Thailand road carnage: Nearly half of all bikers don't have a licence - almost two dead PER HOUR

[dallen52]

Don't know how many times it has to be Said.

 

No license, no bike.

 

Every bike has to be registered and insurance paid.

No different from a car.

[Jack P]

It’s like natural selection at work, slowly weeding out the unfortunate one tragedy at a time.

[Redline]

Again, not one mention of zero policing ????

[Surasak]

6 hours ago, ParkerN said:

 

Yup. That really sums up the Thai enigma very nicely. They just don't know any better. After copying so much from westerners for decades (centuries?), they still hate foreigners, they still love foreigner's money, and they haven't learned very much at all.

 

Learning does appear to be a problem for Thais. just look at the STEM and SAT scores... learning just isn't what they do best.

Thais can and do learn, that is not the problem. Teaching on the other hand, is the major problem. Until such time as qualified, yes, truly qualified teachers are employed to teach, the system is doomed to fail.

[meshborg]

Unless you can rewire Thai people's brains everything is pointless.

[overherebc]

40 minutes ago, connda said:

Blame it on "Big Bikes."  What utter nonsense.

Lack of traffic law enforcement.  Lack of driving skill and training.  Lack of licensing enforcement.

It's pretty much all on the government which allows untrained and unlicensed drivers to drive.  And then their so-call pre-license training videos that are required viewing prior to getting a license:  Don't spit.  Don't litter.  If an aggressive driver cuts you off, you should bow your head and raise your hand to your forehead.  When pulling out from a curb, accelerate slowly (instead of getting on the accelerator and getting up to the speed of the flow of traffic).  And given that virtually every motorcyclist in Thailand will pull out of a left hand side street and onto a main street or thoroughfare without looking to the right and yielding to oncoming traffic, I can only assumed that the government teaches them this suicidal tactic and condones it's use.  File it under "population control."
Every year we get hand-wringing, promises, and photo-ops.
What is needed is a complete revamping of Thai driving including putting cops in patrol cars that are used for pulling fools over for committing moving violations instead of escorting VIPs.
Will that happen?  Nope.  Nothing will happen other than more hand wringing, promises, and photo-ops.  And the continuation of this horrid, senseless slaughter.

It was explained to me once that the idea of pulling out from the left and driving slowly was to allow traffic to overtake you easily.  I just smiled and said ok.

Never argue with an idiot. It makes for an easier life.

[SomchaiCNX]

7 hours ago, Dellboy218 said:

I agree.  You don't need a license to know that  you stop at a red light and road markings are purely for decoration.  After 30 odd years here it is  getting worse, certainly more selfish.  It should start in schools but the Police and teachers generally know no better.

I remember that at our school we had a teacher that checked every day. On the way to school we had regularly checks from police, who checked all bicycles and motorbikes.

 

[DavisH]

7 hours ago, ParkerN said:

 

Yup. That really sums up the Thai enigma very nicely. They just don't know any better. After copying so much from westerners for decades (centuries?), they still hate foreigners, they still love foreigner's money, and they haven't learned very much at all.

 

Learning does appear to be a problem for Thais. just look at the STEM and SAT scores... learning just isn't what they do best.

What do you know of the SAT scores or Thais? And what are STEM scores? lol

[Expat Tom]

I owned a consulting firm for many years. Our focus was highway safety and accident analysis. 

The cause(s) of accidents can be lumped into three general categories with often more then one in play in any single accident:

1) Education-  to include training and licensing

2) Engineering - Roads and hazards to include signage 

3) Enforcement - obviously

All three are contributory to Thailand's problems. 

You don't have to be a "Highway Safety Consultant" to see the obvious.   

[kingstonkid]

Just a thought why not take the law out of police hands.  No helmet no license lose the bike immediately.

 

Impound the bikes and charge hauling and storage fees.

 

You can get the motorcycle companies to supply the haulers.

 

Also if a business sells a bike to an unlicensed person.  They get fined.

[smew]

Despotically tyrannical measures against Chinese virus but nothing being done to improve road safety/... 12 yr old children allowed to drive motorbikes on roads and highways no helmets and no licenses ... help me understand the logic here..... 

Virus attacks mostly older and with underlying conditions.. motorbikes kill mostly young people with potentials and benefits yet to materialize.... 

[9653]

6 hours ago, ParkerN said:

They would rather scrape the blood and guts off the tarmac, 

then prevent it in the first place.

It boggles the mind, really!

[PatOngo]

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

When will the common sense prevail

Never!

[PatOngo]

20 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

Just a thought why not take the law out of police hands.  No helmet no license lose the bike immediately.

 

Impound the bikes and charge hauling and storage fees.

 

You can get the motorcycle companies to supply the haulers.

 

Also if a business sells a bike to an unlicensed person.  They get fined.

Another dreamer!

[toofarnorth]

6 hours ago, Surelynot said:

I asked a few people in the village...... when are the kids allowed to ride a motorbike?......answer:  as soon as they stop falling off.

Similar , I asked my wife years ago " At what age can someone ride a bike ?"  She said when they sit on the seat and their feet reach the ground .  

Oh she passed her test in the car but not driven since which was about 2 years ago. She rides her Smash everyday but has no licence , but she does wear a crash hat.

[kingstonkid]

14 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Another dreamer!

If e did not have dreams reality would suck

[Bangkok Barry]

If the parents don't care and the teachers don't care and the police don't care, why should we? Their country, their culture. One thing I've learned in my 25+ years in Thailand is that Thais are completely ungovernable. They will do whatever they want, regardless of the unenforced laws or the danger to themselves and others. It is deeply ingrained into their culture.

 

Thais are rarely, if ever, taught any discipline right from the time they are infants, so of course they won't know how to display any self-discipline. It is a totally alien concept to them, something they have no experience of. The government can bring in all the laws and advice and hold a thousand committee meetings, and it won't make the slightest difference.

 

The only thing that might get through their thick skulls is if they showed 'commercials' on tv every night, preferably during their endless same story this week as last week dramas, showing crushed heads and broken limbs and blood flowing in the gutter. Every night. Every week.

[ThailandRyan]

12 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

If the parents don't care and the teachers don't care and the police don't care, why should we? Their country, their culture. One thing I've learned in my 25+ years in Thailand is that Thais are completely ungovernable. They will do whatever they want, regardless of the unenforced laws or the danger to themselves and others. It is deeply ingrained into their culture.

 

Thais are rarely, if ever, taught any discipline right from the time they are infants, so of course they won't know how to display any self-discipline. It is a totally alien concept to them, something they have no experience of. The government can bring in all the laws and advice and hold a thousand committee meetings, and it won't make the slightest difference.

 

The only thing that might get through their thick skulls is if they showed 'commercials' on tv every night, preferably during their endless same story this week as last week dramas, showing crushed heads and broken limbs and blood flowing in the gutter. Every night. Every week.

BB my care is the danger they pose to others and that they don't ride into my vehicke to kill themselves, even if it was meant to be.

[elliss]

9 hours ago, doctormann said:

I'm not sure that having a licence makes very much difference when it's the mind-set that is in need of adjustment!

 

 Mission Impossible ..

     Nothing new .  

    Just carry on regardless ...

[elliss]

9 hours ago, ezzra said:

Nothing new here, but here is an idea, once Songran is over, deploy the same 80,000 cops you had policing Songran traffic to deal with this issue, good idea eh?...

 

     The   Cops ,    have been deployed .

      Looking for foreigner / Alien .. 

        Good earner . Jumping lights , speeding . not Wai , etc ..

         Thais not have money pay fine .

          Just , another perfect , earner ..555

[ParkerN]

Just now, DavisH said:

What do you know of the SAT scores or Thais? And what are STEM scores? lol

 

STEM subjects... Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. but that's Wikipedia and what do they know - right?

 

But I expect you're right, I doubt I know as much about anything as you do... especially about Thais. Have a nice day.

[Nanaplaza666]

Do freqeunt police checks and everybody that doesn't have a license impound the bike , sure they need a few rai of land to park all those impounded bikes but so what . And they can't come pick them up umtill they show a license ( ok a license doesn't mean that much here it's kind of a joke but it would sure take some bikes of the road) and ofcourse only the person that the bike is impounded from can pick it up showing a license not just a different person that can show a license . Will not solve the whole problem but it will be much quieter on the roads for sure . 

[Nanaplaza666]

Just now, Nanaplaza666 said:

Do freqeunt police checks and everybody that doesn't have a license impound the bike , sure they need a few rai of land to park all those impounded bikes but so what . And they can't come pick them up umtill they show a license ( ok a license doesn't mean that much here it's kind of a joke but it would sure take some bikes of the road) and ofcourse only the person that the bike is impounded from can pick it up showing a license not just a different person that can show a license . Will not solve the whole problem but it will be much quieter on the roads for sure . 

Do the same thing with cars and it might be much more comfortable every road .

[lungbing]

The trouble is that they drive a bike the same way as they walk, only much faster.

[itsari]

I ride a bicycle every day here in Thailand . When I go into the middle  of the road to turn right I put my right arm out to indicate what i intend to do . Very often motorcycles then pass on the right side of me oblivious to the fact i have shown that I am turning right . The average Thai motorcyclist has no idea about basic road rules . License or not . Many other instances I could add where this lack of knowledge is clear . 

70 to 80 percent of the deaths are on motorcycles yet I am quite sure many of these deaths are caused by incompetent vehicle drivers .

[prakhonchai nick]

7 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Please remove the last six words.....the first six words cover it !

Do Thais even have a mind?

[herwin1234]

One great thing about Thailand is that its not a nanny state and people have to take their own responsibility.

 

Lets hope and pray and fight that the western nanny state mentality, the western pc mentality, and the western victim mentality, stay far far away from Thailand.

 

Let Thailand be Thailand. And feel free to move to Cambodia if you dont like it here.

[Nojohndoe]

It is no surprise to me that once again the majority of posts have deemed Thai in general as intellectually deficient and naturally (in presumption) farang in general are superior.

As much as  Thai drivers certainly show small regard to safe and considerate driving I have travelled with quite a few supposedly superior farang drivers  who equally scared the  living  kr..app ut of me.

The base problem in Thailand is simply the total lack of enforcement in general of every aspect of legislative stipulations ( such legislation written into law initially  to satisfy international expectations of nominal compliance).

The  failure of enforcement at any practical level which could/would encourage incremental compliance has generated a social attitude of disregard and selfishness and excused away by citing the "needs" of the community to mobilize as crucial factor to function. 

Prior to the relatively recent cessation of regular "check points" a a means  of revenue gathering even  such were viewed as an inevitable annoyance which at local level could be avoided thus ineffective.

Rarely would the outcome result in vehicles being  forbidden to continue for whatever the offense deemed worthy of an instant  "fine" even if it was  an under aged or inebriated operator so long as that fine was paid.

It does have to be contemplated  what the  RTP members of the Traffic Division actually do now ?

IMHO it is not that Thai are at all deficient in a normal capacity to understand the obvious  basic  concepts of  road safety but that they are permitted to ignore personal liability because if that were to be enforced it would inevitably have an impact in recognition that would go all the way to the top !

It  may even highlight the sad but true  fact that there is a significant percentage of  those "superior"  foreign drivers who on regular occasion fall victim to exactly the same attitude!

"When in Rome.......yeah....whatever ! "

 

 

[kimamey]

Also if you don't have a licence you almost certainly won't have insurance so if you seriously injure or kill someone they will get no compensation which could be a big problem if they are responsible for income.

[ParkerN]

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

So remember when somchai nobrains rams  into the side of  your Mercedes it  will be you footing all the  bill and they wont have a care  in the world. Govt cpi is  a just a bad  joke, pays for virtually  nothing.

 

"Serves you right for not being a Thai" appears to be the prevailing attitude.