Thai road safety.

[funky_house]

I was just reading this article from the News page in TF. The figures are quite unbelievable. It brings home just how dangerous Thai roads actually are.

The death toll of road accidents throughout Thailand during the first four days of the seven New Year holidays rose to 278, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department announced Saturday.

The Department's director-general Anucha Mokkhawes said 2,793 road accidents occurred from Tuesday to Friday, killing 278 people and injuring 2,996 others.

On Friday alone, 464 accidents occurred, killing 52 people and injuring 492 others :shock:

[beej]

Ahem.. *cough* *cough* no thai driver around here ??

:roll:

Should that read....

Ahem.. *hick* *hick* no thai driver around here ??

..... from what I remember?

[Dr_Mike]

I've had cars in Thailand, but the traffic is disgusting, the Thai drivers are generally appalling, relentlessly careless and well... ignorant to anyone else on the road.

Now I drive a motorbike, always and constantly shocked by the way cars try to pass me just to cut me off to park on the left side. They pull out and then look to see if anyone is coming etc. It's obvious in yearly deaths that their driving style is very deadly.

At least with the motorbike it takes me less than 30 minutes to travel to a place where it used to take 1 hour or more before having to look for parking.

I seriously doubt any Thai driver would pass a German driving test.

Anyway, it gives me a great project plan, Traffic cameras!!!

[Stu_thailand]

Ahem.. *cough* *cough* no thai driver around here ??

:roll:

Yes, sure. I drive in Thailand every day (as I live here with a work permit). I have an International driving licence.

I would assume that you were not being racist of course. :wink:

Perish the thought

[DJTX]

Now I drive a motorbike...

Are you then one of those motorbike drivers who drives in and out between cars? Goes the wrong way on the side of the road? Passes between two cars? Do you make it virtually impossible to safely change lanes because you are drving faster than traffic is going and driving between the lanes of traffic? Pulls out from intersections into the main flow of traffic without stopping? Basicaly, are you the type of motorbike rider in Thailand who believes traffic laws don't apply to him? :evil:

[Neo]

Basicaly, are you the type of motorbike rider in Thailand who believes traffic laws don't apply to him? :evil:

In case you didn't notice, traffic laws don't apply to anyone in Thailand (except farangs when a policeman is looking)

[Hobbes]

Now I drive a motorbike...

Are you then one of those motorbike drivers who drives in and out between cars? Goes the wrong way on the side of the road? Passes between two cars? Do you make it virtually impossible to safely change lanes because you are drving faster than traffic is going and driving between the lanes of traffic? Pulls out from intersections into the main flow of traffic without stopping? Basicaly, are you the type of motorbike rider in Thailand who believes traffic laws don't apply to him? :evil:

By golly, I have been rumbled...

:wink:

[DJTX]

Basicaly, are you the type of motorbike rider in Thailand who believes traffic laws don't apply to him? :evil:

In case you didn't notice, traffic laws don't apply to anyone in Thailand (except farangs when a policeman is looking)

Yeah, I know. I thought about adding that comment 'oops, forget that - since there are not traffic laws - well almost none'. But then we were talking about motorbikes. You know, those things that are allowed to go anywhere, anyplace, anytime, any damned way they please :roll:

[Hobbes]

Basicaly, are you the type of motorbike rider in Thailand who believes traffic laws don't apply to him? :evil:

In case you didn't notice, traffic laws don't apply to anyone in Thailand (except farangs when a policeman is looking)

Yeah, I know. I thought about adding that comment 'oops, forget that - since there are not traffic laws - well almost none'. But then we were talking about motorbikes. You know, those things that are allowed to go anywhere, anyplace, anytime, any damned way they please :roll:

That's why we smile in a sanook way at people sitting in their 'cages' cueing in endless rows on perfectly good roads... :wink:

[DJTX]

That's why we smile in a sanook way at people sitting in their 'cages' cueing in endless rows on perfectly good roads... :wink:

At least use a motorcycle - not a motorbikd :shock: Regardless, I've thought about getting a motorbike several times. But everytime it crosses my mind again, I just go out and drive around, and that insane notion goes right out of my head

[DJTX]

That's why we smile in a sanook way at people sitting in their 'cages' cueing in endless rows on perfectly good roads... :wink:

At least use a motorcycle - not a motorbikd :shock: Regardless, I've thought about getting a motorbike several times. But everytime it crosses my mind again, I just go out and drive around, and that insane notion goes right out of my head

Hmmmm... a 19 year old with a seriously f*^ked up face...

Been in Thailand too long?

I ride a motorbikd here and I "smile in a sanook way at people sitting in their 'cages' cueing in endless rows on perfectly good roads..." every day

BTW, do you know they have Red light cameras now??? Bas^*(ds...

19? I resemble that :roll: 19, 39, 99 somewhere in there anyways. HEY, what's wrong with my face :?: My ears may have grown but my face :?

Motorbikes - probably two kinds of riders. Those that are sane (about one percent) and all of the rest. You may smile at all the peoplein their cages, but imagine what they do with all of the motorbike riders laying on the side of the road. See them daily.

[Dr_Mike]

Basicaly, are you the type of motorbike rider in Thailand who believes traffic laws don't apply to him? :evil:

In case you didn't notice, traffic laws don't apply to anyone in Thailand (except farangs when a policeman is looking)

Yeah, I know. I thought about adding that comment 'oops, forget that - since there are not traffic laws - well almost none'. But then we were talking about motorbikes. You know, those things that are allowed to go anywhere, anyplace, anytime, any damned way they please :roll:

You must mean the crazy people in cages. Because that's how they drive cars here. A big bike in Thailand? What for? They can't drive on the highways and they are stuck in traffic just like cars.

Why? TEA MONEY !!!

When ANY Thai company does business: there is TEA money. This is ALWAYS true, especially when it comes to building roads, etc. That's why many foreign companies are just saying NO to Thailand.

The road conditions here are terrible. They are too small and of ill repair.

Any time there is a budget to fix it... 50% of it is corrupted pay offs.

So, they have small roads and a poorly designed system of U-Turns. It's not really the amount of traffic that is causing the jams. The traffic problem is mostly because of the way they all drive (cars, buses, trucks and bikes) and the way the roads are designed. You have to drive 10+km to reach a 2 km destination, (ALWAYS). During that 10 km trip (to get eggs, i.e.) you are cut off about 30 times, start and stop about 50 times and of course there's the aggression and the fear...

[DJTX]

The road conditions here are terrible. They are too small and of ill repair.

Any time there is a budget to fix it... 50% of it is corrupted pay offs.

So, they have small roads and a poorly designed system of U-Turns. It's not really the amount of traffic that is causing the jams. The traffic problem is mostly because of the way they all drive (cars, buses, trucks and bikes) and the way the roads are designed. You have to drive 10+km to reach a 2 km destination, (ALWAYS). During that 10 km trip (to get eggs, i.e.) you are cut off about 30 times, start and stop about 50 times and of course there's the aggression and the fear...

You have that exactly right.

[Elegant]

I think depend how u drive and how much u becareful..everywhere... :wink:

[Stu_thailand]

I think depend how u drive and how much u becareful..everywhere... :wink:

EVERYONE says that to make themselves look like the responsible, caring person they want to be seen as, just a shame no one actually does it.

[LakeGeneve]

Never did want to drive in Bangkok and avoided it most of the time. Getting out on the country roads to right up North were fine.. Not much traffic..

Haven't been to Thailand for four years so no idea what Bangkok looks like now..

1991 getting a Taxi from Bangkok airport was a case of risking your life with the driver having one hand on the wheel, and his other three on the horn and knob!

Ahhhhhhhh KNOB, there's a word i haven't used for a while.

With the return of KK, you might be using it a LOT more in the not so distant future. :wink:

This would be the same KK that just a few months ago was detailing his visit to Chiang Mai and the area?