Carnage

[sandman67]

I always find a CD of Rammstein, SOAD, God Machine or Cradle of Filth helps keep the sleepy driver awake

[margaretcarnes]

Whatever floats your boat Sandman!
And talking of Red Arrows, (well, someone was) I've known them buzz the number 350 double decker Lincoln to Scunny. Little tinkers. Certainly woke the passengers up.

[Terry]

Article from todays 'Motoring' section of Bangkok Post - says it all really


Driving under influence
Understaffed and underpaid, the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation is fighting an uphill battle in its war against drunk driving

The accoutrements of power do not shine off Tairjing Siriphanich. Perhaps it is his self-effacing manner and low-key appearance without aides and baggage handlers in attendance. Despite his training as an opthalmologist from Southwestern university in the Philippines, Dr Tairjing's role as secretary general of the Don't Drive Drunk Foundation (DDD) has saved many lives over the years.

He pioneered the Narenthorn emergency ambulance service, known by its call number 1669; and lobbied for allowing alcohol advertising on TV only between 10pm-5am instead of 24 hours.

And he convinced a judge in Nonthaburi _ one of the 76 provinces _ by the name of Suchin Suesuwan _ to jail drunk driving offenders. What's wrong with the other 75?

Tairjing's also pushing for a law that will punish motorists using mobile phones while driving.

Yet the odds are stacked against the man who turned down a lucrative private practise in order to save lives.

''Automakers must be involved. Instead of speed and technology, they should focus on driving safely. They just can't sell and sell.

''Our foundation never received any sponsorship from automakers or oil companies,'' he laments. ''People don't just die on holidays, they die everyday. People are more concerned about global warming than road accidents. You [the writer] could die tonight.''

So the writer wonders how priorities get misplaced in society.

A single human casualty by bird flu will prompt a 5km radius quarantine and the culling of a few million chicken if necessary.

But the attitude towards, not one, but the 401 casualties caused by drunk driving during New Year holidays, has at best been blase{aac}.

''The Democrat party leader almost died in a car accident last December when he came asking for our votes. Who cares about free education and hospital services when we can still die at the hands of a drunk driver?''

Thai society appears to be a victim of its own traditions and culture where every deed or action is attributed to the Buddhist percept of fate and destiny.

''If a drunk driver hits you it's destiny. This is not karma. A Thai or farang can get hit by a drunk driver. The root of the problem is lack of discipline,'' he says before gathering himself. ''Thais are one of the most generous and kindest of all races but put them behind the wheel on the road and all of that vanishes. All you see or hear is road rage and shootings.''

He apologises and then asks me if my parents got hit by a drunk driver, would I petition the government? Maybe and maybe not.

''But if I [Tairjing] get raped then all hell breaks loose. If a burglar robs a house then the police commander gets transferred.''

Shifting gears to DDD, Tairjing's interest in amateur radio led to the setting up of Narenthorn ambulance service _ the only similar public service available being the Poh Teck Tung Foundation.

''Narenthorn was born at Rajavithi Hospital. It was criticised by doctors because of the sheer number of patients. It depleted our resources and funds. I found out later that 80% of the victims were drunk. So why not take them off the roads?'' he said, pausing to recollect. ''Damrong Puttan suggested 'Don't Drive Drunk' for a name. It was perfect. Our organisation started 11 years ago before changing to a foundation for the purposes of obtaining funding.''

According to a Prince of Songkhla University survey, about 1.5 Thais die from drunk driving accidents every hour and one million injured resulting in economic losses of B200bn annually.

Tairjing credited former deputy PM Chaturon Chaisaeng and deputy transport minister Nikorn Jamnong for setting up road checkpoints and pushing legal reforms to curb drunk driving.

''I remember reporting New Year casualties to the cabinet. When Thaksin saw the numbers he said it was comparable to the first Gulf War.''

Today DDD is still a small operation with former Puttan, a former senator, as its president who is assisted by a handful of dedicated people. It's based in a small townhouse off Sukhumvit 19 and supported by the likes of Mama instant noodle and Montri transport, but not a single automaker.

So is DDD successful, given the 401 road deaths were reported this New Year?

''It's successful if you ask people about our activities but not successful in changing their behaviour.''

The irony is that after spending 20 years fighting drunk driving, the poor doctor himself became victim of a hit and run drunk driver.

''My Yaris got rear-ended last April, spun, exposing the front and got hit again. The culprit fled the scene. But his car broke down and I ran over to see his number plates. The man reeked of alcohol. Nobody bothered to check it until I asked a high ranking police officer to enforce the alcohol check.

''The punishment turned out to be a three-month jail term. A first in Saraburi.''

It's a never ending struggle for Tairjing who also heads the Injury Prevention Unit at the Department of Disease Control, Health Ministry.

On election day last year, he witnessed a restaurant owner give in to the pleadings of a customer who wanted to drink beer.

''This is Thai society. No discipline. Thais condone acts of wrongdoings but if it's their turn then there is an exception [just a bit, just once, I am in a hurry, let me go]. Absolutely no discipline.''

[margaretcarnes]

A very interesting post Terry. Drink driving must certainly account for much of the problem in LOS and is clearly something which needs to be addressed with proper concern and enforced legislation across the whole country. Hopefully the message will eventually sink in. But it still leaves the issue of Buddhist mentality.
I seem to remember hearing once about a payment to 'ambulance chasers' in LOS for the safe delivery of dead bodies from road accidents? Maybe others have heard this as well - don't know how true it is.
Have also seen the lack of help given to victims by other Thais. I passed an accident at night once, and the victim was layed underneath a pickup truck. About 6 Thais were stood around the truck clearly doing nothing (when they could have surely lifted the truck off?) Whether this was a case of not knowing what to do, or simply Sabai, I don't know. My Thai driver made no attempt to stop, and, if he had stopped, I would have run the risk of being accused of causing the accident or death. Sad but true. Any farang who interferes takes the blame.

[DawnHRD]

Don't agree with your last statement, Mags. I was once going home after the bars shut with my BF on his motorbike. On the opposite side of the road in front of HH Grand, a pick-up hit a motorbike & sent the guy flying into the air. Pick-up sped off (naturally). I screamed at BF to stop & ran across the road. Crowd of Thais, doing nothing, so I took the guy's pulse, checked his breathing etc & shouted at the Thais to get an ambulance. I didn't do much, as I had no idea of injuries that I might be making worse (he landed on his head & neck), but I did as much as I could risk. No-one ever blamed me for anything as regards that night.

[margaretcarnes]

Thats good to hear Dawn, and its often a natural reaction for us to want to help. Sadly I've been 'conditioned' maybe NOT to do anything, despite all the usual first aid training etc. It will be interesting to hear other views on this - and to what extent do Thai people get any training in first aid?

[Terry]

I've been driving in Thailand on & off for the first 8 and consistantly for the last 8 - a total of 16 years.

It has been my experience that when a farang stops to help there is a good chance that he / she may well get some blame - sorry Dawn, but it's true - maybe you were lucky.

I've had two serious crunches - nobody hurt, but messed up car as a result - and both were claimed as my fault - because I'm a farang.

The first in Bangkok in the late nineties when a car full of drunken Thais all in their early twenties, rammed the back of my car along Sukhamvit road. They managed to drive off - the boys in brown happened to witness the smack and did sfa about it, saying that it was my fault for stopping to fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Second time was in car park of Big C Petchaburi a couple of years ago. I was doing about 5kph exiting the car park. Three lunatics on a motorcycle doing about 40 in the wrong direction, plastered themselves over my windscreen. Fortunately Mrs. T was with me and it all got resolved. She told me how they wanted to ensure I got the blame!

OK - all local folk are not the same, but I've heard of many instances over the years where farangs have copped it by just trying to help.

[VincentD]

Agree with Terry and Margaret - DON'T STOP if you're not involved. This is also the advice of all the Thais that I know. In fact, some of them say not to stop even if you are involved!

Dawn, you probably were just lucky that night.

I would say that the 'drink, don't drive' campaign is actually successful, at least in Bangkok. Many people who didn't give a toss before now consciously plan on taking a taxi if there is going to be drinking in any form involved in a night's partying.

I also agree with Terry's observation that they will initially try to pin it on the farang - but there is an underlying reason for this. None of them will have any more than the minimum third-party insurance coverage, and they expect that the farang would have comprehensive coverage. In this respect they try to justify the blame as the insurance company would be expected to pick up the tab.

Mind you, the Thais have a very different attitude towards first party insurance. Example - one of the girls in the office bought a secondhand car that came with first-party insurance. It covered her first (minor) accident. Quite some time later, I noticed that her car had gone missing from the carpark for a couple of days, so I asked her if she had had another prang. Her reply was, oh, the first party insurance coverage would expire at the end of the month, so she had had it sent to the paint shop for a full paint job!

[Terry]

Vincent

Agree about the insurance thing.

I was lucky in my Big C fiasco.
1) Mrs.T was able to sort them out.
2) Our insurance broker lives not too far from there and was on the scene withinin 15 minutes.
3) The family of the 'driver' actually HAD insurance - so they paid for all of the damage.

Incidentally - the boys in brown did not want to get involved - as it was an accident on private land and not on the highway!!!!!!!!!

A little known thing re insurance:-

If you DO have first class insurance (What would be known as fully comprehensive in the UK), you may put your car into a garage every 3 years for a bodywork touchup at no cost to you!!!!!!!!!

You do NOT loose any 'no claims bonus', but you MUST get the work done by a workshop on the insurance company's list.

My Honda is due for it's second visit in a few months - great for getting rid of those lovely little dents and scratches implanted by the bloody motorcyclists!

[VincentD]

Hmmm. Interesting thing about the insurance, something I'll definitely have to look into. Does the age of the car matter as well? I know they took pictures when I first applied but never bothered again when I kept renewing. They seemed to be satisfied with the original lot.

I've had several accidents 'happen'; i.e. not my fault. It helps if you don't say a word initially, pull out a camera, take pictures, then talk. The fact that I speak reasonably good Thai tends to blow their hair back a bit...

And on an occasion or two, knowing someone helped turn the situation around.

[Jaime]

Don't agree with your last statement, Mags. I was once going home after the bars shut with my BF on his motorbike. On the opposite side of the road in front of HH Grand, a pick-up hit a motorbike & sent the guy flying into the air. Pick-up sped off (naturally). I screamed at BF to stop & ran across the road. Crowd of Thais, doing nothing, so I took the guy's pulse, checked his breathing etc & shouted at the Thais to get an ambulance. I didn't do much, as I had no idea of injuries that I might be making worse (he landed on his head & neck), but I did as much as I could risk. No-one ever blamed me for anything as regards that night.

I agree Dawn. I did something very similar in Cha Am a couple of years ago - I posted about it then. An old fella on one of those old motosais with a flat bed side car full of pineapples got clipped by a bus - I was driving right behind it and saw everything as the bus wing mirror caught the canopy attached to the side car and flipped it over. The bus driver did stop and so did I , despite Mrs Jaime's protestations. I was first on the scene and like you there wasn't alot I could do but amazingly the old man was still alive, although he had some bad injuries, and I like to think I made the time I was there more comfortable for him before the ambulance arrived. I would definitely do it again, didn't get blamed and even if I did I would feel better for knowing that at least my own humanity is still intact. As I got back into my car all the Thais on the bus that had clipped the old man were applauding me and I knew I had done 'the right thing' in stopping!

[DawnHRD]

Thank you, Jaime . I don't regret what I did, although I have no idea if the man lived or not. I doubt anyone would have bothered to get him to hospital if I hadn't been there. I'm glad that you have also done something similar & come to no harm (financially or through liability). Despite the warnings above, which I do take note of, I'd do it again if the circumstances arose.

[VincentD]

Jaime, Dawn

While I applaud your sense of good samaritanism, in both your cases there were multiple witnesses to the accident actually happening, so there would be little chance of you getting blamed for it.

The warning is more in the case of no witnesses to the accident; if you do stop and are the only one around, you *will* be escorted to the police station. Though it does go against my sense of humanitarism, it is advice well heeded.

[DawnHRD]

OK, I'll concede that point, although I'm not sure how I would act in those circumstances. Having said that, your post (above) is the first time that it has been mentioned about no witnesses. Neither I nor Jaime (I would imagine) could be expected to know that Mags, Terry & you were talking about unwitnessed accidents. Yes, I imagine a farang might be blamed for something in those cases, but in the event of it being unwitnessed it is unlikely the farang would be a complete bystander as both Jaime & I were, more likely that they would be involved in the accident (even if blameless) in some way.

[Jaime]

Jaime, Dawn

While I applaud your sense of good samaritanism, in both your cases there were multiple witnesses to the accident actually happening, so there would be little chance of you getting blamed for it.

The warning is more in the case of no witnesses to the accident; if you do stop and are the only one around, you *will* be escorted to the police station. Though it does go against my sense of humanitarism, it is advice well heeded.

I'll just leave some poor bastard lying in the road to die alone if that happens then. they might lose their life but it'll save me a couple of hours at the police station and a few thousand baht that someone might try to extort from me.

Let's get some perspective on this please!