Helmetless Thailand is hopeless
(Athawit Ketsak / Shutterstock.com)
As in many other countries, in Thailand it is mandatory to wear a crash helmet when riding a two-wheeled motor vehicle (motorcycle or scooter). That is of course to promote road safety, but not every Thai, and with them also many foreign visitors, think that way.
It is believed that the helmet is mandatory, because otherwise you can get a fine. If you are almost certain that there is no police check, then it is still wonderful to drive without a helmet.
Traffic in Thailand
Thailand is at the top of the world when it comes to the number of deaths and injuries in traffic. We all know that a large proportion of those victims are drivers or passengers of those motor vehicles and in many cases they did not wear a helmet. You don't have to be an expert to understand that wearing a crash helmet could have saved many lives. Studies in this area speak of up to 30 to 40% fewer deaths and injuries. Well, you can say that the helmets used are of poor quality, but still, even those helmets would have resulted in fewer deaths.
(1000 Words / Shutterstock.com)
Control by police
But if it is required by law, then there are police to check it, right? Yes, those checks do happen, but little by little and at places and times that suit the police. If I drive somewhere here in Pattaya at about eight o'clock in the morning, then - I estimate - 70 to 80% are not wearing a helmet. These are mainly students, the most vulnerable group. The fact that they sometimes ride a moped with 3 or 4 people and, moreover, most likely do not have a driver's license is an added bonus. No police to be seen.
For example, it would be more convenient for the police to start checking at so-called strategic places around ten o'clock when school and work traffic have reached their destination. Like me, many other motorcyclists know where those controls are, so if possible, take an alternative route. I don't do that because I don't wear a helmet (always!), but just I don't like those checks, they always find something to fine you. A ticket is not that bad in itself, it will cost you a few hundred baht, but the annoying thing is that you have to go to the police station to wait in a long queue until you can pay your fine.
Thai mentality
The Thai apparently thinks that way too, Penalty? Too bad, but no reason to wear a helmet anyway. Some attribute this to the Thai mentality, which leaves much to be desired socially. I am writing this story because a Thaiger reporter comes up with a (too) simple solution. He recently visited Ho Chi Min city and noticed that almost all motorcyclists are equipped with crash helmets. Why there and not in Thailand?
Social norms
The reporter – a foreigner – thinks the answer is simple: create a social norm in which wearing helmets, as in Vietnam, is common practice. A social norm is a group belief about how individuals should behave in different contexts. Norms in any culture create conformity that causes people to become socialized in the culture in which they live.
He then comes up with two simple suggestions using social norm models:
- The first idea is to introduce characters and situations in television soap operas, which are popular in Thailand, where helmets are prominently displayed, not only when characters are riding their motorcycles, but also when they leave their homes, put on the helmets, and then to leave.
- The second idea is to create a public relations campaign with the message that other Thais are already using helmets. Being helmetless is therefore considered anti-social normative behaviour.
Finally
It is indeed high time to change the pattern of behavior towards the helmet culture in Thailand. It only causes a lot of sadness for many people. The above suggestions can help, but I don't think they are enough to solve the problem.
I can't say how it should be, but who can?
– Reposted message –
And, isn't it crazy, that they stop you and issue a ticket for it, and that you are then allowed to continue driving without a helmet, and if you are arrested by another officer, when you show your ticket, simply with a WAAJ can continue driving without paying again!
In short, drive without a helmet in front of the police station in the morning, get a ticket, and drive past checkpoints all day for fun to taunt the system, all for €10!
amazing thailand…
Whoever came up with this rule they can do better…
This is completely true and on top of that once you have paid the ticket you have a license for the whole day to ride without a helmet.
I always wear a helmet and I know exactly where and when the police want to check on Koh Chang. Also difficult to find an alternative route on Koh Chang.
I often see tourists renting a motorbike without a driver's license, no experience and without a helmet.
Many fatal accidents with this on Koh Chang.
That's right Joop ... and there is indeed only one road on Koh Chang, the only alternative way is to get to know the sea 🙂 ... anyhow you can see from "far away" that there is control, simply because 80% suddenly stops along the road .. and believe me this is not because there are sales left or right (of helmets) ...
Personally, over the years on Koh Chang I have only seen one accident, but heard many stories, many of which started with "they drank 8 cocktails here ... they drank here .." and continue, so with or without helmet “unavoidable”.
Rule one: never drive when you've been drinking, taxi from A to Z will cost you peanuts (on Koh Chang).
Rule two: always, but always alert because the direction of travel is different
Rule number three (and especially on Koh Chang): avoid driving if it has rained or if it is raining
And I don't dare to write rule four, because "I" sometimes dare to drive without a helmet, although for a short distance or on the other side of the island where you don't meet a cat, but still ... not wise .. but let's all be honest ... at about 60 to 70 per hour with your hair in the wind ... still wonderful (but also oh so stupid)
What do the police look for, precisely whether there is a helmet, but not what kind of helmet, often a construction helmet. Then there is also no indication whether the chin strap is on (construction helmet does not have a throat strap. Then there are moped helmets, but then fully decorated with stickers. This sticker has glue, which has plasticizers, so the helmet becomes weaker.
Then we have the fact that the police themselves also drive without a helmet. Now the chief also has to be transported, he also does not have a helmet on, because you have to see who the chief is by the cap.
Now there is often a check in the middle of the month and at the end of the month, people have money and they have to pay in cash. Whose pocket does this go into?
No helmet at inspection? Then leave the scooter on site until someone with a helmet comes to collect the vehicle. Thais don't just hate paying, they hate walking even more. Look at how quickly everyone wears a helmet.
You can't get rid of a Thai that easily.
They put him neatly in the basket in the front and set him up just before the check.
Standard around the holidays and everyone thinks this is normal including the police.
Firstly, when purchasing a moped or motorbike, it is mandatory to supply a good helmet and include the cost price in the price of the moped.
Second, make fines higher and don't come up with an excuse that they can't pay.
Third, hand in your driver's license for a few months and if this still doesn't help, get your driver's license again.
Fourth, and here comes the corruption, unfortunately, cannot be eradicated in Thailand so just keep going and try to stay number 4 in the world with the most deaths, then they will still be number 1 in something !!! !!!
When you buy a new moped, you usually always get an approved helmet delivered free of charge by the dealer.
These often end up in the closet somewhere with the Thai owner and only collect dust over the years.
So point 1 can be dropped.
Higher fines do not help either , it is better to confiscate the moped for a week or two at the police station , believe me that hurts more .
And as far as those racing school boys are concerned, immediately confiscate mopeds and scrap the mopeds into recycled metal a few weeks later under the supervision of those boys.
Jan Beute.
Revoke driver's license??? Many young people even sometimes 7-8 years old do not have a driver's license and drive around happily. Especially outside the bigger cities. In rural areas also many elderly people who do not have a driver's license. Apparently not a big problem for the police.
Hello Gringo
I don't understand what you feel sorry for, and then the question how should it be?
I would start with the police themselves. The fact is that the higher the function with a police cap on your head you are above the law and you do not have to wear a helmet, (EXAMPLE FUNCTION) also look at all those auxiliary police officers who ride their motorcycles on the beach at night they don't need to wear a helmet either. Don't say it's not true because you should come and have a look at Plaa Loma at the bottom of Pattaya Klang on the beach road, those guys regularly meet there to take those beautiful pictures of themselves in a group. They only have eyes for themselves because behind these guys with those beautiful pictures all taxis drive through the red light of the pedestrian crossing, dangerous!
I thought the police should set an example, but there is no thinking about that, they prefer to take care of themselves. I have no words for this, just outrageous!
Your article states that wearing a helmet is mandatory for 2-wheel motor vehicles… Recently I was fined for not wearing a helmet on my quad (4-wheel motor vehicle). Is anyone aware of the correct legislation?
for Thailand I'm not sure, but in the Netherlands you have to wear a helmet OR wear a seat belt (hip belt) on a quad. So it is EITHER helmet OR belt.
In Vietnam, you temporarily lose your motorcycle if you ride it without a helmet and are stopped by the police. That means you can't go to work, so you have no income and therefore no food and therefore hungry!!! Should the police in Thailand, temporarily lose 1 month motorcycle when you don't wear a helmet. I think the problem of not wearing a helmet has been solved immediately!
Even if you give a Thai div a fine they just laugh about it.
My girlfriend said 3 times in a few weeks I said put on that helmet she just laughed.
I had to pay for it again and she quietly drives on without a helmet.
The only solution is to take the motorbike for a week, then they have to walk and a Thai hates that.
I see that people in Europe try to avoid a fine as much as possible so that it is a lot of money. A fine can easily cost a day's wages here.
If you would assume that a Thai earns 10 euros per day, this is also a daily wage in Thailand. Yet in Pattaya, about half of Thais still drive without a helmet. The fine is gladly paid.
In African countries (where people theoretically earned about the same) I found that a fine meant drama for most people
That is why I wonder again whether that story about those small Thai wages is correct. Looking at the streetscape, I have a completely different impression.
I also don't understand why the Thai are so stubborn!
Here in Ubon Ratchathani City and surroundings there are indeed many checks on the helmet requirement.
The police are usually in the same places and yet there are still helmetless motorcycles driving around. Incomprehensible or maybe just stupid, I can't explain it any other way.
It can be explained that there are no checks possible during peak hours. The staff will then be deployed elsewhere!
A solution would be: just withhold the motorcycle until the fine has been paid and people come to report with a helmet. Of course there will also be abuses! Simply passing on a helmet is such an example!
But holding back the motorcycle is a good solution. After all, the driver has to make an effort! First, he just has to figure out how to get to his destination and then all the hassle of getting his bike back. You would think that people would think twice about driving around without a helmet.
But yes, a Thai does not think further than his flat nose is long!
I live in Warin Chamrap and often come to Ubon Ratchantani (located against each other) but I see few checks and often police just passing the motorcycles without a helmet. They just don't do anything about it, like stopping for the white line at a traffic light, they just give a shit about everything and have their own traffic rules.
In my opinion, the crash helmet is not there to promote road safety (unfortunately), but to reduce or prevent injury.
I don't know what's the point of having a 79 baht jar on your head?? That people recognize you by the color of that plastic? I think a wool cap is even more efficient.
Dear all,
How many times has this topic been discussed already?
Before I came to Thailand I read up on their different way of thinking
I have also accepted their different way of thinking about driving, drinking, smoking, eating, political thinking, their voice and bribery behavior, besides their use of poison in agriculture, waste processing and a hundred thousand other differences, but can also often understand.
I think it is someone's own responsibility whether someone puts on a helmet or what the quality of that helmet is.
It is not a government task to re-educate adults en masse.
If the majority of the population does not want to wear a helmet or buy the poor quality helmet or drive on the road uninsured or the majority of the population still like bribery or like to get into debt I will as a guest in Thailand have to accept.
Let's look at our own unhealthy beer bellies, smoke and sex behavior instead of their helmet behavior with the well-known Western index finger.
Danny
Dear Danny .
The question that remains for me is how do you accept it, if you had a collision due to the fault of a Thai motorized road user with material and especially serious physical injury to you.
And this smiling Thai road user is not insured and has no money.
And the police, as usual, do nothing.
With all the pain to body parts and financial costs that entails.
Because then the story of the guest in Thailand who has to accept everything could be different.
And on top of that we are not at all guests in Thailand , we live and live and invest and some like me also pay taxes here .
I don't feel like a guest here but a resident of Thailand just like my Thai neighbors.
With the difference that they have the Thai nationality and I have the Dutch nationality.
Jan Beute.
Dear Jan,
Maybe you should give your speech to the millions of Thai people who drive around here every day without a helmet. Do you really think that you will make a difference?
A Thai is just a Thai. They have their flaws, but certainly also their qualities. Their casual way of life adorns them. The way of always coloring neatly between 2 lines simply does not belong here. And that's what I enjoy every day.
Indeed, soap operas should pay a lot more attention to this kind of thing. And not just for helmets. BV also with waste and plastic. If those soap stars set a good example and think it's hip to wear a helmet, for example, the population will follow. In Europe, messages are also given unnoticed in soap operas.
I have always presented my partner and foster son with the image of a young man in our village who stands by the road every day smiling and giving everyone a thumbs up or the V sign.
He doesn't work and can't since he had an accident and fell off his moped without a helmet and hit the curb with his head. He is also extremely skinny because he doesn't bring in anything in his parents' large family, so his plate is the last to be scooped up...
Since then, my family members have had the discipline to put helmets on their heads. Not a full-face helmet because 'that doesn't look good', but - if the strap is tight at least - the helmet does break the fall a bit.
But to the temple, my partner refuses the helmet. "Buddha takes care of me" is her answer. And even I can't resist that...
My wife also sometimes has the argument that Buddha does take care of the people, but then I always ask her why so many people are killed and injured in Thai traffic every year. She then replies that people did not want to listen and started driving with alcohol. Look, they're right again. Especially that last one.
Talk about 'social norm models' etc., what nonsense. Why not simply enforce compliance with existing legislation? This is how people approached it at the time when helmets were introduced in Vietnam. Checkpoints were set up and every offender's motorcycle was confiscated without mercy, without exception, and loaded into a waiting truck. After payment of a fine and with a helmet, the motorcycle could then be collected at a central point at a later time. In no time everyone was wearing a helmet….
I understand that it's not good, but I also prefer not to wear a helmet, all those obligatory rules, I'm glad I left Europe.
I also love riding without a helmet at my own risk
Stupid, stupid point of view! Who bears the costs if you are dead or seriously injured? The company through the insurance premiums. Think about that.
After 12 years in Thailand, I have already seen more than 7 of those idiots die, some after months in a Thai hospital, so good luck!
I do understand it. If you don't wear a helmet, you probably don't have anything in your head that needs to be protected…..
The solution is: just like the covid virus.
No helmet on 1 month of the motorbike in carantaine at the police station.
No helmet on and no driver's license the motorbike 2 months in carantaine.
No helmet on no driver's license and not yet the age to drive the motorbike the motorbike 3 months in carantaine.
I do think they should create space at the police station to park the motorbikes.
All this without penalty because they are not paid anyway or there is no money to pay them.
Helmet required for driver but not for passenger.
What if not?
It is also mandatory for the passengers, but I think it is almost not observed. The fine for the passenger is legally 800 baht. For the driver 400 baht. Driver with passenger, so a total of 1.200 baht with no helmet.
Most Thais do not have that amount in their pocket, so the Thai solution is not to enforce it. The same is used for young people, probably no money so just drive on. Crazy ??, no this is Thailand.
Prices as of November 1, 2020.
In addition to wearing a helmet, Thailand, like many countries in the west, has many more obligations, rules and prohibitions.
The biggest problem is the often incorrect working method of the Thai police system, which checks the various rules and prohibitions through corruption, laziness, dereliction of duty, and thus also the incorrect and consistent monitoring of the various rules and prohibitions.
A government can prescribe so many rules and legislation, as long as they are not properly checked, they are often not worth much more than the paper they are printed on.
I thought Prayuth had said something in the undemocratic takeover of Taksin's government that he would treat fighting corruption in Thailand as a priority.555
When I was young I also rode without a helmet in Belgium. I don't think helmets were compulsory until the early 70s.
It is precisely because of that personal freedom that I like Thailand so much. I love being able to return once again to the times of freedom and joy that once reigned among us.
And if I'm not mistaken, there are also states in the US where you can drive without a helmet.
One can disapprove and grumble about it among themselves, but whoever is bothered by it is not really in place here.
I know it's not exemplary behavior but it doesn't bother me.
me neither, they just do it, I just wear (usually) my expensive but decent helmet and the rest just watch it. Didn't come here to get annoyed by anything and everything, I try to limit that as much as possible.
About eight years ago, my husband and I just left a terrace where we had enjoyed something.
Until I discovered at the traffic light that he was not wearing his helmet. Because it was under the buddy seat he wanted to set it up when we were around the corner because he didn't want to hold up traffic. But that was no longer necessary, because a policeman arrived and beckoned us to come. My husband had to pay a fine of about €5. But he had just spent his late money on our refreshments and showed the officer an empty wallet. I was then kind enough to pull out my wallet, but this officer certainly didn't want that. My husband was not wearing a helmet, so he was entitled to a penalty. He then had to stay in a police box with his helmet on for fifteen minutes before he got his ID back. Ha ha!
Too bad I didn't have an iPhone with which you could take pictures, otherwise I could have made a very nice picture of our adventure for the home front.
Indeed, what a hassle.
Do we really think that we, the oh so correct Farang, will change the mentality of the Thai?
Complaining and sawing, we can do that well 😉 I don't want to feed all the Farang who drive around every day without a helmet.
I also get annoyed every day by the behavior in traffic, but after all these years I have resigned myself to the fact that we have to live with it. I've even adapted my driving style a bit to that of the Thai, so you can get through traffic a bit more smoothly and have a lot less stress than before.
There is always something to notice about the behavior of another. I can start a topic every day about how bad a Thai behaves and where they can improve. And then there will be eager complaining and sawing on this forum again. The Thai will care what we think about them.
The fact that there are rules and laws that can be circumvented and ignored on all sides is a form of freedom dear people. Is it so much better in our home country with what is being imposed on us every day? Then give me beautiful Thailand.
Shouldn't we be more grateful for what this country gives us every day?
Shouldn't we take a moment every day to reflect on how good we have it here?
It is much better here than what many members here sometimes let through.
I am not annoyed by the rules and laws of the Thai people.
God creates the day here and I go through it happily.
Only the fact remains that if you ride a moped without a helmet, you are actually a real stupid bastard.
And that only has to do with common sense and not with all the texts that are brewed here…
Try telling that to all the Thai people who drive around here.
That's the discussion going on here. I don't dare say that all those people are stupid assholes.
This topic makes no sense. Not a single Thai reads this here. Only a few Farangs come here to pass the time and some think that with their (well-meaning comments) they will apparently change the world.
I use my common sense and don't drive around here with a moped at all. Everyone is free to do what they want. If they don't wear a helmet, who cares and who are we to point this out to them via this topic.
AND here we have the scooter, which you can ride without a helmet with a maximum speed of 20 km / h.
So what do we do, we step up the thing and drive 30-40 km/h without a helmet.
A different type of exhaust or even a small change on the exhaust and off we go.
Then what are we waiting for? The police, who stop you for speeding. Until then we ride without a helmet.
In other words, the checks and fines eventually teach us, especially since the government doesn't care if you go off or something, but it yields a large state treasury. If all road users really comply with the rules, there will be a shortage and you will get another levy, tax.
For now, fines are still very lucrative for our government.
Just read 2.5 million traffic violations in the first quarter of 2020, reduced compared to 2019 where it was 2,7 million in the same period. Corona.
So a Thai is no different from a Dutch person, only they are not or hardly inspected.
A farang, because he usually has money in his pocket and is a supplement to the salary.
Peter, do you mean the Dutch moped? That is a 50cc on blue license plate that is set to 25 km / h and on which you can ride without a helmet, just like you can ride a bicycle without a helmet.
You don't even have to 'step up'; reset the computer to factory settings and you ride 45. An electric bicycle also rides with ease, even without a helmet.
The Netherlands has 1,3 million 50 cc's on the road, 750.000 of which have a blue license plate. The difference in the number of deaths will be traffic discipline and the presence of cycle paths.
It is indeed scandalous that the farangs have to obey the traffic rules. How dare they fine the farang? Note that the author of this article notes that schoolchildren are being fined less often. That may be so, but natural selection plays an excellent role there. It is different with the elderly farangs as found on this blog. They will have to be enforced there, so that they get annoyed and leave or conform to the local rules.
In that sense, you are setting a good example. Nothing works better than an elderly farang who makes helmetless riding unpopular among the rest of the population. I would therefore like to ask you to make this reaction known among the local and especially young population. After all, negative association works better than the proposal of setting a good example among popular figures (in this case the soap stars). Perhaps you can report to the local DLT to make a promotional video. As a 'dumb' farang you can then set a bad example after which all new drivers can see your skills and with the unbecoming image engraved in their minds few will dare to follow your clownish antics.