Thailand aims to lower road fatality rates by 80%

[Mackstask]

What a joke! How are they going do do that?

As motorbike accidents make up most of the fatalities, they should start with the schools and within the education system. Most schools in Thailand allow kids to come to school on their motorbikes, no helmets, 3-4 students on one bike, speeding around on school premises and on the roads, no common sense or road discipline.

[Chromeman]

14,059 fatalities ??

20,000+ fatalities "was" the statistic. So how and why has this been reduced by 30% ?

This 14,059 is a conveniently adjusted number.

An 80% reduction to be achieved. How is this possible ?

And those fatalities are only those who are pronounced dead at the accident site, it you die on your way to the hospital or after arrival at the hospital, it does not count as a traffic fatality...

[bark]

"Lower by 80%?" Perhaps they need to begin by a smaller number or even better stop the year on year increase. How to do this? By enforcement!!!!

Pick a number, any number.

I can just see 5-6 Traffic people, sitting in a room. " OK, what about 50 % ?, no not good enough. OK, 60 % ? That was my School Mark. It

is a pass. No not good enough. OK OK I got it 80 % ! That is a great number. Yes 80 %. Does everyone agree ? Yes , Yes, Yes , etc.

What a JOKE.

[sandrabbit]

So they're going to ban buses, minibuses, cars, pickups, trucks & motorbikes and encourage water buffalo & bicycles?.

[soalbundy]

It's like the yearly announcements about improving education, they've been saying that for 30 years. Some countries have Disneyland Thailand has fantasy land. The hub of improvements

[bob009]

And Pigs will fly.!!!!!

[TechnikaIII]

Well, they can try two things:

1. Reduce the population by 80%

2. Teach them

The first option may be the easiest.

[masuk]

Zero tolerance and harsh punishments such as immediate impounding for speeding. A special force dedicated to road rule enforcement would pay for itself.

In conjunction with that, instead of several hours of "culture" at every school, a couple of hours of driving home the road safety message would be a good start.

Then tackle the karma/bad luck myth. Get all the wats to preach road safety and dispel the "If my karma is good, I can speed through a stop sign" myth. This sermon does not have to run counter to the normal teachings if it is seen as "Don't tempt fate".

THEN, of course, have a serious crackdown on unlisenced drivers, and a serious approach to new licenses with a comprehensive test on road rules.

In my city, it seems as if 90% of drivers do not know what a stop sign is for. As a result, the through traffic stops out of caution, because nobody stops for the stop sign!

You must be in Chiang Mai. One of the busier intersections is outside MAYA mall.

At almost any time of the day, 3 cars run through the red light at each change.

All it takes is one policeman with a video camera, and even if it's empty, they might worry! But a few hefty fines would help too.

[diehard60]

This is easy to achieve.

First have the police do more then just make road blocks.

Second Take all illegal drivers OFF the road. Take away their motor vehicle.

Third Start a drivers education program in high school as a mandatory extra curricular activity.

Fourth Make the drives test more realistic.

[rethaier]

A good move if the Authorities are genuine and not simply offering a 'sound bite'....

Improvements need to be realised at a 'cultural' level... the majority of road users need to be taught and understand consequence, which for the moment appears to be an alien concept.

A great start would be to have Televised Road Safety campaigns... When I see the Authorities using Televised Road Safety Campaigns we may then start to believe they are serious about this issue and not simply nodding to each other going through the motions in endless committee meetings...

Televised broadcasts have been tried in various countries to educate drivers. They have never worked.

[Artisi]

This is easy to achieve.

First have the police do more then just make road blocks.

Second Take all illegal drivers OFF the road. Take away their motor vehicle.

Third Start a drivers education program in high school as a mandatory extra curricular activity.

Fourth Make the drives test more realistic.

You would have more chance of training monkeys to drive than instigating these changes.

[Jmathews]

I don't want to sound cynical, but in the years I've lived here I've lost count how many times I've read 'proclamations' like this and nothing ever changes.

The usual pattern is a few new laws will be announced, lots of fanfare then on to the next sound bite du jour.

I've also given up counting how many threads we have had on TVF, decrying, critiquing, haranguing, proffering advice, the list goes on and on.

I've said this before, but what the Hell...just enforce a few laws:

Helmets,

Lights,

Drive on the correct side of the road (at ALL times, even if it takes longer to get to your destination)

But history teaches me, that in 5 months, 1 year, 5 years we will be having the same discussion again, and again, and again

100% agree. Enforcement is token based. Chiang Mai is genuinely a dangerous place to drive in, especially at night.

[Nobb]

No way will this happen as long as old farmer who can not read but just drive into your lane and they are never tested to see if the know the Thai laws for road safety. To many drive while doing drugs late at night while the safety force sleeps. To many drunks and not nearly enough police on the roads. I lived in Thailand for 4 years and every year the same B-ll Sh-t! Just lip service!

[uptheos]

They always come out with a set amount, why 80%, they could just say reduce Deaths on the roads substantially.

They were going for 100% but realised that might be a little ambitious.

[lvr181]

I imagine strategically place wire across certain intersections across the country will do the trick.

it assumes only 80 % of accidents due to motorbikes but is probably correct.

helmets for bikers does not work. - clarify does not work in thailand.

Perhaps if those traffic police were issued with rocket launchers things would improve

Yup - rocket launchers up their collective backsides!

[lvr181]

Driving in Thailand is like the old Frogger video game, duck, avoid and move forward. The average Thai driver is actually great, but the 10% morons that in any other country would never get a driving licence will get it here with ease. its this group of complete idiots that make the roads so dangerous.

Also, where and how are bus and truck drivers recruited in this country? Many seem to have absolutely zero driving skills.

sorry, I disagree with you - maybe 10% of the drivers drive well, the rest are lost in space. And Thailand probably doesn't have the stats on it, but I would imagine that 10% of the drivers out there don't have a license at all. That's talking about cars, for motorbikes, well, ....

So that is the other thing, motorbike drivers never learn how to drive. They start out young and drive however they want which is why if I am at a stop sign and a Thai on a motorbike comes from the left, and makes a right turn, then he/she will pass my car on the left. Thai motorbike drivers think that is good driving.

Yep - it's the 'Shortest distance between two points' rule of the road !

Those "two points" are birth and death!

[manhood]

All these proclamations in Thailand are worth not the paper they are written on!

Nothing change because no teaching , nobody even like to listen, and no enforcement by any of the authorities!

The land of no consequence !!!!!!!!!! ups yes if you do lese majeste or blame the authoriites: you have to face consequence!

[gandalf12]

When my wife passed her "Thai" driving test I told her "OK, now I will teach you how to drive". She must be one of the exceptions as she is an excellent driver but she does get peed off with the idiots on the road

[Artisi]

You will after enough time in Thailand learn to believe nothing and expect nothing other than same same.

[Artisi]

When my wife passed her "Thai" driving test I told her "OK, now I will teach you how to drive". She must be one of the exceptions as she is an excellent driver but she does get peed off with the idiots on the road

Sounds like my better half. Besides holding a Thai licence she also holds a NSW Australian licence for which she had to undergo a tough written exam and an even tougher driving test before being issued with a licence.

[lvr181]

"For the remaining five years, Thailand will seriously and strictly enforce the laws to achieve the 80% target as now that the road fatality issue was placed as a national agenda and law enforcement will be tightened."

They were not able to deal with the first 3 years! Now there is a clue to the "authorities" thinking.

Yet another talk fest, another "action" that will once again be forgotten in the mists of time. And probably like many Governments they will, with sleight of hand, "recalculate" the figures in the future to prove that they are achieving something.

[dhream]

take away their keys

To the country. Then you might just have a snowballs chance.

[NoshowJones]

Thailand aims to lower road fatality rates by 80%"

Absolutely impossible!

I don't think it is impossible, all it requires is the present laws to be enforced all the time.

Punishments given like confiscating vehicles of drunk and reckless drivers for first time offences.

Severe punishments for unlicensed, and uninsured drivers.

Would it be so hard to do that?

[trainman34014]

''Seriously and Strictly enforce the Laws''....right.....wake me up in five years and show me the results; i mean the real numbers, not the cooked books !

Thailand....Hub of empty promises.

[AlQaholic]

"For the remaining five years, Thailand will seriously and strictly enforce the laws to achieve the 80% target as now that the road fatality issue was placed as a national agenda and law enforcement will be tightened."

And who is going to enforce? The Mafia in brown uniforms are not going to do anything as usual.

[dhream]

Enforcement alone won't achieve their target. They need traffic circles to replace those suicidal U turns. They need adequate Street lights. Adequate Road work safety detours, Hi vis clothing. Tail lights on bikes, vehicle checking stations for trucks andvbuses, including tachometer data inspections to ensure drivers are rested, vehicle maintenance checks every year, and on and on, whichbneeds money, too bad they spent it all on buying votes, dodgy trans Asia telecoms deals, and now rotting rice mountains.

[howbri]

"Lower by 80%?" Perhaps they need to begin by a smaller number or even better stop the year on year increase. How to do this? By enforcement!!!!

It would help if they actually learned to drive more than 24 hours before getting a license and then actually learned the rules of the road!

[dhream]

Thailand aims to lower road fatality rates by 80%"

Absolutely impossible!

I don't think it is impossible, all it requires is the present laws to be enforced all the time.

Punishments given like confiscating vehicles of drunk and reckless drivers for first time offences.

Severe punishments for unlicensed, and uninsured drivers.

Would it be so hard to do that?

They'd likely get more luck putting the first Thai apollo team on the moon, no, make that Mars. Before you tackle the roads, you need a functional Road traffic authority trained to address the problem, which they don't, and won't have, not in 5 years, few countries but the most disciplined, such as Korea or Japan, to compare apples with apples, could achieve this.

[Gutenberg]

It would help if they actually learned to drive more than 24 hours before getting a license and then actually learned the rules of the road!

I don't know any Thai who was learning more than 24 minutes to get the driver license

[The Deerhunter]

Zero tolerance and harsh punishments such as immediate impounding for speeding. A special force dedicated to road rule enforcement would pay for itself.

In conjunction with that, instead of several hours of "culture" at every school, a couple of hours of driving home the road safety message would be a good start.

Then tackle the karma/bad luck myth. Get all the wats to preach road safety and dispel the "If my karma is good, I can speed through a stop sign" myth. This sermon does not have to run counter to the normal teachings if it is seen as "Don't tempt fate".

THEN, of course, have a serious crackdown on unlisenced drivers, and a serious approach to new licenses with a comprehensive test on road rules.

In my city, it seems as if 90% of drivers do not know what a stop sign is for. As a result, the through traffic stops out of caution, because nobody stops for the stop sign!

And driving across Isaan the last 3 days I just cold not believe the amount of just insane reckless passing. Bt it would be no different on any other day.

Just pure insane death wish stuff. On Wednesday We passed two motocyclists, one apparently dead and one still alive in two separate accidents. We were coming from the south, an hour before Buriram, 2 cars, 2 bikes, one of each in each collision, 50 metres apart. Unbelievable. It was on a slight elbow in the road running along side a canal. Visibility should not have been a factor, The "dead" one was a older local type with an old bike and no helmet. The "live" one was a big modern bike, helmet. Each involved with one car pointing in opposite directions. Ambulance a minute away but I suspect one was not helpable. Really sad stuff.