Thailand to halve traffic death rate.

[Chairman Mao]

By WANNAPA PHETDEE
THE NATION
Published on December 27, 2009

The United Nations declared the years 2011-2020 as the "Decade of Action for Road Safety" last November in Moscow, with the goal of reducing the number of people killed on the roads by 50 per cent.

Thailand also has set a target for reducing its traffic death rate by half within the next 10 years.
The Cabinet declared road safety as a national agenda in September, but it appears it will be hard for Thailand to reach such a high goal, according to a road-safety expert.

"The government announced its policy and master plan to start dealing with road accidents, but how can they reach their goal? Having only policy but not providing a special budget and resources to initi?ate or run road-safety projects is not enough," said Thanapong Jinvong, programme manager of the Road Safety Group Thailand (RSG) of the National Health Foundation.
In a meeting with Nation Multimedia Group reporters, he sought their assistance to raise people's awareness and encourage the government to act on its policies.

Currently, around 1.2 million people die and 50 million people are injured in road accidents worldwide each year.
Thailand's total death toll was over 10,000 killed last year, or 31-33 people daily. This daily figure doubled during New Year and Songkran celebration periods, to 50-60 people per day, according to RSG.

He said the government also claimed another near-future goal would be to reduce the ratio of road accident fatalities per 100,000 people - from the present figure of 17.7 killed per 100,000 population, to 14.15 by 2012.
"The number of traffic police officers - only 12,000 - is not enough to supervise motorists, especially during New Year and Songkran celebration periods. Police have a Bt3.6-billion budget for traffic officers to enforce the laws, but only Bt300 million goes towards operational costs to buy necessary tools.

That is not enough to buy hi-tech tools for traffic police at 1,450 stations countrywide."
"The total Bt800 billion budget in the government's Thai Khemkhaeng action plan is not paid directly to its road-safety policy," Thanapong said.
The Interior Ministry's booming campaign to set up many checkpoints nationwide during New Year and Songkran festivals was ineffective, because police and volunteers worked at the checkpoints mostly during daytime. Figures show most people died in road accidents at night.

Thanapong urged the media to report road accident news more widely than they are doing now. He asked them to investigate the real cause of fatal accidents. He said the media only reported what had happened, how much damage was caused and the cause of the accident concluded in the initial police report, which usually stated the driver dozed off or was negligent.

"After police concluded their official road-accident reports, less than 1 per cent were found to have been caused by drivers dozing off. Perhaps, accidents are [more often] caused by risky roads or below-standard vehicles," he said.
He wanted reporters to seek deeper information on fatal accident cases, reflect what is the real cause, and tell people which state agencies must take responsibility, in order to boost public awareness and encourage agencies to take more action on road safety to protect Thai people.

Now my stats are going by memory, so might be a few points off, but remember it being that around 80% of fatal traffic accidents here involve motorbikes. And 85% of motorbike deaths occur due no helmet.

So how about the monkeys in brown doing their job and actually penalising every single helmetless rider they see, not only at the mafia checkpoints, and have it backed by a widespread government campaign, maybe even with heavily subsidised helmets on sale for 100B.

Oh nevermind.

Perhaps, accidents are [more often] caused by risky roads or below-standard vehicles,"

Of course, it's the roads and the vehicles are the problem.

[Smug Farang Bore]

They have no interest in safety or common sense.

[good2bhappy]

need to halve the number of cars and motorcycles

[dirtydog]

1974 the Thai crash helmet law was introduced, 35 years on and it's still not enforced.
Say 10,000 dead a year over 35 years is 350,000, wonder how many of them would still be alive if the law had been enforced...

[Stinky]

So how about the monkeys in brown doing their job and actually penalising every single helmetless rider they see, not only at the mafia checkpoints.

Police stops/Mafia tea money stops, one and the same and not really possible to seperate the two.

[Chairman Mao]

So how about the monkeys in brown doing their job and actually penalising every single helmetless rider they see, not only at the mafia checkpoints.

Police stops/Mafia tea money stops, one and the same and not really possible to seperate the two.

Even if they kept the fine, which they would, penalize every dumb fuk without a helmet, everytime. We know they're slow learners, but eventually it might sink in.

But no,

Perhaps, accidents are [more often] caused by risky roads or below-standard vehicles,"

It's the risky roads and vehicles.

[Stinky]

So how about the monkeys in brown doing their job and actually penalising every single helmetless rider they see, not only at the mafia checkpoints.

Police stops/Mafia tea money stops, one and the same and not really possible to seperate the two.

Even if they kept the fine, which they would, penalize every dumb fuk without a helmet, everytime. We know they're slow learners, but eventually it might sink in.

But no,

If everyone wore helmets then the police would need to find a new way of getting thier tea money and that would be too much hassle for them, better if they left things alone

[blackgang]

They have no idea of actual law enforcement.
And even if they did, there are not that many helmets in Thailand that would stand up in a kindergarten tricycle crash.
Way back in the early days of Crash hats in the US, the state of Nevada had the law, but no one else, so 2 of us were riding from Calif to Utah, we bought a used volley ball, cut it in half, ties shoe laces thru holes in the thing to tie it on our heads and crossed Nevada, and pobly had better protection than they get from these things they call helmets here.
They have no hyway patrol for law enforcemrnt, they have no desire to have law enforcement and no one to see that it is done, only the collection of graft and corruption and the distribution of equal shares is ever done.
No one knows what the laws are, no one cares what the laws are and they have nothing to base any such laws on.
Where can you find a listing of what lights are required on the vehicle, front , sides and rear? Of what color and range of visibility of said lights?. nowhere and none are enforced either.
Thai have never been taught to drive and none ever will be, so all the talk in the fucking world will not make a bit of difference.

[crippen]

^ And yet the accident rate per type of vehicle is not that high.Only the large number a motor cycles slews the figures.

[Mr Lick]

Firstly they need to educate those who are running the campaign in order to educate those further down the line. Without wisdom all drivers/riders are doomed.
A distance learning program via tv viewed at the soap breaks would be a start. Stricter testing another. 'Staying alive' highway code (i've heard that there is one but have yet to view one myself). Even my wife who 'passed her test last year was unable to obtain a copy.
Stricter anti drink driving laws may help but at the moment there appears to be ablolutely no guidance available on the code of driving standards required. Until then the natives will continue to achieve the very low standards of road knowledge that are acceptable to the government which currently appear to be 'it was meant to happen'

[crippen]

There will be some figure fiddling methinks! It is Thailand after all.

[mordred]

Today I took a small bus from Nonthaburi to Victory Monument and the driver almost killed us a number of times. I asked my girl why her people didn't complain and tell the driver to slow down, not to change lanes all the time, and to not drive so close to the car in front of us? She said this is Thailand so nobody wants to blame the driver. Loss of face maybe? She's been to the states and said she wished they would enforce traffic laws more in Thailand. 9 times out of 10 I don't feel safe on the road here. People are in too much of a rush for nothing. Speed limits aren't posted or enforced as far as I can see it and they drive right on top of the car in front of them or try to create a new lane only to bottleneck down the road. Maybe they are just lacking in common sense or care for those around them, but it pisses me off to no end. I'm sitting in this bus today and thinking about what might happen to this child sitting next to me if we had an accident.

I think a large part of the problem is greed. If you posted the number of each taxi driver and a number to complain I don't believe the company that owns the car would follow up because they want the money coming from the driver. More asses in seats means more profit and money is, of course, the most important thing in the world. Maybe if the cost of a settlement from an accident was high they would be more interested in getting better dirver. Can you even sue a taxi driver or the company that he works through if you are involved in an accident?

Maybe if they put a few ads on TV that driving safer makes you have white skin everybody would slow the fuck down and pay attention. I'm willing to bet that would work.

[Spin]

need to halve the number of cars and motorcycles

That would affect government revenues.

A better solution would be to ban the use of bikes, cars, trains and planes on Monday Wednesday, friday and Sunday

[Bangyai]

... we bought a used volley ball, cut it in half, ties shoe laces thru holes in the thing to tie it on our heads and crossed Nevada, and pobly had better protection than they get from these things they call helmets here.

Yep, I've seen too many locals on bikes who's head gear looks like something out of Loy Toys avatar.

Motorcycles aside, whenever I see a four wheeled vehicle in an accident , more often than not it is a pick up ( rot graba ) who's driver is on a mission to finish work early. Bangkoks outer ring road gets more than its fair share of these tail gating, lane changing nutters and its no surprise that they get hassled a lot by the BIB, not that it seems to make any difference.

[keda]

1974 the Thai crash helmet law was introduced, 35 years on and it's still not enforced.
Say 10,000 dead a year over 35 years is 350,000, wonder how many of them would still be alive if the law had been enforced...

That seems a good argument for non-enforcement.

[Chairman Mao]

Maybe they are just lacking in common sense or care for those around them, but it pisses me off to no end. I'm sitting in this bus today and thinking about what might happen to this child sitting next to me if we had an accident.

Ahh, thailand.



How can you not laugh?

Just look at the joy on the mother's face, almost looks proud.

[Maybe if they put a few ads on TV that driving safer makes you have white skin everybody would slow the fuck down and pay attention. I'm willing to bet that would work.

Me too.

[Chairman Mao]

Bless...

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Thailand to halve traffic death rate.

[Tom Sawyer]

The only thing missing in the photo is his mobile phone glued to his ear, four bags of Big C shopping hanging off the handlebars a smoke in one hand and a bottle of something in the other. But otherwise, just another day in Samut Sakhon.

[Tom Sawyer]

Today I took a small bus from Nonthaburi to Victory Monument and the driver almost killed us a number of times. I asked my girl why her people didn't complain and tell the driver to slow down, not to change lanes all the time, and to not drive so close to the car in front of us? She said this is Thailand so nobody wants to blame the driver. ...

I think a large part of the problem is greed.

The driver makes more money the more round trips he makes. When the van is full he's allowed to go. That's why there's some other guy - a tout - with a bull-horn (tannoy) shouting at you to get in. Then it's fast-as-you-can-Stan to the destitnation where it starts all over again.

The answer is an end to owner-operators with an BMTA sticker on the side of the van, a return to proper public transportation with normal timetables that can be achieved in heavy traffic and a normal 8 hour shift.

But it won't happen as that would remove the room for corruption and kick backs via the little BMTA-Owner-Op mafias. Welcome to Thailand Modred, you'll start to see things a bit more clearly soon enough - the free market system in all its glory.

Oh - -nearly forgot - 'no one wants to blame the driver' because he's usually pissed off that he's had to wait too long for the van to fill - so now he's making up for lost time. Bitch at him, and he'll either driver even more recklessly - or kick you out. That's why no one wants to challenge him. Also, because Thais avoid confrontations like a dear in the headlights of logging truck on the Alaska Highway - so they just stare staight ahead.

[Chairman Mao]

They are an intelligent folk.

[Tom Sawyer]

Seen some pretty nasty motodup accidents in Cambo too. Dead-Morlay usually.

[keda]

Even reg plate numbers on even dates and odd on odd. Halves the no of cars on the road and therefore traffic deaths. Easy!

[Travelmate]

Well at least the Government is trying to make a step in the right direction.
They must have spent some money on technology. As I have received a letter for the police with a photo of my car with a number 167kmh tagged to the bottom of it.
The penalty? 400baht. Will it slow me down? No. Why? 400baht for a once in a year speeding ticket is no biggie.

I was hoping they would introduce the old tactic, they used 6 years ago. Stopping motorists abiding the speed limits and reward them with a gold chain!

[Mid]

40 killed in road accidents Tuesday
30/12/2009

Forty people were killed in road accidents in the first of seven 'most dangerous' days of the New Year celebration, the Ministry of Interior's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, there were 448 accidents, which killed 40 people and injured 496 others.

Chanthaburi is the province with the highest fatalities, with five people killed. Phetchabun has the highest injuries, with 19 people injured.

Drunk driving is main cause of accidents, followed by speeding.

bangkokpost.com