Thread: Seven dangerous days - When the roads get deadly

Originally Posted by robuzo

Originally Posted by Nostradamus

This seven days thing is nonsense.

YOUR ROADS ARE DEADLY ALL YEAR ROUND!!!!!!!!!

These are the seven days during which you are supposed to care.

Be thankful that it doesn't last all year.

Originally Posted by Sdigit

Originally Posted by StontiumDog
Most of the accidents or 69.47 per cent occurred between 4pm and 8pm

So most people killed in rta's were killed in rush hour, nothing gets past these people does it.

that is happy hour, they should be drinking

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011...-30145632.html

Crashes down slightly in first 5 'dangerous days', booze still top problem

By Wattana Khamchoo
The Nation
Published on January 4, 2011

While the number of road accidents during the first five of the New Year season's "Seven Dangerous Days" was down 1.71 per cent from the same period a year ago, drunk driving remained the primary cause of accidents.

Wiboon Sanguanpong, head of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, reported yesterday that from December 29, 2010 to January 2, 2011 Wednesday to Sunday, there were 2,881 accidents, killing 281 people and injuring 3,091 others. That compared with 2,931 accidents, 279 deaths and 3,185 injuries in the same period a year ago.

The Central province of Lop Buri had the most deaths at 12, followed by Prachuap Khiri Khan with 10, while the Northern province of Chiang Rai had the most injuries at 110, followed by Phitsanulok with 99. Chiang Rai also had the most accidents at 103, followed by Phitsanulok with 91, Wiboon said.

On January 2 Sunday alone, 47 people were killed and 435 people were injured in 408 road accidents. Drunk driving accounted for the highest proportion of the accidents at 35.29 per cent, followed by speeding above the legal limit at 22.79 per cent.

Most accidents involved motorcycles, at 85.95 per cent, and nearly a third of road accidents occurred between 4pm and 8pm.

At 2,533 checkpoints manned by 69,416 officials, about 825,000 vehicles were stopped and 100,587 traffic-law violators were charged - mostly for riding motorcycles without helmets, at 29,736 cases, followed by 28,482 cases of driving without a licence.

As many travellers returned to Bangkok yesterday, causing crowded bus terminals and severe traffic jams on highways, Wiboon said he had instructed officials to watch strictly for and arrest violators.

Wiboon also urged motorists to observe the traffic laws, get enough sleep before driving, refrain from drinking alcohol and cooperate with checkpoint officials.

TAN_Network TAN News Network

6 danger days for New Year sees 325 deaths and 3,453 people injured from 3,227 road accidents

So, 325 have died already, with one day to go. The daily average is 35 for the whole year.

So it is looking as if this years total will be higher than last years.

The talk of reductions and all the work put in was for naught.

It's just a number on my screen, but if I stop and think about all the misery and loss 325 deaths causes....it is overwhelming.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

So, 325 have died already, with one day to go. The daily average is 35 for the whole year.

So it is looking as if this years total will be higher than last years.

The talk of reductions and all the work put in was for naught.

It's just a number on my screen, but if I stop and think about all the misery and loss 325 deaths causes....it is overwhelming.

Mickey Z.: Cool Observer: 10 Reasons Why Cars Suck
USA-centric, but universally applicable.

During my high school years I lost five friends in car accidents, and at least that many were seriously hurt. The year after I graduated my best friend crashed his Datsun 280-Z (daddy had bought it) and died. 33,000+ die every year in the US. I have never understood why people find that acceptable.

Originally Posted by Mr R Sole

However I'm sure I read that per capita Thailand ranks the highest in the world for road deaths.

It's in the middle, with something like 20 fatalities per 100,000 people. By contrast the UK rate is about 3 per 100,000. The USA is 12 per 100,000.

Suthep saddened by death toll : National News Bureau of Thailand

Suthep saddened by death toll

BANGKOK, 4 January 2011 (NNT) - Deputy Prime Minister said he was saddened by the number of deaths during the New Year, but reiterated that related agencies and organizations had done their best to keep the number down.

In light of reports of the number of road accidents that killed over 300 people and injured nearly 3,500 others during the six-day New year holidays, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said he was truly saddened by the death toll. He, however, added that all related organization and agencies had done their best working round the clock trying to prevent road carnage from happening.

The government will continue its campaign on safe driving, remind people to be cautious at all times, particularly when they are behind the wheels, Mr. Suthep said.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archive...ticle9713.html

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Phuket holiday death toll reaches 4

Police keep an eye on vehicles passing through a Phuket checkpoint. Photo: Gazette file
PHUKET: A young man killed in a hit-and-run accident is the fourth road fatality recorded in Phuket during the 'Seven Days of Danger' road safety campaign, now in its final day throughout Thailand.

The victim, 21-year-old Chalong resident Anek Karnchonchai, died after his motorbike crashed near Baan Kata School on Patak Road in Karon at about 6am today.

According to the Day 6 report issued this morning by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office in Phuket, the accident was caused by a speeding van that illegally overtook Mr Anek’s motorbike on the hilly section of the road, where passing is forbidden.

Mr Anek was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital. He died at 6:40am.

The accident was one of seven recorded yesterday, bringing the six-day total in the province to 62. Of these, nearly 90 per cent involved motorbikes.

By Day 6 of the campaign last year, the Phuket toll stood at six dead and 85 injured in 79 reported accidents.

Among the seven people injured yesterday was one foreigner, Russian tourist Vitaly Kapenko.

Mr Kapenko, 49, was injured when he came off his bike on Kamala Hill. The cause was listed as “unfamiliarity with the roadway”.

Yesterday’s youngest accident victim was listed as three-year-old Nareumon Reuttijak, who was thrown to the pavement on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Patong when the motorbike she was on hit a pedestrian.

During the first six days of the campaign, police pulled over 50,174 vehicles and arrested or fined 3,091 people.

The most common infractions were driving without a license (1,892 cases), failure to wear a motorbike crash helmet (964 cases), and driving without a seatbelt (154 cases).

Police tested 7,622 people for drunk driving, and charged 27 of them.

The national road toll yesterday reached 234 deaths, just four short of last year’s toll.

The nationwide number of injured people reached 2,656, well over the 2,473 hurt during the same period a year ago.

Chiang Rai has seen the highest number of accidents with 86, followed by neighboring Chiang Mai with 79.

The most fatalities have occurred in Lop Buri (12) followed by Prachuap Khiri Khan (10).

Police have also arrested 191 shop owners or staff in nine provinces for illegally selling liquor or openly advertising alcoholic drinks during the new year break, with 39 being charged, the Public Health Ministry said yesterday.

Most offenders failed to follow 'no-advertising' regulations which could subject them to a one-year prison term and/or a maximum fine of 500,000 baht, in addition to a daily fine of 50,000 baht until breaches are corrected.

The strict anti-liquor measures continue until midnight tonight.

National reporting by Phuket Gazette partner publication The Nation.

how many thais have a license.
how many children ride bikes.
how many thais wear a proper crash helmet not an icecream bucket.
how many thais drive sober.
how many thais know how to drive.
how many thais know the road rules.
TIT
enjoy driving home

^ Well said CL

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said he was truly saddened by the death toll. He, however, added that all related organization and agencies had done their best working round the clock trying to prevent road carnage from happening. The government will continue its campaign on safe driving, remind people to be cautious at all times, particularly when they are behind the wheels, Mr. Suthep said.

The problem is that no Thai government has any idea about driver education, they are simply making a complete hash of the situation here. 'Doing their best?' They might just of well done bugger all as the fatality figures are likely to be worse than last year.

Did i read this correctly, 'Drunk-driving is the primary reason for road accidents' yet only 27 people were charged with the offence? Something not quite right with those figures unless those involved in collisions escaped the dreaded breathalyer test.

Around 3 years ago i happened to be cycling around a few Issan villages on Christmas Day and came across one of those road safety checkpoints. A cry of 'farang', 'farang' caused me to pull over and much to my surprise i was offered a can of beer. Yes, even the road safety staff were getting themselves pissed, a fine example of how serious these 'government employees' really are about keeping death off the road.

Also travelled around 400kms today (return trip to Nong Khai) and only came across 1 active roadside checkpoint. 6am - 3pm. Disappointing to say the least. Still, i suppose that as i survived the trip i have something to be thankful for although a couple of guys did try to take me out during my journey.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011...-30145700.html

Survey shows many youngsters drive after drinking

By PONGPHON SARNSAMAK
THE NATION
Published on January 5, 2011


Alcohol, drugs and confrontations are the leading causes of deaths and severe injury among the young, the Public Health Ministry has discovered.

The ministry's Department of Disease Control's Bureau of Epidemiology conducted a survey between 2005 and 2009 to study behaviour that can be linked to death and injury among teens. The study covered 234,483 teens between the ages of 16 and 17 studying at vocational colleges or high school.

It found that 50 per cent of deaths among youths could be put down to boozing, followed by confrontations (23 per cent) and drug abuse (19 per cent).

Permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry Dr Paijit Warachit also expressed concern about youths' driving habits, especially after the study found most students drive motorcycles and only one in seven - 14 per cent - wore a helmet. Also, up to 14 per cent drank before driving, while only 23 per cent fastened their seatbelt while driving a car.

Paijit cited a survey done by the Thailand Accident Research Centre, saying most teens don't bother wearing a helmet, especially at night. Reports from 30 central hospitals across the country showed most severely wounded patients were above the age of 15 and came in with head injuries caused by not wearing a helmet. On average, each patient spent about Bt16,000 on treatment.

"Car and motorcycle drivers should fasten their seatbelt or wear a helmet, regardless of whether they are travelling long or short distances," he said.

The Public Health Ministry has declared 2011 as the year of wearing helmets, and will aim to enforce the law on all motorcyclists, especially teenagers. Parents were urged to get their children to wear a helmet.

THIRD OF LATEST CRASHES BLAMED ON DRUNK DRIVERS

A further 44 people were killed and 362 others injured as holiday-makers headed back to work on Monday.

The Road Safety Centre yesterday blamed drunk driving for 32 per cent of these accidents. Speed was the second most common cause, accounting for 22 per cent of crashes.

Casualties were highest in cases where victims failed to wear crash helmets and most of the accidents involved motorcycles. More than half the victims were of working age.

Phitsanulok saw the highest number of accidents on Monday with 18 crashes recorded, while Chiang Mai had the most deaths - four.

To date, only five provinces have been free of road accidents during the so-called "Seven Dangerous Days" of the New Year, which started on December 29. These provinces are Chaiyaphum, Nonthaburi, Yasothon, Sa Kaew and Sukhothai.

On Monday, checkpoints manned by the Road Safety Centre found 89,822 motorists on the roads without licences. And some 26,808 motorcyclists were nabbed for not wearing crash helmets.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Wiboon Sanguanpong, who is also secretary of the Road Safety Centre, urged motorists yesterday to drive carefully and refrain from speeding.

"Respect traffic laws and be kind to other motorists," was his advice.

Wiboon told drivers to avoid medicine that could induce drowsiness and to take a lot of rest before starting their trip. "If you feel exhausted, please stop at rest areas along the way," he said.

In Lamphun, a tour bus crashed into two pickups yesterday morning, injuring 10 people. The accident took place on a road on the slope of Doi Khun Tan.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingn...death-toll-358

Seven-day road death toll, 358

• Published: 5/01/2011 at 11:39 AM
• Online news: Local News

The were a total of 358 deaths from road accidents during the "seven dangerous days" (Dec 29-Jan 4) of the New Year festival, 11 more than last year, with 3,750 others injured, 77 fewer, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban announced on Wednesday.

Mr Suthep, director of the road safety centre, said the road accident prevention and reduction campaign resulted in a slight drop in the number of accidents from 3,534 last year to 3,497 this year.

But, the number of people killed went up from 347 to 358. The number of injured dropped from 3,827 to 3,750.

Provinces with the highest number of accidents were Phitsanulok and Chiang Rai in the North. The province with the highest number of deaths, 13, was Lop Buri.

Drunk driving and speeding were the two major causes of road accidents.

Most of the accidents involved motorcycles and pick-up trucks.

One-fourth of those killed or injured were under 20.

without enforcement of the law, what else were they expecting ? a Christmas miracle ?

It is a bloody dangerous place to drive no doubt. However I am always amazed at how few accidents you see considering the amount of traffic movements and the general dickheadery that you encounter. Personally I love driving in Thailand. It is a cross between the the GP and stock car racing, it gets the blood flowing again (maybe sometimes more than you would want in some situations). I am always amazed how they can merge from 6 lanes into 2 without too much fuss at 140kph. If you tried to do that in a western country they mostly just couldn't cope with having to make a decision that extended beyond the bloke in front. I find driving in my country sometimes more dangerous than Thailand because most of those around you are "comfortably numb" in their journey and not as alert as they could be due to the expectation that everyone is doing the right thing. Be advised that there are just as many dickheads in Australia on the roads and most of them wouldn't know what to do if they encountered a problem whilst driving beyond a jammed CD in their SUV.

Just a few statistics. Road deaths per 100,000 population, having regard for the difficulty with comparisons of wealth, car numbers etc.etc.

Road deaths per 100,000 Thailand 19.6

USA 12.3

Australia 6.8 (pretty poor considering the Billions spent on road safety works, roads and advertising actually)

Afghanistan 39 (don't forget the IED'S)

Brazil 18.3

Central African Republic 32.2

Cook Islands 45 (Must have had a big crash somewhere. Wayne Kerr, any ideas bro)

Eritrea 48.4

Kenya 34.4

Latvia 17.9

Mexico 20.7

Paraguay 19.7

Phillipines 20.0

To name a few.

Considering the present "fine" system for drink driving and other road offences there is a huge scope for improvement. How you go about improving "the system" is of course a huge challenge but not unrealisticly achievable over time.

Here is a compilation of all the road safety vids in Australia. This no doubt helped lower the toll here. Would it help in Thailand? ???

YouTube - TAC Campaign - 20 year Anniversary retrospective montage "Everybody Hurts" music by REM TV ad

The provinces with the highest number of accidents are Pitsanulok and Chiang-rai, while the province with the highest death toll is Lopburi.

Reports also showed that the majority of accidents involved motorcycles, followed by pick-up trucks. Youths under 20 years old accounted for a shocking 25 percent of the dead and injured. Road carnage killed over 300 people during the long holidays.

Suthep: Accidents decreased but death toll up : National News Bureau of Thailand

Driving in America is quite dangerous, with all the braindead cows and old people doing 45mph on a 55mph road etc... and the rednecks in their RAM Charger

incidentally, the only safe drivers over there are the motorcycles, go figure

In Europe, the big bike drivers are the most dangerous, often doing 200km/h on crowded road, and those kunts expect you to let them through all time time

Originally Posted by Johnny Longprong

It is a bloody dangerous place to drive no doubt. However I am always amazed at how few accidents you see considering the amount of traffic movements and the general dickheadery that you encounter.

You're lucky. I see an accident in Bangkok nearly every day. I've seen 6 deaths as well (all young males on motorbikes). I've only been here 4 years.

Never saw a death in the UK, rarely saw accidents.

Similar population size.

Again, at the risk of sounding redundant, the figures for Thailand only include those dead at the scene of the accident. People that die later as a consequence of their injuries are not counted.

THIRD OF LATEST CRASHES BLAMED ON DRUNK DRIVERS.


So therefor

Two thirds of crashes blamed on Sober drivers.

Are we missing something here?

Originally Posted by crippen

THIRD OF LATEST CRASHES BLAMED ON DRUNK DRIVERS.


So therefor

Two thirds of crashes blamed on Sober drivers.

Are we missing something here?

To be fair both groups (drunk/sober drivers) are quite inexperienced in road safety education, although one has to say that anyone that rides a motorcycle whilst drunk may be a suitable case for psychiatric medical experimentation