Thai road carnage: A MILLION injuries and 24,000 deaths per year, official admits

[rooster59]

Thai road carnage: A MILLION injuries and 24,000 deaths per year, official admits

 

Image: Daily News

 

The head of Thailand's anti drink driving foundation has pulled no punches in comments about the appalling state of the nation's roads.

 

Dr Thaejing Siripanich told Daily News that it was common knowledge that at least 24,000 people died each year in road accidents.

 

And he put the number of people injured at a staggering ONE MILLION per annum saying that ten per cent of these end up being disabled in some way.

 

Dr Thaejing said that the situation led to untold misery for the population with people robbed of life and a proper existence due to the carnage.

 

Not surprisingly he laid the blame for much of the death and injury at the door of drink driving.

 

Dr Thaejing was speaking ahead of a drink drive campaign that will be mounted in Bangkok on Friday to coincide with the annual Loy Krathong celebrations. Loy Krathong is the traditional candle-lit boat floating festival.

 

Dr Thaejing said that it was widely accepted that accidents increase at various festival times and he cited New Year, Chinese New Year, Songkran and Loy Krathong.

 

At the one day Loy Krathong festival last year there were 189 dead and 19,869 injured on the roads. In addition there were 48 water related deaths such as drownings. 

 

Friday will see the anti drink driving foundation join forces with police, Bangkok authorities and the private sector in mounting a parade in the Ramkhamhaeng area of Bangkok. 

 

It is entitled "Loy Krathong Anti Drink Driving Campaign".  

 

The parade will start and finish at the Honda Safe Driving Center at Ramkhamhaeng Soi 127 and take in the National Stadium, Ramkhamhaeng University campus, Rama 9 Road and The Mall on its campaign journey.

 

Source: Daily News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-10-28

[z42]

Absolutely abhorrent. The sheer stupidity of a decent % of those behind the wheel / handlebars is the chief culprit.

The cops are too lazy and inept to do anything, but it is a gargantuan task that without any huge smartening of the population will only look worse in future years.

Incidentally went to Cambodia recently and the driving standards and attitudes there are even more pathetic than here ?

[darksidedog]

While I agree that drink driving is extremely stupid and dangerous, that is not the biggest reason for the amount of death and carnage on Thailands roads. Abysmal driving by selfish drivers, combined with an incompetent police force who do nothing to curb terrible driving is way higher on the list to my mind. Fix them both and many lives will be saved.

[khwaibah]

26 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Thai road carnage: A MILLION injuries and 24,000 deaths per year, official admits

 

We told you sooooooooo.

[selftaopath]

15 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

While I agree that drink driving is extremely stupid and dangerous, that is not the biggest reason for the amount of death and carnage on Thailands roads. Abysmal driving by selfish drivers, combined with an incompetent police force who do nothing to curb terrible driving is way higher on the list to my mind. Fix them both and many lives will be saved.

I am certain Thais would choose the carnage to continue rather than abide by the rules of the road. Self discipline v corruption they will choose corruption EVERY TIME. 

[4MyEgo]

Enforce helmets to be warn, but will anyone pay attention, apart from the Buddha himself, Zzzz O''' zzz ?

[4MyEgo]

16 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

While I agree that drink driving is extremely stupid and dangerous, that is not the biggest reason for the amount of death and carnage on Thailands roads. Abysmal driving by selfish drivers, combined with an incompetent police force who do nothing to curb terrible driving is way higher on the list to my mind. Fix them both and many lives will be saved.

I reckon if you added a mandatory police attitude to anyone not wearing a helmet who gets fined more than once for not wearing one, should not be aloud to ride a motorbike for a year, add another two years for every time they get caught riding a bike without one.

 

Less split heads on the road saves lives.

[darksidedog]

2 minutes ago, selftaopath said:

I am certain Thais would choose for the carnage to continue rather than abide by the rules of the road. Self discipline v corruption they will choose corruption EVERY TIME. 

I tend to agree with your view, though mostly because whilst Thais understand corruption exceedingly well, I very much doubt many of them have even heard of the concept of self discipline, let alone have the first clue what it actually means. "Me first" is the only thing they know.

[4MyEgo]

 

[ezzra]

A one day holiday in Thailand equate to a hundred or more dead

and god knows how many injurered, the sad part is that Thailand has

no shortage of days off and holidays...and yet, more holiday are added

every year. but i'm sure that nearly 900 million baht spent on the new

breathalyzers will surly bring theses numbers down...Yeah right...

[mercman24]

WHAT HAPPENED to the not riding in the back of pick up trucks i'll tell ya, nothing, Thais arrive here at Jomtien beach weekends with 6 to 8 kids and adults crammed in the back of pick ups right in front of the toy town cops, not a word is said.

[Cadbury]

13 minutes ago, ezzra said:

A one day holiday in Thailand equate to a hundred or more dead

and god knows how many injurered, the sad part is that Thailand has

no shortage of days off and holidays...and yet, more holiday are added

every year. but i'm sure that nearly 900 million baht spent on the new

breathalyzers will surly bring theses numbers down...Yeah right...

Expensive breathalyzers and speed cameras are not looked upon as tools to improve road safety. They are just revenue earners for both the government and the police. With the police deciding who gets what.

[swoods58]

29 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

Wow. That video will make me drive more carefully. 

[Cadbury]

29 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I reckon if you added a mandatory police attitude to anyone not wearing a helmet who gets fined more than once for not wearing one, should not be aloud to ride a motorbike for a year, add another two years for every time they get caught riding a bike without one.

 

Less split heads on the road saves lives.

Vietnamese police are dynamite on helmets. I suspect most of the fines go into the hip pockets but at about US$10 a hit it has got them wearing helmets. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Priorities... Priorities....

 

Anyone got any submarines or tanks for sale? Price is no object....

[Jeremy50]

Shocking, but in the land of corruption and apathy, the population just shrugs off such serious issues, and the police are too busy collecting their 'tea money'. Don't expect the situation to change soon, if ever.

[soistalker]

1 hour ago, z42 said:

Incidentally went to Cambodia recently and the driving standards and attitudes there are even more pathetic than here ?

This is untrue. I rode my motorcycle with my wife on the back from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and back last Christmas. That's a six+ hour ride on the freeway each way.

Try driving a motorcycle on the freeway in Thailand for six hours.

I thought Koreans were bad drivers when I lived in Seoul. But they are nothing compared to Thais. I've never seen people drive this poorly, and I've lived in five Asian countries. 

In countries where the police do not enforce the traffic laws (Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Vietnam) people will drive like <deleted>...because the can.

Thais drive like <deleted>....BIG <deleted>.

[Thunder26]

I don't think drinking is the main culprit. I think the lack of discipline on the road is the main reason. Riding bikes in flip flops and with no helmets, often on the wrong side of the road. Another big factor is not keeping safe distance between cars. Most drivers are oblivious to see the danger in tailing other cars. Lack of responsibility, like speeding, not checking mirrors, not showing indicators or getting into the main road without looking. 

The other day on my way to Sattahip a moron almost shoved me off the road!

The sad thing police does nothing to stop these morons! 

[canopus1969]

Calm down people, it's only a way to control the population numbers  

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

I tend to agree with your view, though mostly because whilst Thais understand corruption exceedingly well, I very much doubt many of them have even heard of the concept of self discipline, let alone have the first clue what it actually means. "Me first" is the only thing they know.

Me first,me now,me only

[Thian]

Thank you Thai police! You can give yourself a big reward for that..

 

 

[YetAnother]

37 minutes ago, canopus1969 said:

Calm down people, it's only a way to control the population numbers  

Somehow I cannot reconcile Thai and self control

[samsensam]

 

the vast majority of locals dont have a great education (even if they have been to university), awareness or experience of anything different this way of behaving is 'normal' and therefore within their expectations of how life is and so have no incentive to change.

 

what is disappointing is some thais have been educated and have lived abroad, they have seen and know it doesn't have to be this way and yet they do absolutely nothing to drive forward change for the better. i was saddened by the ex PM who lived in the uk for most of his life and was educated to a high level, i felt he would be a catalyst for positive change but he achieved noting.

[akirasan]

I was absolutely appalled at how badly people here drive.  I'm not surprised the road toll is so high.

All they need to do is work on one thing at a time.  Get everyone to fix their lights on their motorcycles.  Then educate them to wear helmets...then stop at intersections and so on..

There is absolutely no excuse for so many people to be dying so needlessly every day.  The people in charge of road safety (if there are any) all need to be sacked   

[dcnx]

Meh. Let them die. There is only one way for a “up to me” society to learn, and it’s the hard way. If they want to drive drunk, let them. In fact, I would support a national drunk driving day once per month just to thin the herd.

 

Year after year these reports and warnings come out but they never help. You can’t teach them and they are unwilling to learn or change. So death and injury it is. It’s their country and the people have clearly spoken, they want it.

 

Sooner or later they will figure it out.

[robsamui]

7 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Calm down people, it's only a way to control the population numbers  

Yeah, but it's not working - they're breeding like rabbits!

[1337markus]

When we ban farangs from owning guns we should also ban them from alcohol and owning cars that should fix the problem. 55555

[oxo1947]

11 minutes ago, dcnx said:

You can’t teach them and they are unwilling to learn or change. So death and injury it is

Unfortunately that Million + carnage that you want to teach a to lesson by letting  die--also includes completely sober & careful drivers- & Children etc.

My last accident in Pattaya (2 in 19 years here) I was on a bike sitting on a red light, Truck driver still drunk from the night before drove over me & through the red light, if it wasn't for the fact that his truck got hit by another he would have just motored on down the highway.......

.

 

[Sirbergan]

2 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I reckon if you added a mandatory police attitude to anyone not wearing a helmet who gets fined more than once for not wearing one, should not be aloud to ride a motorbike for a year, add another two years for every time they get caught riding a bike without one.

 

Less split heads on the road saves lives.

The fine for riding without a license is like 400 baht, perhaps they should start there? Doesn't help much to have your license revoked when you can easily drive without it.

[mark01]

You know what usually happens when news like this comes out?

Wait for the "stupid" official Thai solution. Like banning alcohol sales in 7-11's, or restricting licencing hours.

Whatever it is, you know it won't solve the problem!