Motorcyclist road safety campaign: dealers required to supply two helmets with each motorcycle sold
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In an effort to drastically reduce the number of motorcyclists killed in traffic, Thailand’s Minister of Transport Suriya Jungrungreangkit has announced a new road safety plan. The initiative specifically focuses on promoting helmet-wearing behavior among both motorcyclists and their passengers. The plan aims to raise awareness of the dangers of riding without a helmet, one of the leading causes of road fatalities in Thailand.
The new measures mean that anyone caught not wearing a helmet will be required to take a number of hours of road safety training. This training will include watching videos that clearly illustrate the risks of ignoring helmet regulations. This mandatory program aims to raise awareness of the life-threatening consequences of riding unprotected. “I believe that motorcyclists and their passengers will be willing to cooperate because they want to avoid the time they have to spend on training,” the minister said.
A striking part of the new safety plan is the tightening of the sales rules for motorcycle dealers. They will be required to supply two helmets with every new motorcycle, instead of the current rule where only one helmet is required. This adjustment should ensure that both driver and passenger are protected when they go out on the road.
The urgency of this plan is underpinned by statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO). Thailand has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world, with 25 road fatalities per 100.000 inhabitants last year. The Thai government aims to halve this figure to 2027 per 12 inhabitants by 100.000, an ambitious target that calls for bold interventions such as these new measures.
Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin added that traffic accidents in Thailand result in an average of 18.000 deaths, more than a million injuries and some 10.000 people suffering permanent disabilities each year. These accidents not only cause human suffering but also economic losses estimated at 600 billion baht per year. The joint effort by the Ministries of Transport and Public Health underscores the need for a strong approach to improving traffic safety on Thailand's roads.
With this campaign, the Thai authorities hope to permanently change the behavior of motorcyclists and passengers, thereby significantly reducing the number of road casualties in the country.
Source: Bangkok Post
Noble endeavor and good luck with this campaign.
3 years ago I bought a PCX and was forced to get free helmets when I bought it.
That worked. Although the helmets are lying here in the house virtually unused.
Also a motorcycle (honda wave) for son (16) to go to school.
Upon arrival/departure from school, it will be checked whether the helmet is being worn.
However, they were stubborn and gave up this battle, because they only wore that helmet for the last/first 100 meters
near the school, despite the fact that he was once hit by a car braking hard in front of him
fell and luckily got some abrasions.
It is so ingrained in their culture that this can be a long process.
Fortunately, the children, son 16 and daughter 13, are used to the fact that I don't drive away with the
car without wearing a seat belt.
Also only after explaining that their weight can increase by 10 times in the event of a collision. So you should not put yourself in
you can rest your arms on the dashboard for a moment.
Together with photos of passengers looking through the windshield, it certainly made an impression.
Maybe I should try again to explain to them that it is not strange to wear the helmet.
Oh yes, I'm talking about full-face helmets here and not those potted ones you often see.
I suspect that – unfortunately – this ‘plan’ will not help much as long as the police do not act consistently. Earlier this week, while cycling past the permanent police checkpoint on Highway 1 at Mae Chan, I saw dozens of helmetless motorcyclists being waved through, including a few 12-year-olds on a scooter.
I once read somewhere how Vietnam – where the helmet requirement is almost 100% complied with – dealt with it at the time when the requirement was introduced: after a short transition period, everyone who did not wear a helmet was arrested and the vehicle was confiscated. To be collected again after purchasing a helmet. Within a few weeks, almost everyone was wearing a helmet on their motorcycle…….
A really nice plan, which, like so many plans, is implemented but which will no longer be supervised after a few months.
If you add to that the fact that the “helmets” are plastic mayonnaise pots that are only good for preventing fines, but offer little protection in the event of an accident, I think that by the end of next year there will be no real improvement in the figures.
It is what it is…
Come and see here on Koh Phangan when school is out. Children from about 10 years old, three of them without helmets on a motorbike, who drive out of the schoolyard past the police/traffic controller. There is still a lot of work to be done.
Thailand has beautiful legislation on everything down to the finest detail.
Do you really need to teach law enforcement officers to enforce the law? And that is where Thailand fails.
Every now and then a seasonal safety week with tent seating + TV along the roads, and that's it.
Thai law enforcement officers do not take themselves seriously and fail miserably in performing their duties.
Now that I read this again, I'm doubled over laughing behind the PC.
How do they come up with it, launching another hot air balloon?
The mandatory viewing of a video, similar to when I was renewing my driver's license, where most of the class was either sleeping or looking at their cell phones.
I have a better idea, more frequent police checks, without wearing a helmet.
Get off the moped, do not ride any further, let it wait for a long time, preferably in the blazing sun, until someone with a helmet comes.
Maybe then they will learn something.
Janneman.
Getting off and waiting for someone to bring a REAL helmet would be the ultimate solution.
My brother-in-law, a real motorcycle fanatic, has a heavy machine that he uses every day to go to work.
To be fair, he always wears a decent full-face helmet. For the rest he wears a T-shirt and slippers ... he has no protective clothing.
On average, there are three passengers on a motorbike with a Thai driver. So when delivering a new motorbike, the dealer should only be required to deliver 3 helmets. For road safety!? Or should we still enforce a maximum of 2 people on a motorbike? Wisdom comes with the number of accidents, we'll wait and see.
Three? FIVE!
Those helmets will come in handy at some point. During the beginning of the Covid madness I saw them worn as a kind of face mask while walking in both Belgium and Thailand. In an emergency, with a bit of imagination, you can also cook in those iron pot helmets (which are especially popular in Vietnam). So they don't always have to lie around the house unused.
I think that helmet requirement has been in place for almost half a century now. Thailand is at its best when it comes to introducing rules galore but never being able or willing to enforce them. Add to that the fact that even a thick, colored woolen hat can be considered a helmet. You can hardly call a plastic pot from Tesco for 79 Baht a helmet... it's just a color on your head.
People caught without a helmet should undergo safety training, well then they can rent the national stadium for a week.
What a difference with another Asian country, VIETNAM! We have been there for 16 days this year and the first thing we noticed was the discipline regarding wearing a helmet on a motorcycle or moped! But also other traffic rules! By the way, both countries remain wonderful to stay. And yes, the large number of traffic deaths, also among tourists, continues to amaze you! Or taking out good travel insurance. There too, we experienced the consequences up close!
Talk for the sake of the often, you will not solve the problem with these measures, these people need to be re-educated about traffic, how do I behave in traffic, where is my place on the public road, etc.
The court also has to make a U-turn in this case, now they are actually always right, even though they caused the accident.
Our Farangs are once again lining up to voice their criticism.
I wonder when it will ever be good for you. Just as if you are the ultimate world improvers.
For me this is an excellent initiative. Every little bit helps.
The responsibility lies with the people themselves and not with the police or farangs.
In Thailand you know that when you go on the road you are always responsible for what happens...even if it is someone else's mistake.
People can never pay for the damages even if they may admit guilt.
Everyone knows that you can drive a car or motorbike without much driving experience.
Everyone knows that many people in Thailand have consumed too much alcohol or drugs in traffic.
Why then is there always this surprise on this blog about helmet requirements or other non-compliance with legislation and regulations?
We are guests here and I am happy with the freedom that the responsibility lies with the people themselves... and that starts upon arrival on Thai soil.
Once upon a time there was a wise owl who said...sleep well and shut your beaks.
Kind regards from Danny