Been a bad week for the statistics of traffic this week.
But hey they know how to drive don't they!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by nicky on July 3, 2015 14:50

And again and again and again

Anyone want to take me up on my offer of a campaign to educate drivers?

No?

Thought not.... Life is cheeeeeeap here

Posted by Discover Thainess on July 3, 2015 16:13

DT

In Phuket 80% of drivers both of cars and bikes are very careful and polite.
The rest is not so much, and it doesn't depend on demographics : it could be both young man or middle-age woman who drives in brainless manner.
Those 20% consist of various components:
dek waen dek waen,
commercial transport under pressure of schedule, those in the Drink&Drive mode falling out pubs right in/on their vehicles,
under drug influence (the ratio of 15% is quite stable for police raids - I calculate it every time when there is data in media),
simply undisciplined maipenrai sabai sabai drivers who will not understand traffic risks unless get into emergency room,
tourists who pose a severe hazard themselves as being unable to adapt quickly to driving under "Thai driving conditions", and , often at opposite lane than at home,
and few more categories.

Actually, each category should be addressed in a specific manner.

And I see enforcement as a primary tool - just put more policemen on roads, as most of wrongdoers know well that they are not behaving very well.

Posted by Sue on July 3, 2015 17:07

@Sue

I disagree, more the other way around, 80% ignore rules and drive recklessly, with 20% driving well.

To improve driving standards, there are various ways that need to be used together, simple enforcement of laws is not enough as road users just end up resenting the police who they see as victimising them when they are doing nothing wrong.

An education program is needed to explain such things as why its important to wear a helmet, why its dangerous to drive drunk, why you should not "ghost ride" the wrong way down roads, why basic vehicle maintenance is essential (make sure your lights are working each day for example)

Once the driving population understand that it is everyone's best interest to drive safely, then they are less likely to not break the law.

In english language it's called "Carrot and Stick"

You need both.

Posted by Discover Thainess on July 3, 2015 18:19

Sue.....

80 percent of the drivers are careful and polite ???

Please tell me where you are driving as it's not on the same roads as myself.....

It's like a race track out there..... WILD.....

Posted by Robert on July 3, 2015 18:53

Flipping-over, the number 1 sport in Thailand. Only possible when one drives to fast and not respect speed limits.

Posted by Kurt on July 3, 2015 19:20

Sue

i would love to see the science behind your 80/20 ratio of good and bad drivers..All I can say is that traffic kills 26,000 people per year in Thailand and that I see oncountable numbers of serious traffic violations every day when I drive here. Your idea about putting more cops on the roads is useless because I have never seen so many police officers on duty on the roads in any country as here in Thailand. And I travel A LOT. It's just that they don't do anything about traffic violations. So you could put a traffic cop on every corner and it wouldn't make any difference at all.

Posted by christian on July 3, 2015 20:21

DT
Robert
Christian

80/20 is, of course, my subjected estimation basing on driving during the daytime.
Of course, during and after pub hours, the ration worsens.
But 20% is already HUGE portion of all drivers. Even 1 aggressive driver on the road out of 100, can be felt like real pain in the ass.
It is to become emotional on bad drivers' conduct and overestimate the real share of bad apples.
Just try objectively verify - how many vehicles you see around during a single trip, and how many out of them misbehave in such or another manner? I bit doubt that it is 50%, if not after closure time around Chalong circle and similar.

Back home, I think we have like 1% of aggressive drivers, and they are so visible.
But 20% nay create impression that they are half of more of the crowd.

Posted by Sue on July 4, 2015 06:52

DT,

Let's look what options would fit better for every of the mentioned groups:

1. Dek Waen:

Skateboard parks do wonders, youth get attracted there and doesn't create hazards near or at the roads anymore.
Similar, allocation a space for bike racing, or if necessary , even investing in that - that may reduce to big extent the problem with Dek Waen group.
Of course, general social situation that they have limited economic resources and have limited opportunity to self-realization and gaining self-esteem can't be so easily addressed.

2. Drivers or commercial transport:

it's easy task:
increase sanctions for commercial entities, who are the owners/operators of vehicles, incl. putting various special business permits under risk, and they will educate their troublemakers - drivers.

of course , then enforce it in real life.

3. Drink&Drive folks:

put more cops on regular raids.
it is not a magic science how to organize raids - when (during / right after pub hours) , where (nearby drinking places of various kinds and at major transit roads) and with what emphasis (alcohol and drug test) and how intensively (that drinkers from major spots would not be able to leave the place w/o crossing a checkpoint).

4. MaiPenRai drivers

Strong enforcement:

I can tell about myself: until we have got in Europe mandatory incarceration for driving twice as legal limit, I used alcometer, bottles of water were always in abundance in a car - in case of I leave the club, and still above the limit, then just drink 1.5-3l water and wait, say, 1 hr and other tricks , and only in 50% of cases left my car at the club's parking to pick it up next afternoon, after introduction of that law, I left my car there absolutely every tine, no exception. We had a real problem with drunk driving.
But with that it law it subdued,especially after some politicians and officials served their terms.
Education didn't work that well for that audience, and they are in general by far not not of Thai mentality.


Clearly, more sticks here, until the sXXt is gone - even for not so enjoying various rules Thai society. These sticks will educate.

Posted by Sue on July 4, 2015 07:14

Christian,

of course, I didn't mean cops-mannequins who occasionally check for helmets, but those ones who diligently and in professional manner perform their duties.

I can volunteer to write for them an instruction how to plan and conduct efficient raids, if only they would follow that.

Posted by Sue on July 4, 2015 07:18

Sue....

Regarding your second comment , I don't drive after 5pm, as it's even more dangerous, so my comment was regarding daytime driving... It's like a circus out there.... It's not a pleasure or a joy driving , for me it's a headache for most of it, even if I am not driving and just a passenger, I am on tender hooks waiting for some fool to come careering into our car...

Just my two cents worth....

Posted by Robert on July 4, 2015 08:32

@Sue

On every trip I see multitudes of terrible and selfish driving. The actual issue as has been mentioned many many times in other posts before is the "me first" attitude of people in thailand these days

From double parking so you don't have to walk an extra 10 metres to blocking access roads, pushing to the front of a queue at traffic lights, riding the wrong way down a road to avoid a few extra minutes to make a U turn, to pushing in the queue at 7-11 to demand cigarettes .....

When I first came here in 1991 it was a very different place.

Seems most other posters agree with the level of bad driving here

Posted by Discover Thainess on July 4, 2015 08:46

To be careful and polite not prevents somebody to be a lousy driver.

Because no one really learn driving a car at proper driving schools, means that virtually all here are bad drivers.

Many polite and nice, and some less aggressive than others, that's true.

But virtually all are overstrained when it comes to simple maneuvers.

25/h km in front of one, braking down in everey bend and every oncoming traffic slowing down to 16 km/h while swinging from right to left,

or these strange turning maneuvers in the middle of town, blocking all traffic, we all know that.

Staying on track, driving in reverse, parking, overtaking, going out from a slip road, estimating distances.

This is usually not very dangerous, but annoying and in combination with an oversized SUV or a stinky scrap box, the vehicles get a weapon.

Many go as if they had a second life in their backpack. Even the best driving school cannot prevent from this behaviour.

This is gouverments issue to spend some baht for professional education campains.

Posted by Georg The Viking on July 4, 2015 09:08

One incident of bad driving?

28.000 deads in thailand every year. This has causes.

Downplaying also does not solve the problem.

But ok, if I prefer to say that many have huge problems rather than virtually all are overstrained makes it the things better?

"The vast majority of Thais who are extremely polite, not rude."

No doubt. But not on the road.

To be extremely polite is not a category of driving skills.

Posted by Georg The Viking on July 4, 2015 10:09

One in five? That's about correct, editor.
Ten cars are driving in my direction and at least two of them break out of their lane just about 300m in front of me to force me either off the street or face the consequenses. Happens every day! Trucks, buses, pickups, cars - you name it!

Posted by herbert on July 4, 2015 11:53

@Ed

No bigotry at all - you should not accuse people when you do not understand their motives, you should know all about that

My comments are based on 20+ years of driving in thailand, I have never seen it as bad as it is now. I don't need to list the endless number of contraventions, we all know what they are.

Posted by Discover Thainess on July 5, 2015 20:32

DT, you may be right but an increase in poor driving is also occurring back home. I wonder if people just have more distractions nowadays or cars are much easier to drive that people lose their concentration?

Posted by MoW on July 5, 2015 21:00

Nobody doubt you have some good drivers in this county.

But 80 deaths every day 28.000 every year.

Somebody cause this carnage day by day.

I stick on it, to learn driving by doing not leads to good driving skills.

I am sure a lot of crashs are caused by so called good drivers. They are careful and polte and drive in defensive way. But they have problems in awareness and react wrong when sudden problems occure.

Another thing is lack of maintaining.

Posted by Georg The Viking on July 5, 2015 21:36