https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-of-...ileup-released
Friend sent me a note. Also said 45 car wreck in another state.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-of-...ileup-released
Friend sent me a note. Also said 45 car wreck in another state.
Would be more impressive and more Thai if they managed to do it without the 6 inches of snow on the road and blizzard conditions.
People are lawyering up as I type...
Not to mention texting on their phones. And some people wonder why I want out of the madness."The vehicles coming up behind them can't stop fast enough because they're following too close or going too fast for the conditions, and then they start just piling into one another,"
Not necessarily required for clusterfucks to happen here.
Saw this demo derby on the weather channel before I logged in...
Montreal 2 years ago
Actually they pull these stunts off in any weather. Dry, fog, snow, rain. At least here they don't have multiple car pileups. In the states every day I used to see 2 to 3 wrecks on the way to work. Most 3 to 4, some 5 to 6 vehicles. I will take driving here in Thailand over the states anyday.
Aw cmon, snow makes road conditions unpredictable, anything could happen once it settles, just takes one incident to kick it off and from there they pile in. Snow will always catch out those unaware that textbook stop distances no longer apply because once you hit some ice or touch the brake a vehicle could surf any distance in any direction and at your trigger speed, while I wouldn't guess 10% of drivers can control an ice skid to minimise damage. Surprised anyone was going fast enough under those conditions to cause such wrecks, but doesn't take much to kick it off.
But for you and others that prefer Thai drivers/roads over US (ulp!), what do you suppose the daily death toll would be if they put that much snow on a 20km stretch of rural Thai motorway, complete with hidden potholes, locals, et al?
In the highway stupidity stakes I'd rate the Saudis as favourites to kill themselves and anyone else unfortunate enough to share the road.
People drive stupid all over the world. That is the point I am trying to make Jabir. I used to see people doing 65mph in icy/snowy conditions tail gating another car...why? Lack of common sense perhaps? Same with rain and other elements. I just laugh as people are constantly bitching, pissing and moaning about Thai driving when its really all the same. How many 131 car pile ups will you see in Thailand? Think about that. How in the hell can that even really happen? California is good for a 40 or 50 car crash car derby at least once a year on Interstate 5 between Merced and Bakersfield. why? Fog and people still go 80 to 90.
There is no comparison. US highways are models of safety and efficiency compared to Thailand. Don't take isolated incidents and try to suggest they are the norm. Look at accident and death statistics over kilometers driven. There is no comparison.
Conditions can exaggerate the effects of an idiot at the wheel. With Thai road deaths heading the world league under normal conditions, add your same ice/snow/fog or other extreme conditions to a 20km stretch of rural Thai highway and the 100-car pileups you protest that we never see here would become a common occurrence.
Not so isolated anymore. Becoming a common occurence.
Don't be surprised...
Yup...there it is. Not just in the western US either. Been in Wisconsin many times in wintertime and I can almost guarantee it was someone doing something stupid that kicked this incident off.
The cluster I was in on I-80 in PA nine years ago that involved 118 vehicles was similar. Conditions had worsened and I had slowed down to about 40 mph, cars and trucks were passing me like I was sitting still. One of them lost it and that's all it took. Talk about being in the wrong place at the right time. Was only 5 miles from my destination.
Bad enough..but the worst part was after and dealing with the lawyers, video depostions, etc., etc.. All part of driving for a large well known corporation. Everybody wants a payday from the fattest wallet. I was never cited by law enforcement or charged with a preventable accident by my employer so the lawsuits didn't cost me anything personally. But it was still a huge PITA.
This was my ride after the smoke cleared:
Engine computer showed I was only doing 19 mph at time of impact...some of that speed probably due to being rearended multiple times by other trucks. Not a fun day.
Hardly a fair comparison JP. Sunshine and clear skies compared to blizzard conditions. Blizzard conditions in Wisc. but life goes on, put snow and ice on the roads in Thailand and what would happen? A 131 vehicle pileup, 1 dead. Thailand a pickup crashes into tree, 16 dead.
U.S. has highest car crash death rate, despite progress, CDC says
(CNN)More people die in car crashes each year in the United States than in other high-income countries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report Wednesday.
In 2013, more than 32,000 people died on U.S. roads, roughly 90 fatalities a day, according to the CDC.
The U.S. has seen a 31% reduction in its motor vehicle death rate per capita over the past 13 years. But compared with 19 other wealthy countries, which have declined an average of 56% during the same period, the U.S. has the slowest decrease. Road death rates in countries such as Spain and Denmark have dropped 75.1% and 63.5%, respectively.
If the United States had reduced its death rate to the average of other countries, 18,000 more lives would have been saved, according to the CDC report.
Researchers analyzed data from 2000 to 2013 from the World Health Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. They compared U.S. numbers with those of 19 countries, including Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom. They took into consideration accidents and fatalities that involved drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists.
The United States also performed badly in other measures. It ranks first in crash deaths per 100,000 people and per 10,000 registered vehicles. It's the second-highest, after Canada, in the percentage of deaths involving alcohol (at 31%). And the United States is the third-lowest, after Austria and Belgium, in national front seat belt use (at 87%) among the 20 countries.
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/07/h...ate/index.html
^
To put thqt into perspective with the OP's claim, their 90 deaths a day are from a population 6 times bigger than Thailand with around the same mortality rate.
I think a point needs to be made that where one lived or lives in the US will significantly affect their point of view on driving. I was born and raised in California. It is utter chaos driving anywhere daily. Again I witnessed easily 100x the accidents I have seen here in the same time period. Every day both to and from work I'd see multiple car accidents some minor, some 5 or 6 cars with deaths and cars and trucks upside down.
Making comments about snow and Ice here would make it worse.. true if the weather changed overnight but like everywhere people adjust and adapt to their locations.
Now I want to be clear, I am not saying Thais are better or worse drivers I am saying as I did originally that people here whinge about Thai drivers but it's the same everywhere. There are stupid drivers. Look at the twat that started the 131 car pileup and the other 129 drivers that were just as stupid.
There is zero traffic law enforcement in Thailand. Only bribe-stop checkpoints. The lunatics are free to drive like idiots. And they do. Try that stupid shit in California, dumbass.
He's not making that up tunk...still think the dramatic rise in the use of mobile devices over the last 15 years has a lot to do with the increase in multi-vehicle pile-ups here. And driving habits in general.
I used to love doing what I do for a living...until I was involved in that fustercluck I described above. Now I don't even like driving my personal vehicle for any extended distances. And I'm on anti-anxiety medication.
Come on over here to the States, rent a car, and then take a few loops around Atlanta, GA on I-285 on a rainy Friday afternoon/evening...then get back to me. Or Dallas on I-635, or Chicago, LA...etc., etc.. Bring lawyers, guns and money.
Last edited by SKkin; 01-03-2019 at 04:25 PM. Reason: fixed last sentence :)
Funny you should suggest that...Come on over here to the States, rent a car
Two years ago, my family and I flew to Los Angeles and rented a car. We were embarking on a 7,000+ mile road trip. We drove to Vegas, to Yellowstone, to Minnesota, Chicago, Tennessee, (yes Atlanta) Florida -- then across I10 all the way back to LA. Louisiana, Texas, desert SW. A month and a half driving at least some most every day.
We saw ZERO accidents. Not fucking one. We saw very few traffic stops and just a few traffic jams. It was a pleasure to drive without white-knuckling it. Through cities, countryside and suburbs. The joy of unencumbered driving is what I remember most about that whole trip.
I've lived in Thailand for 13 years and the abject imbeciles I see on the road every single day makes me shake my head. Some areas, like Isaan, are worse than others (the south is less chaotic) but the overall level of driving safety is much lower than anyplace in the US. I've lived in 10 states and driven in all of them.
I realize this is the testimonial of one person over a short trip, but I guarantee, a similar trip in Thailand would have the traveler see at least one accident daily.
There is absolutely no comparison. It's not the same everywhere. This thread is pure fantasy.
Last edited by Texpat; 01-03-2019 at 04:34 PM.
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