Thai road carnage: Nearly 8000 dead at the scene this year - July tops 1000 - Wednesday's 76 is worst yet

[welshguy]

The standard of driving is shocking! 

 

Red lights? They dont just drive straight through them...they speed through them! As for turning? Many , many times, they will turn left, just "cut up" not only one..but sometimes 2! lanes, to enable them to make the turn!!

 

As for entering main roads?  They have a blatant disregard for any other traffic already on the road..Right turn? Yeah crack on...dont worry about any traffic coming along the road..just pull out in front of them...they will stop.......wont they?

 

U-turns? In the U.K. U-turns  are very very few...I see lots in Thailand........Seen lots and lots of accidents happening there too.

 

Lots of people have said about the police not enforcing traffic laws...quite right............though they sometimes have a "purge" on helmetless wearing motorcyclists..........must be the time of the month?!

 

Of course...not all road users in Thailand are like I describe.................many, many are though unfortunately.

 

There definitely needs to be lots of education on driving skills in Thailand.

[alien365]

I was eating at a roadside restaurant last night and the bikes were whizzing up and down, some racing each other at the lights, others just making noise. All with Forzas or bigger bikes, very few helmets, but they were having fun. (I didn't really mind as I like the sound of bigger bikes, especially when one isn't racing but sees another shooting off in the distance so they must catch up and overtake) It's a risk they seem willing to take but it's easy to see that one mistake or someone not looking and it could be game over. 

 

This morning I was waiting at the traffic lights, they turned green and the green car in front of me just drove into the car in front of him. I see it happen about once per month and it only happens by not engaging the brain. What hope do we have of reducing accidents when people crash from stationary

[simple1]

3 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

It would be interesting to know the numbers that died say withing a week of their accidents. Dead at the scene could give a highly deflated number of fatalities !

As mentioned in the OP and in many similar articles total road deaths are approx 24k - 26k p.a., Around 80% of total deaths due to motor bike accidents.

[Peterphuket]

8 hours ago, CelticBhoy said:

I wonder what the population of this country would be today if the motorbike had never been invented?

What do you think, you don't see the desperate cardrivers yet?

Unbelievable, and I've mentioned before, soon or later all thes motobike drivers will also drive a car, with the same habits, and they feel even more superior in the car.

[yeahbutif]

8 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

It's not going to improve as the majority of Thai's simply can't drive safely.

Would say not just thais. As. I was told drive as a Thai does and to be OK. Still think lack of laws and inforcement. are the problem. To even getting a leicence to being allowed on the road 

[Peterphuket]

5 hours ago, billd766 said:

IMHO a big part of the problem is the complete lack of traffic law enforcment by the police.

That states or falls with trafic safety for 100%

[TheRealRobin]

Better lock down the cities and shut down the economy!

[Peterphuket]

The training system to get your drivers licence is a farce.

 

The 'students' are still sleeping at the instructional/accident movies.

But what do you expect, to learn the good way you'll need an examinator who will teach you what you do good and wrong, one by one person.

And that takes more than half a year to prepare, and not a drive of 5 minutes on the trail.

But it looks like the Thai don't understand this.

[NoshowJones]

8 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

It's not going to improve as the majority of Thai's simply can't drive safely.

The Thai common sense is lacking dreadfully, and it is not just on the roads.

[bkk6060]

Saying it is all the cops fault is so small minded, immature, naive and uneducated.

Cops here cannot and are not everyplace their ability to actually reduce accidents is very limited.

Lack of education, distracted drivers, and unsafe road environments are the biggest contributing factors here.

They need to educate and train youth when they are in high school as to the proper driving techniques, manners, rules and most importantly safety issues.  They are never trained on a major factor here of following too closely.  You know, the speed vs. reaction time and skid after braking. The road engineering is what it is in most areas.  But, accidents can be avoided if people are educated on how to maneuver properly the obstacles they face on Thai roadways.   Distracted drivers is a big factor everywhere now as many people are on their phones.

 

So, just saying it is the cops fault write more tickets will get this place no where regarding the accident numbers.  Proper education at an early age and adjustments now and in the future of the road environments will. 

 

Be safe and always be aware out there.

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by bkk6060

[sherwood]

48 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

The Thai common sense is lacking dreadfully, and it is not just on the roads.

I will go along with that one. 

I see it every day, honestly its like they have the intellect of children. Bless em.

Never mind, there are plenty more where they came from. 

[Michael19641965]

Yes, Thailand needs a complete lockdown of motorbikes and cars! Everybody stays home. No one goes to work. 

We save lives!

Really, life has to go on.

Every day people will die from travel accidents, cancer, heartattack and also from some viruses like Dengue, Flu, Covid etc.

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, alien365 said:

I was eating at a roadside restaurant last night and the bikes were whizzing up and down, some racing each other at the lights, others just making noise. All with Forzas or bigger bikes, very few helmets, but they were having fun. (I didn't really mind as I like the sound of bigger bikes, especially when one isn't racing but sees another shooting off in the distance so they must catch up and overtake) It's a risk they seem willing to take but it's easy to see that one mistake or someone not looking and it could be game over. 

 

This morning I was waiting at the traffic lights, they turned green and the green car in front of me just drove into the car in front of him. I see it happen about once per month and it only happens by not engaging the brain. What hope do we have of reducing accidents when people crash from stationary

I see very little evidence in many drivers here, of having a brain to engage. 

[metisdead]

An offensive post and a reply has been removed. 

[I am Dutch]

Luckily nearly 8000 deaths on the roads is not as bad as 58 Covid victims.....

[Kwasaki]

I really don't see what's the point of the post, it's obvious that until proper leaner training and education of road use is introduced nothing will improve.

[elliss]

9 hours ago, JusticeGB said:

Lockdown the country to keep covid19 deaths low (58) and destroy the economy and particularly the tourism industry and let 8,000 people die from road deaths. Obviously a sensible decision. In fact but for the emergency decree the road kill numbers would have been higher. 

 The average  daily road deaths , are less than the Covid 19 , deaths in total..

Pandemic panic has destroyed the World/Thai economy .

  Sadly the worst is yet to come ..

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by elliss

[thai006]

close the country for 58 people die ????  thai government u doing wrong all the way 

[MaxYakov]

I early-on, over ten years ago, resolved to not do two things: Not to earn the Thai language (written or spoken - only a few elementary phrases) and not to own or operate a motor vehicle of any kind (I expanded this to avoid roads in Thailand altogether unless I'm in some sort of bus - in a taxi only under duress).

 

I believe these two decisions have saved me a lot time of my life here if not an early death. I eventually expanded these two into a General Rule: Avoid doing what Thai people do. I'm physically in Bangkok, but I'm really here only mentally. My major concern is that I not be at big risk of being a victim of this road carnage.

 

My advice to Thai people would be: Do what it takes to eliminate this motorbike infestation from your lives and, ideally, from the entire country. Either do that or at least separate motorbike operation from larger vehicles altogether. I realize this would be very difficult or impossible and will never happen so the carnage will continue.

 

No, I'm not cowering in my room 24 X 7. I'm out and about every day on a vehicle with two 26 inch wheels on both the sidewalks and, often, the road. Hint: I have not purchased even a single drop of gasoline while residing in Thailand. I avoid walking in Bangkok as well unless I'm inside a building or for some good reason I do not have access to one of my bicycles.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by MaxYakov

[torturedsole]

14 minutes ago, MaxYakov said:

My advice to Thai people would be: Do what it takes to eliminate this motorbike infestation from your lives ...

If they all drove cars then the death toll would be the same.  It's not the motorbikes that are the problem.

[PatOngo]

Thai road carnage:

At least there's ONE thing they are consistent at!

[MaxYakov]

40 minutes ago, torturedsole said:

If they all drove cars then the death toll would be the same.  It's not the motorbikes that are the problem.

Avoid editing someone's post unless it can be done without absolutely not creating an out-of-context situation and the editing process is indicated in some way in your comment. It's also a good idea to wait until the editing period has expired for the comment you desire to reply to (about 10 minutes at least).

 

I did not say to substitute cars for motorbikes, did I? Besides, are you somehow not aware that motorbikes are involved in 75-80 percent of the road deaths? How could it be possible that you seem to not be aware of this fact? 

 

I believe many motorbike uses by Thais are trivial/frivolous if not completely unnecessary, but the Thai people on the road are impatient and lazy at the same time (as well as generally relatively poor and uneducated). There are already too many cars on the road to be carried safely by the vehicular infrastructure. Have you not noticed this fact?

 

Go back and read my post - you replied too soon as I was editing my post at the time. Please go back and carefully read my latest version of my comment for understanding/comprehension HERE.

 

Also, take the advice from me to avoid operating or being a passenger on a motorbike in Thailand (unless you believe you are an Immortal or, better yet, actually are one). ????

 

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by MaxYakov

[daveAustin]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai road carnage: Nearly 8000 dead at the scene this year

Got good C19 numbers though...

 

 

... allegedly. 

[torturedsole]

17 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Got good C19 numbers though...

 

... allegedly. 

It all balances out in the end.

[Albert Zweistein]

It's the dirty farang to blame.

[Happyman567]

It don't matter how many laws they bring in here the Thais don't obey them anyway. Plus the cop force don't enforce them. A few days ago I went to Makro and blow me down they had cop at the lights near Makro. What he was doing there is still a mystery or they should buy him a set glasses because I saw 2 cars go straight through the red light and he just stood there did nothing That is the problem

[Odysseus123]

19 hours ago, Lemonltr said:

One contributing factor is that they spend 10 or 20 years weaving in and out on a motorbike then climb into their first car and drive the same. It's ingrained over many years and they can't change. It's just normal for them. 

I agree with you except that I believe that it is the MAIN contributing factor.They are taught bad driving habits anywhere between the ages of 10 to 16 on their scooters and just take it from there...

 

A secondary factor is that they observe their elders clambering dead drunk/intoxicated on to scooters and into cars with little in the way of social,cultural and legal restraint or opprobrium to stop them.As such I have given up trying to comprehend their social/cultural tendencies towards mass slaughter...

 

Life on the roads remains in Thomas Hobbes famous words,"Poor,nasty,brutal and short.."

Edited July 31, 2020 by Odysseus123

[Malawi]

Stupid drivers and no police enforcement.

The perfect recipe.

[Pilotman]

13 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Ps: I will admit to not wearing a helmet most of the time because there is no financial pain inflicted.  Last week we went down to Wang Phlong for lunch and 3 cops were there waiting for food and drinks.  Not only we turned up helmetless but so did everyone else!  Not a dam thing was said about it! 

I would feel extremely vulnerable if I tried to ride without a helmet.  Best bit of kit you can wear, as the skull is like an egg shell and can crack just as easily, even in a low speed crash. I brought my high quality helmets with me from UK. It's never about the fines.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Pilotman

[Grumpy John]

9 hours ago, elliss said:

 The average  daily road deaths , are less than the Covid 19 , deaths in total..

Pandemic panic has destroyed the World/Thai economy .

  Sadly the worst is yet to come ..

 

Around December by my reckoning.  A recession they probably didn't have to have.  Look at the facts A/ The baht is to high so Thai products are uncompetitive compared to Asian neighbours B/ There has been a decline in industry over the last 2 years.  Factory relocations, worker layoffs, new projects not happening.  C/ And now a huge turn down with tourism.  Plus you may want to add less than stellar government management over the last several years.