Thailand road carnage: 7,414 dead at the scene this year - 38 yesterday, 560 so far in July

[jmacken306]

I've been here 9 yrs. and Thailand doesn't know where to start to save lives on the road. They could start by a few simple things and grow to larger ideas to make things safe. Motorbikes going the wrong way because it's shorter the wrong way....... Sidewalks are what they say n mean! To walk on the side of the road not for bikes of any size, shape or power, I can also say CAR N TRUCKS. I swear at a scooter everyday when I walk 6 blocks to the store n 6 back and a few times a car or truck because the store is just a block back that way, I can drive down the sidewalk or drive the wrong way on the road hmmm? There is a Government office down the road, they have steal poles in the sidewalk to stop scooters from riding the sidewalk in front of the office. But they made my Pharmacy take their poles out of the sidewalk after they stuck them in a few days earlier to prevent the elderly from getting run over when visiting the Pharmacy???? I could go on n on but, I only live here n....you all know what I'm talking about. Thanks for listening!

[kingofthemountain]

1 hour ago, Pottinger said:

Another "Campaign to raise awareness"? How about just confiscating everything that has more than one wheel?

I am sure even on one wheel a thai on the road could be extremely dangerous for himself and the others

 

most of them are just reckless and totaly oblivious of the dangers on the road.

 

In my ''top 3'' the potentials killers i can see on a daily basis are

 

1\ the delivery guys on motorbike (Foodpanda and so on)

their only objective seems to win each second on a course

look like it doesn't matter at all if they kill 2 or 3 persons or are killed themseves

during the race. Of course they are focused most of the time on the phone.

 

2\ the young boy in his 16\20 yo on a modified motorbike (built for a speed of 60 km\h

but now pushed to 100 or more) with a fashion haircut (Of course no helmet, soooo sexyyy) at very high speed and busy on his phone (Probably with his GF)

nothing seems to be able to stop it, to slow it down or even to deviate 1 cm from

his trajectory

 

3\ the random thai (Man or lady. no difference) in his\her car, thinking he\she  is protected by the teinted glasses, busy on his\her phone,with an erratic drive and totaly absent from his\her surroundings while the car keep moving more or less on the road

Edited July 16, 2020 by kingofthemountain

[jerolamo]

52 minutes ago, fraggleRock said:

After living here for so many years I have come to a self conclusion of where I don’t care how many Thai folks die on the roads - I am amused at the stupidity... because its clear Thais don’t care either ... if they chose to drive like idiots, drunk, without seatbelts, bold tyres, on the phone, sleep etc.. I just dont care, they deserve everything that comes there way... a total moral failure of society where they rarely help people but get there mobiles out to record it... a misfit country fed on xenophobic fodder and have no focus of anything or anyone but themselves, well Covid has exasperated the true Thai poor jungle republic mentality to the world..... this polished turd has been ‘found out’

well...

i feel what you write a bit to hard, not totaly wrong, but excessively hard.

Because first, Thailand is a country where i see everywhere in rural area a big population united. Not just for national and Buddhist party, but also to share food and own work.

Maybe not like that in Krung Thep or Pataya or Phuket (i don't know, i can only speak about what i see). Everybody i know are very careful about other (sometime to much maybe).

 

Then, i can see on the road, there is many people doesn't really know to drive (and think they really know), because of the drive ticket is so easy to get... How many drivers have you seen able to park in reverse ? I see only one in 7 years, and i was very surprise. How many blink light and turn the head to look at dead angle before to turn ? Close to zero.

This is not because, maybe, they don't care, but because, they don't know anything about how to drive safely.

When i was in the car (a 2 tons and half pickup) with a young guy of our family and he was driven so quickly (70 km/h) in the village, i asked him how far he needs to stop the car at this velocity. He said 20 meters. I push him to explain how he does find this result from which equation. He didn't know. I asked him how heavy is his pickup... he didn't know. I explain him the equation to try to be closer that what can be the real distance to stop a car with 2.5 tons at 70 km/h... and that this distance is when everything is perfect (no oil on the road, good wheel, etc...). He was very surprise. He did understand. But sure... i think he was careful one week, but alone to do this.

So instruction is working better when this can be widely share to impact the conscience of people.

 

I don't want to push up intentional judgment as long as this doesn't resolve anything and doesn't prepare a peaceful place to speak about the targeted problem.

I prefer instruction and i see that for all about sciences or practice serious building work, there is many things to teach and also next,  to test if people really understood the lesson and if they can practice (drive or build, etc...).

 

Excessive punishment should go with, but only for who cross the limit at relative proportional consequences. Punishment without good school probably fail.

Edited July 16, 2020 by jerolamo

[Cranky]

Maybe someone should let them know the masks are supposed to cover the mouth, not the eyes...

[lust]

Why are so many people wanting to save the lives of idiots? Seriously. No shortage of people on this planet. Let Darwin do his work.

[raccos21]

Seem like the road accidents are scarier than COVID-19! ???? 

[Aussie Col]

The police ignore a 12 year old Thai riding a motorbike, but stop a farang on a motorbike at every opportunity.

[The Theory]

8 hours ago, Henryford said:

If the Government put 5% of the effort into road safety

 

Do you really think the government can change “the logic” that is used by those who are behind the wheels here ?!!!!!  ???????????? 

[PilotBill]

8 hours ago, Snig27 said:

+100

They simply don't care. Even simple things like enforcing crosswalks would make a difference. 

On the highways of the nation, vehicles and motorbikes weave like maniacs at speeds far above the supposed limits and zip is done about it even if the police are present. No care, no enforcement all.

Meanwhile people with a few banners yesterday are a threat to the nation. 

 

Like the rest of the world, COVID is just a (very) small comparision to what is killing the population. Last I heard, 58 deaths in Thailand from COVID compaired to over 7,000 deaths from road accidents! Come on now, I don't see any roads shut down yet the whole country is shut down because 58 people died from COVID (??)! 

And, its not just Thailand, the rest of the world is doing the same thing. I think there is some kind of plot from world leaders against mankind.

[jerolamo]

1 hour ago, lust said:

Why are so many people wanting to save the lives of idiots? Seriously. No shortage of people on this planet. Let Darwin do his work.

Maybe we are all idiot sometime. You can be the one too.

I think there are two main categories of humans: the first being the state-conscious idiot, the second being the pretentious idiot.

We also discovered many other things after Darwin (which is not the only way to explain evolution). Do not sit in a posture that comes from your child school teaching.

If not, try to be a little bit more humble, do it for yourself first.

 

So the idea is not to "save life of idiots", but to save life of the other idiots families who cross the road used by dangerous idiots (with the same idea that relatively, you are yourself, as me, a potential idiot sometime if not everyday).

And much more to make human life for tomorrow  less idiot than this day.

[Nemises]

And expats choose to ride push bikes and motor cycles on these roads. Amazing. 

[jerolamo]

48 minutes ago, PilotBill said:

Like the rest of the world, COVID is just a (very) small comparision to what is killing the population. Last I heard, 58 deaths in Thailand from COVID compaired to over 7,000 deaths from road accidents! Come on now, I don't see any roads shut down yet the whole country is shut down because 58 people died from COVID (??)! 

And, its not just Thailand, the rest of the world is doing the same thing. I think there is some kind of plot from world leaders against mankind.

They said (and maybe they trust what they said) that there is 58 people dead from COVID-19 in Thailand.

By the power of the statistic and the logic, i can not trust this number.

 

[jerolamo]

2 minutes ago, Nemises said:

And expats choose to ride push bikes and motor cycles on these roads. Amazing. 

at 40 km/h maximum, and on the left side, there is very low possibilities (near 0) to have an accident. Even if you meet very unconscious drivers.

Correct or not ?

[Kwasaki]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand road carnage: 7,414 dead at the scene this year - 38 yesterday, 560 so far in July

Kinda like a Covid 20.

[samsensam]

5 minutes ago, jerolamo said:

They said (and maybe they trust what they said) that there is 58 people dead from COVID-19 in Thailand.

By the power of the statistic and the logic, i can not trust this number.

 

 

imagine if they are under reporting road fatalities to the extent they are, probably, under reporting covid deaths....

[jerolamo]

10 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

imagine if they are under reporting road fatalities to the extent they are, probably, under reporting covid deaths....

Difficult to imagine all that can become possible when technically an organization can not provide a serious proof efficient account and/or if this organization can traffic this one (as long as no transparency, this can be suspected as something possible).

Scenari can also be to move (decrease) COVID-19 death number to  (increase) Road death number.

I don't know how they count and what is possible to do.

Is there any transparency at any point there ?

 

By the time, i think it should be very difficult to move number of death people to nowhere. (but i'm steal the one to be potentially naive by the way i choose to try to not see everything negative... sometime, it is very difficult when no story time is helping with that).

 

But the idea is not to judge intention, but to try to target the hot points who can explain that some numbers may be wrong (for any reason but not specifically to lie, it is easier to said something wrong because we don't know something... some other would imagine easy we lie... current very human practice all over the world).

anyway, reported facts seems to be very out of any statistic logic (i mean, for COVID-19 there, because when there is an accident, sure you know it is an accident... no need to test anything).

Edited July 16, 2020 by jerolamo

[riclag]

9 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

Seat belts not needed.  Helmets not needed.  Baby seats not needed.

 

I am sure they all wear the covid mask.

How many times have you seen multiple children on a motorbike with no helmet but yet the adult driver wears one!

 

 

[shdmn]

Why are they not shutting down highways?  They shut down an entire country over a few Covid deaths.  Caused a huge political storm when they let in some Egyptian military people with Covid.  But daily road carnage far exceeding Covid deaths is ok?

Edited July 16, 2020 by shdmn

[kingofthemountain]

17 minutes ago, riclag said:

How many times have you seen multiple children on a motorbike with no helmet but yet the adult driver wears one!

 

 

Thai logic

if a parent loses one of his children in an accident, he still can make another

on the other hand, if the parent dies, who is going to take care of the child?

[riclag]

15 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

Thai logic

if a parent loses one of his children in an accident, he still can make another

on the other hand, if the parent dies, who is going to take care of the child?

And when your stopped at a intersection waiting to merge and  they turn into a soi by approaching the intersection from the wrong side of the road and you hit them ,guess what, you(falang) are responsible!

[kingofthemountain]

14 minutes ago, riclag said:

And when your stopped at a intersection waiting to merge and  they turn into a soi by approaching the intersection from the wrong side of the road and you hit them ,guess what, you(falang) are responsible!

There are countless examples where the Thais drive in an irresponsible way

we can agree about it, however here in Pattaya i see everyday few foreigners

acting in the same way.

Anyway in case of an accident with a Thai, it's false to say that the ''farang'' is

always the one considered as responsible, many have already testified to the

contrary on this forum or in other public places.

[Harry Fingerling]

Not surprised really, cars, motorcycles & lives are <deleted> cheap in Thailand it’s a testament to the driving test they stumble through.

[jerolamo]

13 minutes ago, Harry Fingerling said:

Not surprised really, cars, motorcycles & lives are <deleted> cheap in Thailand it’s a testament to the driving test they stumble through.

Car and motorcycles are not cheap in Thailand. New one are not cheap and second (or more) hand are not cheap too... In my french country, cars, motorbikes and electronic is cheaper if you have to compare the same model, the same quality. Same for second hand. It seems to me to be very strange due to tax in french very expensive... but then in Thailand, they build no car, no motorbike, all is importation and import fees are expensive in Thailand.

This is something difficult to me to understand, because i see workers have low paid rates (very low), but the price of technology is very high for what is it (there is a money leakage somewhere between the original price and the sale price... but where ?).

 

after, life has a very different value in Buddhist countries. Cultural thinking are not the same. It is not good or bad, it is different. If you feel this to be bad, sure, there is no logic for a foreigner to be in a foreign country where they feel everything is bad or wrong. It is, by the time, always more difficult to be a foreigner than to be a native of the country. Except that if you are a very negative people, everywhere you go will be difficult (foreigner or not), but that is all about human relationship ability or social skills.

Edited July 16, 2020 by jerolamo

[Nemises]

6 hours ago, jerolamo said:

at 40 km/h maximum, and on the left side, there is very low possibilities (near 0) to have an accident. Even if you meet very unconscious drivers.

Correct or not ?

Whether doing 40 km/h or at a standstill, all it takes is just one distracted driver (of the many millions) of Thai drivers who simultaneously drive and use their phones, to hit you from behind and to add your name to Thailand's horrendous road death tally.

 

What percentage of Thai drivers use their phones whilst driving? (near 100)

 

What percentage of Thai drivers are fined for using their phones whilst driving? (near 0).

 

 

 

[metisdead]

An off topic post about obesity in the UK and the replies have been removed.

 

Some offensive troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, Henryford said:

If the Government put 5% of the effort into road safety that they have into Covid it would save far more Thai lives.

It takes cooperation from the public, they're not interested.

[Stargeezr]

Thailand is all about saving face. If the numbers from traffic accidents where

the people died later, and were added to the real total, well... look how much worse the

real death figures would be.  Hey it is Thailand,  the 3rd world country we are talking about here

and maybe in all Asia the attitude is the same. The Face matters    not the truth.

Sad..

Geezer

Edited July 17, 2020 by Stargrazer9889
error

[Henryford]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

It takes cooperation from the public, they're not interested.

You need enforcement not co-operation. Enforce the wearing of helmets, having a licence, proper tests and training, no underage riding etc etc. The Police had plenty of time to enforce not sitting on a beach but turn a blind eye to all these obvious safety measures.

[ThailandRyan]

7 minutes ago, Henryford said:

You need enforcement not co-operation. Enforce the wearing of helmets, having a licence, proper tests and training, no underage riding etc etc. The Police had plenty of time to enforce not sitting on a beach but turn a blind eye to all these obvious safety measures.

Remember people have to care more about life than money. Culture here is what it is, so if you live here you have to accept certain facts and give up certain beliefs you hold, at least while living here. Otherwise it will drive you crazy.

[thailand49]

13 hours ago, TERMINATOR3AB said:

oK   looking at stats  Thailand  drives  are  very very bad  and the Gov should be ashamed   to alow this to continue

However  USA  is not much better   they have terrible drivers too  40,000   killed last year  

Yet they have a very efficient  police force  and traffic  tickets  are worth   about as much  as Thailand  tourist industry 

 

So   what is the Answer  DRIVER EDUCTAION    AND ENFORCEMENT   TOGETHER  

 

Lose   your licence   go to prison  make it  hard 

 

Australia  to date  1,100   dead   on roads   smaller   population but  000,s  miles  of fast roads  

Drink drive AU   Prison 

Speed AU   3 weeks  wages

Speed  again  LOSE  licence  

 

Speed   again lose car 

 

Well  only  1.100   dead this year  AU  so far  

So I feel this system  works  

OHH   andAustralians  are excellent  trained drivers     

First, you have to remember the rules aren't design for just Thailand they are used for the entire world to determine who is the worse drivers I think the standard 1 for every 100,000 population is used by the W.H.O. organization no one is picking on Thailand.

" Driver education and enforcement  together "  as you noted there is your answer but here in Thailand the problem the rules taken from the West have been turn upside where no one has even a understanding as to what a simple stop sign means, then you got the police who come from the same education system (0) plus how the police is funded and their responsibility are much different here it isn't pro-active it is react after an accident. The entire system is based on the honor system and when human don't want to comply government must enforcement and real enforcement means there must be a lost great enough to put doubt in your head to think twice. This is pretty much how it works for everything " can't do the time don't do the crime "

 

From my experience working along with the Transportation Department in the U.S. 30 years and living here for 15 years the problem with accidents are self inflicted that can easily be fixed but those in control must first learn what the true meaning of certain rules are then retaught and enforced.