How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

[Nereus]

Rural road safety push could slash death toll, says minister

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... s-minister

The Interior Ministry has asked local administrators to come up with more effective measures to prevent road accidents during the annual Songkran festival.

Road accidents kill 22,000 people per year in Thailand — 65 a day on average — and cause a high number of life-changing injuries with losses amounting to about 10 million baht per case, Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee said on Tuesday.

Mr Niphon said the high death and injury toll is mostly caused by drunk driving and lack of safety precautions. Hence road-safety measures should be boosted and implemented more strictly both on holidays and normal days.

“Thailand has 500,000 kilometres of roads, but 400,000km are located in rural areas. So I want more cooperation from local administrations in overseeing local roads and barring users who violate traffic laws, as this could help cut the death toll significantly, especially during festivals like Songkran when people celebrate by drinking,” he said.

[buksida]

54 Covid-19 deaths compared to 26,000 road deaths
Thailand, with a population of 67 million, has done a good job to date in keeping Covid-19 deaths to just 54. This begs the question of why nothing serious is ever done to tackle the annual road carnage of 26,000 deaths, which gives Thailand the distinction of being in the top six of the worst countries in the world.

Every accident is a tragedy but the biggest tragedy of all is that most of these could be prevented with proper police control.

I don’t know where the buck stops in the Thai bureaucratic blame game but it should be obvious to even a blind man where it starts – with the traffic police who are noted by their absence from the roads.

During six years of living in Thailand, not once have I seen a motor bike cop or police car stop anybody for anything. Their activities are confined to roadside checks for motorbike helmets and drivers’ licenses. While it is laudable, it does not require trained policemen to perform this function, it could be done by retired school teachers or librarians, and does nothing whatsoever to reduce road accidents.

For years, I have expressed my frustration, and fumed about Thailand not having proper road rules but to my surprise, when I did a test for a Thai Driver’s License, I discovered that sensible traffic regulations, similar to those in the West, are in place. The problem is that they are not enforced.

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/cv19 ... oad-deaths

[Dannie Boy]

I’ve not seen the road death figures for the last month, but presume they are considerably lower than normal - clearly linked to lower traffic volumes and of course, scarcity of alcohol. No doubt they will return to normal once alcohol is fully available and traffic restrictions lifted!!
Edited thanks to BB!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HHTel]

Afaik, the Thai 'Highway Code' was copied from the UK rules many years ago, being one of the few western countries that drive on the left.
So you're absolutely correct in that they have the rules but not the enforcement. Many of the traffic cops don't know the rules themselves. A few years ago, traffic police in BKK were tested on their traffic knowledge. Around 13% failed miserably. Their punishment: they were not allowed to issue 'tickets' until they had passed the test!

[HHTel]

With around 24,000 deaths a year, or an average of 2,000 per month. April 2020 closed with 500+ deaths. 25% of the norm. Some days even saw deaths in single figures.

[handdrummer]

One answer is a permanent ban on alcohol. Another is improved public transport nationwide and as mentioned, better policing. How does Thailand compare with other countries who have a similar concentration of motor bikes, cars, trucks and private buses?

[sateeb]

One answer is a permanent ban on alcohol.

The US tried that once I believe, and how did that work out?

[HHTel]

How about education, real on-the-road tests, pro-active policing and fines that will deter instead of fines from your small change.

Not difficult but will never happen.

Have a look at the procedures in getting a driving licence in Malaysia. They make the UK look easy!

[HHTel]

I thought it would be interesting to post the requirements for a Malaysian licence. After all, they're only a border away:

Step 1: Register with a driving school

The first licence you will need to obtain is the Learner’s Driving Licence (LDL, commonly known as 'L Licence'). To get this process started, you will need to register with a recognised driving institution or school near you. There are over 120 driving schools in Malaysia and a quick Google search, or a browse through this Malaysia driving schools list will help you identify the school near to you. Registration fees vary from school to school depends on package offers.

Step 2: Complete the theory/computer examination

Once you have registered with a driving school, you will receive a handbook with 500 questions about driving on the roads in Malaysia. This will also be accompanied by the requirement to attend a five-hour course, where an instructor will go through the basics of driving in Malaysia. This can be completed in a single day and is mostly conducted in Malay, but there is now an English theory course as well.

You will then be required to study the handbook and register yourself to take the computer test, also known as the Highway Code Exam. It covers 50 questions from the handbook and you will need a score of 84% or higher to pass and move on to the next step.

The next step is another 6 hours of theory and practical classes including knowledge on changing car tires and basic engine care and other vehicle related issues. Only after completing this will you be able to get your LDL and start the driving lessons.

Step 3: Get your LDL and complete a minimum of 16 hours of on-road lessons (practical)

Get your LDL from the driving school you have registered with. Once you have obtained your LDL, a driving instructor will be required to coach you on the road. If you are applying for the D licence (manual), you will learn how to drive a manual car and how to change gears with a clutch. Alternatively, you can also opt for the DA class licence (automatic), where you will learn how to drive an automatic transmission vehicle.

Most driving schools require a student to fulfill up to 22 hours of lessons in the car type you have chosen – Manual or Automatic.

Step 4: Complete and pass the road test

Once the driving instructor is confident that you are capable of completing the road test, they will schedule your test. Your driving test will include a slope test, 3-point turn, reverse parking, parallel parking, and driving on the open road.

Some schools offer a free re-sit of your practical test until you pass, so be sure to review this in your payment structure. It’s handy if you feel you might need this option.

Step 5: Drive on your Probationary licence for 2 years

Congratulations! Once you have passed the practical exam, you are on your way to a full-fledged driving licence. All you need to do is ensure that you do not have your licence revoked by demerit points for a total of 2 years. You will also need to display the P plate (Probationary) on the top left windscreen and rear-windscreen of your car. Once the 2-year probationary period is over, you will be upgraded to a Competent Driving Licence (CDL).

There you go!

[Dannie Boy]

However, if you look at the number of deaths on Malaysian roads, it’s not significantly lower than Thailand, so making it a lot more difficult to obtain a license won’t necessarily make Thai roads a lot safer. Personally I would like to see much more proactive police patrols linked to bigger fines and a points based system for repeat offenders.

[HHTel]

The death rate in Malaysia is reported in the low to mid 20's and Thailand in the mid to upper 30's.
At best, Malaysia has around 30% + fewer deaths per 100,000. Having driven around both countries, apart from the quality of driving, in Thailand, police are very visible but at road blocks, not doing patrols.
In Malaysia you can drive right through to Singapore and hardly see a policeman. I spent a week in Langkawi last year. I drove every day and in that time, I saw one incidence of a police check. Middle of the night and they were looking for someone.

I think both countries have a problem with pro-active policing. In Thailand, none at all although hundreds of police 'stops' which serve no purpose. In Malaysia, you do see a few patrols on the main highways but in general, the police are very much in the background.

[buksida]

OPINION: LET’S APPLY OUR VIRUS VIGILANCE ON OTHER CALAMITIES
Imagine what Thailand can achieve if it puts in daily government updates and a summary of coronavirus infections to other calamities that plague our country.

With this detailed report and analysis as well as media attention, there’s hope that it can be applied to, say, road deaths or one of the top non-communicable diseases, like diabetes. Imagine.

For road-related deaths, Thailand averaged about 60 killed per day according to a report by the World Health Organization last December. The WHO ranked Thailand at the 9th worst nation on earth when it comes to road-related deaths.

Now, consider that the total coronavirus death is officially 58 as after five months of it spreading. Consider how many more lives we can save per year if we could just reduce it by half.

Remind people daily as to how many have been killed on the road today, just like the government is doing now with coronavirus update. Go into the details to explain how these fatalities occurred. Analyze the locations and exact causes of death.

Is it a drunk driver? How many percent? Is it small motorcycles or big bike related death? Which province has the most fatalities and what is the government and police doing about it?

Then compare it on a weekly if not daily basis with other key nations, that is the best and the worst performers. Note the best and worst practices of other nations and compared that to Thailand’s. Get various government agencies to work together in an integrated manner and not simply leave it to the police or governor of each of the provinces.

Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration, has been successful in scaring the public to the point where many simply comply with government measures without thinking.

Minus the moralistic lecture, I can imagine Taweesin doing a fine job convincing the public the people should take all necessary precautions to reduce road-related fatalities. I know that many Thais who hate Prayut Chan-coha also dislike Taweesin as well. But give Taweesin some break, so he can do more good.

Now, if only things are that simple.

The problem with road-related fatalities is that people have become so jaded and used to accept the shockingly high numbers as inevitable.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/ ... alamities/

Excellent article. Just sad that the junta (and most on here) are so obsessed with these daily covid numbers that they don't see the forest for the trees. Suicide figures for Thailand are equally shocking, but the dictators dont care about that ... "Thai number one ... no Covid...".

[Big Boy]

Yes, an excellent article that I'm sure many agree with, but if you did as suggested, TIT, how long would any improvement last?

They use Covid as the yardstick. How long did that take to be ignored - not even attempted to be adhered to in phase 5 if we believe HHTel? What about Thai Chana? Many on here were never going to use it, M. Mouse and A. Hitler have been regular celebrities around town. Mask wearing? It is done with a reluctance by many to gain entry to shops. At Khao Tao this morning, masks were being worn by about 25%.

Already Thai News shows graphic images of most accidents, with CCTV footage if available - so every Thai can see what's going on. The movie at the licensing centre should be renamed 100 ways to kill other road users.

Yes, good sentiment, but nobody cares here.

[HHTel]

The problem here is that the article is comparing a highly contagious virus with no vaccine to man-made problems in society. There is no comparison.
Road accidents causing death are already widely published but has no effect. Most people would take the attitude "It can't happen to me" and of course "My driving is second to none!" Find me a person that admits to being a bad driver. No such person exists.
The article has good sentiments but it's comparing chalk and cheese.

[europtimiste]

Deaths by road accidents are accepted in Thailand, fatality. How many a yearly ? Less than 20000 and how many new born yearly ?? More than 700000, so you can see the balance.