Every holiday season brings with it a terrible road death total. Fatalities in Thailand during holiday periods to me are disgusting but each year the numbers are around the same. Over New Years Eve they have what is known as the “7 Deadly Day”.
This year the first three days to New Years Eve has brought a road toll of 168 people (the accuracy of the number I always doubt). 77 people lost their lives on New Years Eve itself. A total of 1,824 accidents have been reported over the three days.
Most deaths and accidents have been attributed to drink driving and this is of no surprise to anyone who lives in Thailand as it seems to be imbedded into society. I have never been to any other country where drink driving is done so blatantly and without any regard to others safety, little only their own.
Speeding has also been attributed to many accidents as well. Thais also disregard speed laws. Not many Thais obey speed limits.
Many deaths do happen on what they call secondary roads, or country roads. Police hardly ever patrol these areas, but set up check points on main highways where they sit around drinking coffee and chatting.
The first 3 days have been a windfall for the police, 180,000 plus people were cited for traffic infringements. It was stated that most driver didn’t have licenses or were wearing helmets on their motorbikes.
Here in Thailand if the police stop a person with no license, they simply pay a small 200 Baht fine and keep this receipt for the next 3 days as if they are stopped again they show this to the officer and they will not be fined again. Fuc#en insane.
In a normal country if you don’t have a license you will not be able to hop back onto the motorbike and just ride off into the sunset. Same goes with helmets, pay the fine and on your way helmetless.
This holiday period behaviours including drunken driving, speeding, riding without a helmet, telephoning while driving, cutting in front of other cars, and not using seat belts were meant to be closely monitored and enforced. Well this hasn’t happened just by watching what is happening here in Ubon Ratchathani.
I cannot understand why police simply don’t enforce traffic laws strictly. If they stopped taking bribes and just wrote tickets out for all infringements the commission they get paid for each ticket would surely be greater than the bribes many of them accept.
Yes, hopefully in time people would stop breaking the traffic laws as often and then commissions would be less but at least this should equate more people being alive.
Fines need to be increased from the measly 200-500 Baht, starting at 2,000 baht going up on a sliding scale depending on the offence. People who do not have a license or helmet should have their motorbikes or cars taken away until they are produced.
Is this too much? What do you think? Why don’t the police just enforce road laws?
Brunty
7 comments:
more (crooked) police? more fines? more laws?
Sounds like England, USA or Australia...next comes the lawyers and their hands outstretched for a payout.
Thousands of people die each year in the 'liberated' western countries; so more (useless) police and fines will have no impact except to fill the town coffers with the fleecing of the citizens.
Yeah Franky that would be the problem with crooked police. The big thing Thailand needs is to wipe out all the current corruptors. So virtually wiping out all Government agiencies and starting again.
Ihave been visiting Thailand from Australia over the holiday period. Travelled to Sakon Nakhon and back. NEVER have I seen such poor and dangerous driving. Passing over doublelines, passing on topsof hill (!!!)...DISGUSTING.
Thailand and Ubon in particular has some of the most disfunctional intersections I have ever seen. Probably over half of the traffic lights there are in disrepair. Why bother to fix them? Motorists have little or no respect for red lights and stop signs anyway.
Anon, this is just the normal Thai driving way. The police just fail to enforce the laws regularly and the fines for breaking laws are pissweak.
James, many intersections are terrible in Ubon. Drivers in Ubon are disgraceful.
Thais see lights as just pretty decorations that change colours and not something that is meant to create safety and traffic flow.
Thanks for dropping by.
Brunty
Brunty, the worst highway accidents i have ever seen were in Thailand, and i've seen more than i care to remember. i will never forget the time i was looking out the window of a bus only to realize that i was looking at dismembered bodies going by as we happened upon an accident. it looked like a slaughterhouse.
MJ, I can imagine that. Thais like to gather at horrible accident and look and at times laugh at the scene before them.
It seems to be a morbid facination with the country. Just look at the Thai newspapers and the pictures of death printed every day for all to see.
Today, a Thai newspaper had the picture of a primary 4 student (she would be 10 years old) laying face down on the road. Blood had seeped out from her head and there was a large pool surrounding her head.
She and her grandmother were hit by a truck on their motorbike on the way to school. As in 95% of the time the driver didn't stop.
The picture wasn't blurred and it is just so sad and sickening that newspapers are allowed and rely on these pictures to sell their newspapers.
Thanks for stopping by all
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