Nearly 400 road deaths during New Year's holidays
January 6 2021
During the '7 dangerous days' in Thailand, 392 road users died in approximately 3.300 road accidents. That is 5% more than during the New Year holidays last year.
A total of 3.326 people were injured in the past 7 days. Chiang Mai recorded the most accidents and injuries (115 and 117, respectively), while Chiang Rai recorded the most deaths (18).
Speeding was the leading cause of crashes (33,6%), closely followed by drunk driving (33,1%). The most risky behaviors were not wearing a helmet (59,3%) and driving under the influence (25,1%). Most accidents involved motorcycles (82,5%), followed by pickup trucks (6,2%).
Source: Bangkok Post
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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New laws are coming, still see people driving without a helmet here and those few days I was in Pattaya on the beach road past the police station of the 5 3 don't have a helmet on.
Oh yes you get a fine you can just drive away again, isn't it crazy that something like this is possible??
Instead of planning new ones, the existing laws should finally be strictly enforced. Persons with no driver's license or under the influence of alcohol who are stopped must have their vehicle impounded and removed from traffic until they comply with all regulations. In addition, extra, dangerous days are planned with new holidays.
Of course one must have a driver's license, but as long as it can be obtained without any driving skills and vehicle control, checking it helps little or nothing.
Dear Caspar,
This lack of enforcement of existing laws also has positive sides for the state of Thailand.
The majority of these victims are self-inflicted through indifference and are often part of a group with no apathy for the laws of that society. The fact that this group eliminates itself is a positive side for the country.
And, everyone learns afterwards how not to do it.
Piet
Dear Piet, in my opinion there is nothing positive to report at all about the driving behavior of many who are guilty of the terrible accidents often resulting in death. Certainly not for that group that is involved in this without their will. It is a sad affair and that this problem is not properly addressed is bad enough. The group of people who misbehave should be dealt with in a different way and partly protected from themselves. A task that a government should take seriously, but they often fail to do.
Dear Jacques,
I see the empathy of your reasoning but what is the value of this in Thailand?
No more than a paper tiger.
This reasoning applies in the Netherlands, where people have been brought up with a social feeling.
Tailgating is more common with the Thai than the exception.
Then the motorsai also wants to go in between.
Especially the delivery service drivers are dangerous drivers. Many accidents are caused by them.
Driving without lights is also dangerous.
The main problem is that the Thai does not anticipate the other users.
We regularly see the accidents which almost always involve a motorsai.
Lalamove, grab, line man etc behave very rude in terms of driving.
The police look more at the phone than pay attention to this driving behavior.
Driving through a red light is also often to blame for the accidents.
There are of course driving schools where you learn driving skills at least here in khon kaen , but if you are stupidly drunk you have no vehicle control anymore, don't you think you are wrong??
Know people who are on the market who have been driving without a license for years.
I myself already have a Thai motorcycle and car driver's license and have been driving here for about 16 years, first year 1 year, then extended 3 times by 5 years, when I go on the road I am always amazed how stupid they drive and go with New Year and songkran I'm not on the road at all.
If I go to Pattaya or Phuket beach vacation then by plane and faster and safer !!!
Next year there will be 8 extra holidays/extended weekends. The current record will be broken again. But, yes….the Thai want to come first in everything. For example, they have once again demonstrated here that they can cause many more deaths in traffic in a few days than Covid in the past year. “Drunk, loud and fast…Me First! Me First!”
The most risky behaviors were not wearing a helmet (59,3%) and driving under the influence (25,1%). Most accidents involved motorcycles (82,5%), followed by pickup trucks (6,2%).
If you look at the numbers you immediately know who these people are. The tough teenagers who know the provinces and if they have survived their puberty then they happily go in and pick-up because nothing can ever happen to them….
You're young and you have nothing to lose, so you're going to do stupid things. Exactly the kind of people a country doesn't need and I wouldn't be surprised if it has become a kind of policy to just accept it.
Unfortunately for the people who are the real victims and that can be just anyone.
Always nice those discussions about the many road deaths in Thailand. Why? And what to do?
I have a slightly different view than most of the commenters above. In the sixties the number of road casualties in the Netherlands was around 3.000 and that number is now 600 despite the increase in traffic. In the sixties, the number of road deaths in the Netherlands was 2/3 of the number in Thailand now. Thailand now has almost 10 times the number of road deaths in the Netherlands.
Why did the number of road deaths in the Netherlands drop so quickly? Was it behavior change? Better enforcement? Absolute. But I think an important, maybe the most important factor was better infrastructure. Separation of fast and slow traffic. More traffic lights. Better signage.
Behavior is difficult to change, but it must be awakened. But what Thailand can do now and what will help a lot is better infrastructure. Thresholds, flower boxes, roundabouts. I say why it doesn't happen. Cars are sacred, everything must be set aside for the car. That's where the better class comes in. The lower class rides on mopeds.
My son's high school friends came to school in a car as early as 15-16. I asked the parents Why? 'Because a moped is far too dangerous, even if you follow the rules,' they said.
In Thailand approximately 25.000 road deaths per year, in the Netherlands approximately 680. (situation 2020)
That is NOT a factor of 10 (times as much), but a factor of 35.
https://www.swov.nl/feiten-cijfers/factsheet/verkeersdoden-nederland#:~:text=In%202019%20vielen%20er%20in,toen%20er%20678%20verkeersdoden%20waren.
https://www.thaiwebsites.com/caraccidents.asp
At the moment there are 69.799978 inhabitants in Thailand and in the Netherlands 17.479613.
See population counter !!!
Will the Thais get smarter if we build more schools and universities? Will fewer Thais get sick if we build more hospitals? Will there be fewer traffic jams if we build more roads? Will we get more democratic elections if we set up a polling station in every street? Do more people use public transport because we buy new air-conditioned buses?
Will the Thais gamble less if we shut down all existing casinos?
Facilities, amenities can have the intended effect with the emphasis on CAN. The real crucial thing is people's behaviour. In the case of the traffic victims in Thailand: adapt to the circumstances, drink less alcohol and then drive, drive slower and less dangerous road behaviour. It is therefore important to sustainably change the behavior of road users. This can be done by encouraging, rewarding and systematically punishing undesirable behavior (which is a problem in Thailand) or by psychologically discouraging it. The latter is used with great success in many countries, including the Netherlands. The actual chance of being caught has not increased in decades (no more police, no more cameras, not much stricter penalties), the psychological chance of being caught has increased many times over.
I am convinced that with more roundabouts and other facilities that you propose, the number of road deaths in Thailand will increase rather than decrease. Quite simply because for the majority they are no reason to change their behaviour. Leave your beer behind because a roundabout has been built in the village? Doesn't happen in Thailand, doesn't happen in the Netherlands. A roundabout at any major intersection is more dangerous to a drunk moped rider than a straight road. It's about being drunk, not about the roundabout.
I'm not so sure about that yet.
The road next to my house, Chak Phra, has many flaws. Especially around the manhole covers large and dangerous openings. Took pictures of that three years ago, put it on Facebook and FB reminded me of that for a few weeks. The defects have not changed in those three years, while there is still money in the district for road maintenance. My wife would do that for less than half and with a profit). Surely that would have happened if the car is so sacred. And the cars still suffer considerable damage to the shock absorbers and tires. I'm sure of that. And not only poor people live in my neighborhood. I should not forget to mention that ten meters of road have been repaved after an accident happened there last year: a moped slipped through one of the openings next to the manhole cover and fell under a car.
Most of the lower middle classes live in my condo and – oddly enough – almost everyone has a car. I won't tell you how they financed it, but at least 1 resident will ask us at the end of the month to advance the installment to the bank. So it is not the case that only the rich have a car. They have a different type, a different brand, a new one or more than 1.
I think you know a lot about road accidents, chris. We have known for a long time that more than 80% of deaths are caused by motorcycles.
More than the 34% due to speeding drivers. How many are there speeding mopeds that crash into a tree or house and how many speeding four-wheelers crash into a moped? And the same question about drunk driving. How much is charged to four-wheelers and how much is charged to moped riders themselves? These are numbers that influence possible measures.
Don't you think bike paths are a good idea?
Thank you for the compliment. I have been studying traffic accidents for about 15 years now and in the past I have also done research in the Grevelingen to increase the psychological chance of being caught for water sports enthusiasts who discharge oil and throw dirt overboard.
Most of the fatal accidents are due to speeding young men (15-30 years old), who are above their tea water, on local roads (we would say B-roads) between 4 and 8 pm in the afternoon/evening. During the 2 times 7 black days especially on days 2, 3, 4 and 5 and NOT on the days when long distances are covered.
No, those bike lanes in themselves are most likely NOT a good idea in the Thai context and a waste of money. A few reasons:
1. Without some form of supervision, probably no one drives a moped on a bicycle path. That is even forbidden in the Netherlands: Not with a moped on the cycle path
You are not allowed to ride your moped on the bike path. Moped riders must ride on a mandatory bicycle/moped path. If there is not, they are allowed on the roadway.
2. The mopeds in Thailand are light motorcycles. Combining them on a bike path with cyclists is asking for trouble and more accidents. So, as in the Netherlands, they go on the road.
3. Speeding under the influence will not decrease because there is a mandatory cycle path. And there are probably trees next to the cycle path as well; and at intersections one also encounters cars.
What might be better is a speed limiter on these light bikes and a laser technique that measures whether you are able to drive. If not, the moped will not start or the engine will cut out for a number of hours. But these measures require the cooperation of the manufacturers.
Is it still down? Read that in the first 3 days there were already 183 deaths, an average of 61 deaths.
Now 392 in 7 days is 56 deaths on average.
It is strange that the Thai is terrified of corona virus, but traffic plays no role.
Both are a virus, but there are more traffic deaths every day than from corona.
That's, peter, because the cute little virus is a mysterious threat while they think they can avoid traffic accidents. Everyone is always more afraid of an invisible and unpredictable threat.