a carseat.

 

 

You just can't fix stupid.

 

Amazing that they think they can save an infant by just holding tightly in an accident, but doubly retarded to think they can somehow accomplish this while not wearing a seatbelt themselves! 

[eeyang wah]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

Dorothy just cant accept she is not in Kansas any more.

 

When my sister's in law job moved further away, she had to give it up because she could hardly afford the gas to get there in what they paid her. and she had a good office job in a beverage distribution company.

Safety precautions are great, but one has to put a roof over ones head, food in their belly , buy medicine for their sick Mom first. etc

Many Farangs just can appreciate that millions of Thais live in less than a Farang beer budget.

 

They can afford a car but not a 2,000 baht seat to save their child's life? Sorry but I don't think it's a question of budget. 

[mok199]

i was fined 400bt last year,i was wearing my belt but my 3yr old boy was not,after the officer gave us the ticket he allowed my boy to continue on with out a belt...WHO IS SURPRISED ...CA CHING CA CHING...

[sirineou]

Just now, eeyang wah said:

They can afford a car but not a 2,000 baht seat to save their child's life? Sorry but I don't think it's a question of budget. 

the point is that they can hardly afford the gas to run the car to go to work.

Did you ever try to stuff a baby seat in the gas tank ,? It takes hours.

[eeyang wah]

38 minutes ago, Dodgydownunder said:

The very loving and caring parents of a five year old boy (neighbours of mine) let their child sit on the dashboard facing the rear. That will work very well in the event of a crash.

I've been trying to think of a name for this. 

We all know the kid on the front of a bike is known as an "airbag" but how about the kid sitting or standing in between the front seats of a car? "Windshield Rocket"? "Surface-to-air-missile"? 

 

[eeyang wah]

3 hours ago, NoBrainer said:

The experts agreed that Thailand should follow the example of the west in the use and implementation of car seats.

 

This has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard as a recommendation to the This populous.  I think it would be far more prudent to start with the millions of people who ride on motorcycles

hold their children in their arms, or just let them stand somewhere on the bike, while neither the parents, or the child (children) are wearing any type of protection period.

 

And now they want to try to implement baby seats. How many models are available for a Honda Dream, or other small motorcycle?

 

Where would they be mounted? Replace the front basket with a baby seat? 

 

Thailand is still a Third World country, and will remain so for another few decades, at least, if due to nothing else, than just the education system alone.  Rote learning & rampant cheating at all levels, buying of positions, rather

than earning them based on merit, does not stimulate practical thought or common sense. Until that issue has been addressed, then this country is not going to magically turn into Singapore.

 

It's no wonder that anyone that can afford to, will send their children to be educated abroad.

 

So let's stop thinking about car seats for babies, and start tackling real issues.

 

 

*LIKE*

Very much.

Great post. 

[Prbkk]

Wait for it to become mandatory and see which of the crony families gets the rights to import the recommended brand.

[Alantct]

*LIKE*
Very much.
Great post. 

I wonder also how they will organise a baby seat that fits in the back of a smartcab.
Half the Thai population have trucks with no rear seatbelts.
Are they going to subsidise retrofits to be able to fit the baby seats?
Yet another stupid plan by the government.
Yes we all agree it's safer to use a car seat and do I wish everyone stayed safe ? Yes of course but these pointless plans and new laws are so insanely thought out the mind boggles.


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[leeedwards]

When we first had the portable in out baby car seat it took a few major arguments for my wife to stop putting in on the front seat where there's an airbag. Second phase arguments were when I caught her coming back in her sister's car holding my son, because the sister has a child in the car seat and they just all had to go in the one car. After the initial argument in front of everyone and me physically going out to check the car when they get back, I now find my son always in the seat. I still worry for my niece but you can't tell these so called intelligent people. Whether be on bikes with no helmet or in cars with no seat belts, drives me mad. Impound the vehicles of these morons. 

[phetpeter]

I am amazed about the number of slain infants littering the roadside after being shot through the windscreens of uncaring parents driving their 2.8 ltr 4x4 deluxe esan pickup, that if its got a windscreen. Lets get it right most car owners are struggling to pay the loans, most buyers of new cars are young single people with careers. Not young families with a baby in the car. The young ones with babies are altogether on their only motorbike, struggling due to bad family planning and very low paid jobs. Perhaps the women with a new baby in the car are the wives of husband from aboard.

[TheLobster]

14 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

just the other day i saw a Thai women hold her new born baby in one arm while talking on her cellphone at the same time with the other hand. she was just hanging on the back not holding on to anything while her husband drives the scooter.

 

Thailand is a long way from car seats.

Pertinent as usual 

 

The thing that really, really, really, annoys me is the amount of 'Farangs' that I see on Samui copying the locals with 3 or 4 on a motorbike !

 

But worse than that, I see the 'Farang' adults with helmets but none on the kids ! What sort of parents are these?

Edited July 1, 2017 by TheLobster
clarification

[realenglish1]

I have talked about this for years here in Thailand Even my sister in law was holding onto her son and the car was involved in an accident Her boy was hurt but fortunately not serious Now you would think that would open her eyes and she would start using car seats NO  she is not same old routine. It is the resposabilty of the Thai goverment to educate and pass a law that requires the use of a child seat 

 

But they will not They will use the excuse that the poor cannot afford one. Well can anyone afford to have their son or daughter killed ? Think about that 

[bangkokairportlink]

"holding onto your child tightly would save them in the event of an accident"

 

It's enough to understand the development of people brain in this country...

 

Not only they are totally stupid, but they also live as Internet did not exist or was only facebook...

 

Pity is the only thing that all this inspire me.

 

 

[bangkokairportlink]