13 killed, worst accident in ten years in Samut Prakan in horrific truck accident.

CO-CO said:
I am sorry Dennis but I have to disagree with you................... although I do agree that smart people can make stupid decisions.

As a generalisation the Thais (of our acquaintance) are not smart - individually or collectively. There is little evidence of their ability top learn any lessons from 'mistakes' such as these. Surin is right, you come back to Thailand from overseas and it does not take long to see some carnage on the roads. No, it doesn't happen in the west, statistics prove that, world rankings for road traffic deaths evidence that over the years; Songkran and New Year death tolls evidence that. Next to nothing has been done to rectify the causes of the problem.

I also disagree with Mario; if it was a poor decision it was a decision made when they set off. The ability to nominate a 'designated driver' is beyond the Thais. "We have all been there..." - no we haven't, not in these number. In the States in the 50's/60's (and the UK) you may get a car load of youngsters who had been drinking - sometimes there were tragic consequences, but never in the numbers that these incidents in Thailand seem to produce.

For f**k's sake Thailand Wake UP! Appropriate legislation, properly enforced, together with driving skills training and real testing is necessary. In addition there needs to be some shift in culture and mindset............ trusting in Buddha (especially after a skinful of alcohol) and a mai bpen rai attitude does not cut it.
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Could not agree more with CO-CO's comments.

The majority of Thais in my village are far from smart, and in fact most are plain stupid, when it comes to driving. I regularly drive through my village and regularly come across the same people who every time just pull out of side sois without slowing/stopping or even looking. They get a sharp blast form my horn every time (done instinctively without being aware at the time who they are). They just smile, but never correct their actions. There is one woman who seems to ride round the village all day, and I have repeatedly had to brake quickly to avoid hitting her. I have even remonstrated with her, all to no avail. I actually saw her at a social event last night and remarked to the wife that she was still alive!

There is no reason to believe that this group of Thais are not fairly representive of most Thais in the Isaan area.

Recent newspaper reports seem to differ on what, if any restrictions are in place for riding in the bed of a pick up. My own recollection was that it was initially banned for a few days , but due to a public outcry, the ban was lifted and discussions were to take place to consider allowing a limited number of people (possibly 6) to sit in the back. Never recall hearing any more.

So the suggestion at the time was it is OK for 6 people to be propelled from the back and die in the event of an accident, but not more!

Lets see a total ban. Now is a good time as it will allow the Thais a couple of months to make alternative transport plans when millions return from Bangkok and elsewhere over the upcoming New Year. Wishful tthinking of course, as it will almost certainly not happen.
 
Wombat said:
In 1970 in Victoria, Australia the annual road toll was 1061 last year, with double the population the road toll was 259. Education, visible Police Presence, a massive media campaign, new laws and heavy fines have resulted in the number being reduced. New laws included compulsory seat belts and harsher and more drink driving laws. Does anyone think this could happen here?
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1061 was just the state of Victoria alone, If people did not read that properly,not all Australia. I was only very young but that campaign was huge. Proper drink drive 0.5% laws were introduced in 1976 two years before I got my DL. That was the beginning of the downward slide for the corner pub.
 
Wombat said:
In 1970 in Victoria, Australia the annual road toll was 1061 last year, with double the population the road toll was 259. Education, visible Police Presence, a massive media campaign, new laws and heavy fines have resulted in the number being reduced. New laws included compulsory seat belts and harsher and more drink driving laws. Does anyone think this could happen here?
Click to expand...

YES. It could happen here in Thailand, with dramatic improvement almost overnight, if there were a desire by the government to act.

Now, would in fact be perhaps the best time to take action. Schools are closed, so the underage unlicenced students will have time to find alternative transport other than their motorbikes. Time for other transport arrangements to be made for New Year travels.

There should be a huge mandatory media blitz. One evening on TV only for motoring information . Traffic laws should be fully explained, fines and other punishments clearly listed (which should be very harsh and include lifetime bans and confiscation of vehicles for some situations.. NOBODY would be exempt!

The police at every level must be directly involved, and any officers found not enforcing every aspect of the law should be dismissed without pension.

Oops I've woken up. Dream finished. Back to sleep, new dream, perhaps with some sexy girls this time!:yum:
 
Several times during the course of a F1 GP, True's coverage of the race includes a road safety (and household safety) campaign in the form of an English language advisory. If this was extended to every Thai TV commercial break, dubbed into Thai at 25dB LOUDER (!!) it would be a start towards greater awareness regarding the wearing of safety belts and so on. It seems to be an arm of the Prudential that arranges these.

https://www.prudentialcorporation-a...dation/our-programmes/safe-steps/road-safety/
 
gotlost said:
On Saturday, the last day of the job training, a party was held at the garage until late into the night to celebrate the end of the training. The students, who had been served with beer and other alcohol, then went on to Soi King Kaew 2 for an Isan-stylemor lamshow.
The accident occurred after they left the show.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1760969/pick-up-overturns-in-samut-prakan-killing-13
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I surmise that the cause of this one vehicle accident and ensuing carnage won't be difficult to uncover.

Youth, alcohol and an inexperienced inebriated operator.

Is it any surprise ?
 
1) How do you legislate against stupidity ?
I believe "Don't drink/ Don't drive" is a fairly standard mantra...even in the minds of Uni students. Sadly alcohol takes the thought process out of the equation.

2) Possibly this is why the Yellow shirts want to quell the voting strength of Isaan's Red shirts whose vote can easily be purchased as the Taksin-Shintawara regimes had previously shown.

3) When you initially arrived on these shores it was the same as the wild west - basically lawless fueled by cheap drink and cheap pussy.
Not to mention that your $,£ and € went alot further than it does today. :disappointed:

Now that you've been here so looong Thailand must change to fit the same bill you left behind in your western domiciles, right. So why did you leave ?o_O
Be honest...thinking with your dick among available pussy...or for a chauvanistic lifestyle.
(Oh yeah ...or you're a missionary. Right - perish that thought.):mask:

It's funny how our youth think Thailand is a fantastic holiday.
The longer one has been here the more tarnished the truth becomes as to why you reside here.:flushed:
 
Having a drink, and being unable to drive after is an inconvenience to most. The chances of getting caught breaking any motoring law here in Thailand are negligible, so people take a chance. They won't of course have an accident as Buddha will see to that - or so they believe.

So as far as legislation is concerned, it is necessary to make the police enforce the laws, (with heavy penalties if they don't) and throw the book at all miscreants. Huge fines, imprisonment, hard labour and vehicle confiscation would probably prevent many from driving when drunk.
 
Rice I must correct you. The alcohol limit in most Australian states is less than 0.05 mg/dl not 0.5%. I think the law states 0.05 or greater. If I am wrong I apologise in advance.
 
There is a certain parallel in the thinking that we move to live here and almost immediately want to impose our own Western standards on this country, and the thinking in Britain (for example) where we see immigrants move in and demand that their laws be respected and British culture be set to one side to avoid upsetting their culture (think the removal of "Easter" from kid's eggs, and "Christ" from Christmas.) There's an understandably negative reaction against the latter from the British, and do we really not understand that Thai people have the same difficulty with changing their own habits to satisfy us?

We all know that driving habits here kill far too many people. We know that changing those habits would have a positive effect. Do we really understand that the Thai attitude towards death, however untimely, is not the same as our own? Unless it their immediate kith and kin, Thai families seem to have a fatalistic attitude towards their losses. It may sound trite, but I swear that there are many around who regard the deaths of old friends, neighbours, teachers, and some family members as a reason to celebrate their lives - or, at worst, show just a few minutes "respect" for the dead by turning up at the daily food and drink events before staggering home on foot, or on a motorcy, or in the back of a pickup...

Please don't imagine for a second that I condone their drinking behaviour. Far from it in fact, but what might seem to us to be a simple "solution" to the carnage on the roads is an enormous restriction to them on their right to enjoy the traditional Thai freedom and "fun" that many Farang were attracted to when deciding to move to a more hedonistic country that they left behind. It isn't that long ago that the village police sergeant would come into my own local a few minutes before the landlord called time, to warn that there was a "county" patrol car waiting nearby, and that everyone should take the back roads when driving home. That was actually 50 years ago, when drink driving caused many more deaths on British roads than are recorded today, but even so it has taken a generation or two for drink driving there to be considered an antisocial and potentially lethal habit. Just saying...
 
Wombat said:
In 1970 in Victoria, Australia the annual road toll was 1061 last year, with double the population the road toll was 259. Education, visible Police Presence, a massive media campaign, new laws and heavy fines have resulted in the number being reduced. New laws included compulsory seat belts and harsher and more drink driving laws. Does anyone think this could happen here?
Click to expand...
It will never happen because they shy away from errors/mistakes/criminal activities & associated responsibilities. You go into a Thai history lesson and they are barred from discussing historic mistakes/atrocities so will NEVER question or learn from them.
 
Merlin said:
There is a certain parallel in the thinking that we move to live here and almost immediately want to impose our own Western standards on this country, and the thinking in Britain (for example) where we see immigrants move in and demand that their laws be respected and British culture be set to one side to avoid upsetting their culture (think the removal of "Easter" from kid's eggs, and "Christ" from Christmas.) There's an understandably negative reaction against the latter from the British, and do we really not understand that Thai people have the same difficulty with changing their own habits to satisfy us?

We all know that driving habits here kill far too many people. We know that changing those habits would have a positive effect. Do we really understand that the Thai attitude towards death, however untimely, is not the same as our own? Unless it their immediate kith and kin, Thai families seem to have a fatalistic attitude towards their losses. It may sound trite, but I swear that there are many around who regard the deaths of old friends, neighbours, teachers, and some family members as a reason to celebrate their lives - or, at worst, show just a few minutes "respect" for the dead by turning up at the daily food and drink events before staggering home on foot, or on a motorcy, or in the back of a pickup...

Please don't imagine for a second that I condone their drinking behaviour. Far from it in fact, but what might seem to us to be a simple "solution" to the carnage on the roads is an enormous restriction to them on their right to enjoy the traditional Thai freedom and "fun" that many Farang were attracted to when deciding to move to a more hedonistic country that they left behind. It isn't that long ago that the village police sergeant would come into my own local a few minutes before the landlord called time, to warn that there was a "county" patrol car waiting nearby, and that everyone should take the back roads when driving home. That was actually 50 years ago, when drink driving caused many more deaths on British roads than are recorded today, but even so it has taken a generation or two for drink driving there to be considered an antisocial and potentially lethal habit. Just saying...
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Excellent thoughts Merlin.

However I do not fully agree about the parallel between expats here and immigrants back home. Western driving standards are far superior to those here in Thailand (with some other Asian countries being far worse) . We want these standards to be introduced here in Thailand, not for our personal benefit, but for the overall benefit of the Thai people, to reduce the horrific accident statistics. I am sure most of us know local Thai families who have either lost loved ones in motor accidents, or know Thais who are disabled following an accident. I know of several locally.

Immigrants to the UK (and no doubt other countries) want the changes for their own largely religious benefit. What they want is of no benefit the the native population, but governments cave in to their requirements. As a result British kids are deprived of the right of an Easter Egg whilst Christmas is not the same as it was in our time. British motorists are also often inconvenienced, by the head bangers who are permitted to exercise their beliefs on the streets. Then there is the permitted cruel slaughter of anmals..........................................

The Thais by and large are stuck in the past. They do not want to improve their lives. Although knowing nothing about rice growing, I did offer some financial advice to some in my community. That was not to sell their rice immediately it was harvested, at rock bottom prices, but to keep it for 3/4 months and sell at a good price. Even with a longer loan, the additional interest would be well covered. But no, my advice was rejected. Must sell now, pay debts. get pissed every night on Lao Khao. and then borrow money to go to Bangkok and look for work!. They defy all logic!
 
I chose to live here. I accept that life is different and very happy here and I don't ask or expect Thai to change there way of life for me. And I try not to complain.
But like most others expats I criticize the horrible driving.
Mind you I have seen some bloody awful driving by some expats here too, especially on motor bikes.
 
Deerculler said:
The one thing that no one has mentioned
Why the hell don't they have police out patrolling the hi- ways and roads.
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Have you never rolled up to a police checkpoint on a busy road or highway ?

That was a surprise as I've never seen that in the States
 
Coffee said:
Have you never rolled up to a police checkpoint on a busy road or highway ?

That was a surprise as I've never seen that in the States
Click to expand...


Thai police checkpoints are just money gathering exercises....that said, a guy yesterday was helpful in explaining that, for our red plates, we have 31 days OR 3,000 km. He also informed us that our driving licences could now be stored on an app.

I think Deerculler was referring to mobile patrols where the patrolmen actually do something useful, other than just drive from A to B. Anyone ever seen a police vehicle pull over a potential offender?
 
Coffee said:
Have you never rolled up to a police checkpoint on a busy road or highway ?

That was a surprise as I've never seen that in the States
Click to expand...
I have seen many police checkpoints in the U.S., but primarily around major holidays. When I was growing up in California there used to be regular CHP checkpoints looking for drunks, but I think the ALCU or somebody put a stop to that.
 
mario299 said:
I have seen many police checkpoints in the U.S., but primarily around major holidays. When I was growing up in California there used to be regular CHP checkpoints looking for drunks, but I think the ALCU or somebody put a stop to that.
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I lived a sheltered life in PNW.
I can't recall any police checkpoints in the states of WA, OR, ID, MT or WY except for Immigration or following Sept 2001.
Growing up in NYC never except going through a toll-booth which were numerous.

@CO-CO , why put patrols on the road when they'd spend all day writing tickets for drivers that wouldn't understand why they were ticketed ? :p
 
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