Chiang Mai Bill Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 2 hours ago, jaywalker said: Yeah, tackling both at the same time would be akin to chewing gum and walking. Joking aside, it's tough to teach an old dog new tricks. CONSTANTLY harping on driving safety from an early age is a great way to start. Cigarette smoking is demonized ALL the time in the US these days, whereas it was just accepted that EVERYBODY smoked in the 1960's. Now folks look down upon smokers. In Thailand, being around crazy driving is like a fish being around water. They have no life experience of anything else. Demonizing careless driving from a young age is a great start, but I say again, they have no qualified teachers with life experience of sane driving habits on that front. and...of course, as always....it all revolves back around to lazy cops that selectively enforce road rules which allows the craziness to continue unabated. Many Thais driving cars, pick-ups, and bikes have not got a driving licence! Setting up road blocks and pulling in every farang tourist on a bike and fining them for not having an International Driving Licence or a Thai licence is a stupid waste of effort -- but a good money-earner! Farang tourists that have a driving licence from their country of origin would have undertaken a driving test FAR more intensive than the Thai test! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny49r Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 3 hours ago, webfact said: Thailand has the deadliest roads in the world, new report claims I'm glad that someone is keeping score. Is there a prize for being the carnage capitol of the world? The Thai government has worked long and hard for this honor and I expect that Malawi will have to relinquish the trophy soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_smith237 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Regardless of how the statistics are counted, whether Thailand truly is number one etc etc... we could still argue semantics all week long.. The Fact of the matter remains that Thailand has exceptionally poor road safety... While those in 4 wheeled vehicles may be at significantly less risk than those on motorcycles drivers of 4 wheeled vehicles remain at significant risk for numerous reasons including poor road design, poor vehicle maintenance, poor driver education. Anecdotal examples I'm sure many will relate to: I don't know any Thai's who haven't been involved in a DUI related accident - I don't know any Westerners who have !!!... think about that one ! Driving in from the Airport: In the UK: 2 - 3 hour drive I 'may' see one potentially dangerous maneuver by another road user. In Bangkok: 30-40mins drive I 'will' see numerous dangerous maneuvers by another road user. This an ongoing issue that can only be truly addressed when those in positions of decision making power are directly impacted - financially or through Face.... hopefully the increasing headlines will force those who can effect change to become less apathetic on this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussieroaming Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 roads aren't normally deadly, people are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thailand49 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Number 1, Congratulation, to Thais people who responded online this is just fake news by the government and to the government they will just continue to come up with another million and one excuses to fix the problem and those who are suppose to fix or enforce are no where to be found. Next goal for Thailand, World Cup entry, Tour De France? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lensta Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 "A new report has ranked Thailand as having the world’s deadliest roads." Why don't they call it like it is, Thailand has the world's worst drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo2014 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 More crackdowns, vows, pledges and empty words. No police anywhere. No enforcement of regulations. Today caught a taxi and the driver was texting the entire time while driving. Couldnt get him to stop. No seatbelts as usual. Its a crapshoot out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artisi Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said: That's some going, to beat those 3rd world countries to the top spot !!! Yep, can now officially claim "Hub" status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simple1 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 These reports are really silly with enormous variations. e.g. a Thai official acknowledged approx 26,000 road traffic deaths p.a. in 2013 http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Road-death-toll-in-Thailand-among-highest-in-the-w-30202066.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artisi Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 23 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said: roads aren't normally deadly, people are Attitude, simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artisi Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 31 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said: Regardless of how the statistics are counted, whether Thailand truly is number one etc etc... we could still argue semantics all week long.. The Fact of the matter remains that Thailand has exceptionally poor road safety... While those in 4 wheeled vehicles may be at significantly less risk than those on motorcycles drivers of 4 wheeled vehicles remain at significant risk for numerous reasons including poor road design, poor vehicle maintenance, poor driver education. Anecdotal examples I'm sure many will relate to: I don't know any Thai's who haven't been involved in a DUI related accident - I don't know any Westerners who have !!!... think about that one ! Driving in from the Airport: In the UK: 2 - 3 hour drive I 'may' see one potentially dangerous maneuver by another road user. In Bangkok: 30-40mins drive I 'will' see numerous dangerous maneuvers by another road user. This an ongoing issue that can only be truly addressed when those in positions of decision making power are directly impacted - financially or through Face.... hopefully the increasing headlines will force those who can effect change to become less apathetic on this issue. Don't hold your breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDahlin Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 People will not stop their way of driving reckless unless there is dire consequences. (their pocketbook) In the years I have lived in thailand i have rarely seen any enforcement for this. Daily I see motorbikes and cars pass by (in a public setting) driving at horrific speeds. Do i ever see police enforcement, never Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wealthychef Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 I wonder what would happen if they just looked at driving by region in Thailand. I suspect that Bangkok actually has far far fewer fatalities and accidents than the rest of Thailand. Speeds are lower and people drive pretty predictably here in my opinion as a regular motorcyclist. I wouldn't say they drive well, but they are not crazy. I suspect it's on those long country roads where tourist vans are speeding around blind corners and motorcyclists are pretending to be race drivers that most of the trouble happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lensta Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 19 minutes ago, gr8fldanielle said: it seems that most of the pics regarding accidents are vans. Maybe the Thai should not be allowed to drive vans. Maybe the Thai's should not be allowed to drive. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterwhisper Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 2 hours ago, Kieran00001 said: What happened to Libya? On the last World Atlas list they had Libya at a rate double that of Thailand's, this time they are not even on the list, and it is only a matter of months between the lists being released, its difficult to imagine that Libya has turned things around so dramatically, seems more likely they have not submitted their statistics and remain at the top. They are currently too busy massacring each other than to attend to compiling road accidents statistics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said: One of the problems with this statistic is that it doesn't take into account the relative prosperity of Thailand compared to mostof those other nations. To get a clear idea of what this statistic means you'd have to know what percentage of the population owns vehicles, particularly motorbikes.. I bet it's a lot higher percentage in Thailand. So in terms of hours, Thais probably spend a lot more time on average on a motorbike than do people from those other countries. And also the number of cars on the road is relevant since a collision between a car and a motorbike usually has lots worse results for a motorbicyclist. And since it's likely that there are a lot more cars and pickup trucks on the road in Thailand than in those other nations that's another factor in increasing Thailand's death rate. It would be interesting to see a breakdown for death rates by type of vehicle and see how that compares to other nations. I was out on my motorbicycle this morning and those pickups were disrespecting me for reals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rajab Al Zarahni Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 The government in the People's Democratic Republic of the Congo will be furious. They held the top spot for many years. This, having been falsely accused of not being democratic will be just too much to take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MosMing Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 I womder how this list would change if the number of vehicles on the road is taken into account. I can't imagine that the African countries have a large, vehicle owning population. The more vehicles there are, the more likely they are to get in each other's way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 I hear the president of Malawi has just had the minister of transportation publicly flogged for losing to the Thais Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted December 12, 2017 Author Share Posted December 12, 2017 Dashboard cameras proposed as Thailand claims worst traffic fatality ranking By The Nation As Thailand is unofficially acknowledged as having the highest fatality rate in road accidents worldwide, road safety advocates and police are backing a proposal that would see as many as 80 per cent of cars equipped with dashboard cameras and carrying “Photo in Car” stickers to discourage violations. Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation secretary-general Dr Taejing Siripanich said Thailand last month ranked highest in per capita road fatalities on the World Atlas website. The previous top-ranked country, Libya, was not even in the top 30 because many deaths blamed on accidents had been re-evaluated to reflect violent deaths in that country’s civil war. As a result, Thailand, previously ranked second, unofficially took the top spot with an estimated road accident death rate of 36.2 per 100,000, but the World Health Organisation has not yet announced formal statistics, he said. After Thailand on the list are Malawi (35), Liberia (33.7), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (33.2) and Tanzania (32.9). Such finding were in line with his foundation’s studies, Taejing said, which showed that Thailand saw 22,000 deaths in road accidents in 2016, or approximately 50 to 60 cases per day, while 1 million people were wounded and sought hospital treatments each year, 60,000 of whom were permanently disabled. “Various measures have been implemented in the past 20 years to boost road safety but they weren’t so successful because Thais know what actions break the law but do them anyway as they have become conceited after not getting caught,” Taejing said. The cameras would help to discourage traffic violations as motorists would know that the chances of being caught on video were heightened, while footage could be posted on social media, leading to public condemnation that would be worse than legal punishment, he said. “If all cars on Thai roads had cameras, traffic law violations would be greatly reduced,” he added. Taejing said his foundation had proposed the measure to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who had agreed and issued instructions in May last year for the Finance Ministry to consider tax incentives for dashboard cameras and for Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam to implement the plan in the national road safety strategy. However, there had not been any concrete action to date, he said. Police’s Special Branch Bureau 3 commander Pol Maj-General Ekkarak Limsangkat said video and audio from dashboard cameras could also be used as evidence in court, which could incentivise installations so motorists would have a record to protect themselves in case of a conflict. The application of technology could also help protect innocent people and punish wrongdoers because the culprits in many hit-and-run cases escaped justice after fleeing the scene, he said. People would be dissuaded from breaking the law when all cars are equipped with cameras and carry the “Photo in Car” sticker, he added. The comments were made during the 13th Thailand Road Safety Seminar held at Bangkok’s BITEC Bangna Exhibition Centre last week. Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30333764 -- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrY Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 2 hours ago, Kieran00001 said: What happened to Libya? On the last World Atlas list they had Libya at a rate double that of Thailand's, this time they are not even on the list, and it is only a matter of months between the lists being released, its difficult to imagine that Libya has turned things around so dramatically, seems more likely they have not submitted their statistics and remain at the top. I'm happy to see Libya removed from the list. Their road fatalities have tripled since the fighting started and it was considered horrendous before. People tend to drive a little "different" in war zones (ask me how I know), so it's not realistic to include them. As for the other countries on the list, I currently live and work in one of them, and have driven in half of the rest. I simply don't think Thailand has "earned" it's position on top. Some countries in Africa are truly harrowing to drive in. I can only speculate that it is the lack/suppression of statistics on this continent that puts Thailand even in Top 20. Driving in Thailand seems pretty tame compared to here. Certainly it is dangerous, but the worst in the world? Please! Here improving road conditions just worsens the death toll as speeds with un-roadworthy vehicles and un-skilled drivers increase. In Nairobi they used to say about the highway to Mombasa: "If you didn't see an accident, you are either blind or were in an accident yourself!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammieuk1 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 On the plus side it has the fewest vapours . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thhMan Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Good news like that is worth jumping on the bike and going to the pub to get hammered and celebrate Will there be an award ceremony? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiSePuede419 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 It's really better to just close your eyes and drive, so you don't have to see the Carnage. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airbagwill Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 1 hour ago, Dexlowe said: Spare me the lecture. I've been riding bikes and driving cars in Thailand for 30 years and, as you can tell, I'm still here (and in one piece) to testify to my superlative driving capabilities. . But what you're trying to establish is survival in the jungle -- that doesn't equate in any way to "proper" -- totally different meaning. Sorry. ..and you still like so many others don't realise how little you understand about road safety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoBrainer Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 According to their calculation (which is an estimate ,based on who knows what) the fatality rate is about 70 people per day. That seems quite high, as even on the busiest 2 travel periods, New Years & Songkran, that is about the fatality rate during those periods. Maybe those estimates were based on reported figures for those 2 holidays. The normal rate would be much lower. As I have said before, they could cut that fatality rate in half, just by enforcing mandatory helmut use everywhere in the country, all of the time, by everybody on a motorcycle. They would do this by way of massive fines and forfeiture of the motorcycles, of people not complying. Habits will change very quickly when it is announced that you will lose your motorcycle for 90 days, if caught riding without a helmut, and the first few hundred people that lose their bikes hit social media. This could be achieved in 1 month, if they wanted to actually do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phitsanulokjohn Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 To be number one. A record Thailand must be most proud of. Education Education Education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airbagwill Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 2 hours ago, Dexlowe said: Huh? By what definition is "proper driving" in your book? It certainly can't be anything to do with obeying the law, common sense and consideration. Your answer doesn't surprise me - I think you need to review both your driving skills and knowledge of road safety. Has it occurred to you that being "better" (I'm sure you are superb driver) that other drivers has absolutely no effect on the road safety figures of a country as those drivers you don't respect are still there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dictater Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 3 hours ago, Kieran00001 said: What happened to Libya? On the last World Atlas list they had Libya at a rate double that of Thailand's, this time they are not even on the list, and it is only a matter of months between the lists being released, its difficult to imagine that Libya has turned things around so dramatically, seems more likely they have not submitted their statistics and remain at the top. Same with Gambia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberfarang Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Don`t know why people are complaining. At least Thailand`s good at something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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