More foreign criticism of tourist safety in Thailand
More and more countries are warning tourists about unsafe roads on Thai roads following a series of incidents, the Bangkok Post writes.
The United States, England and Australia urge travelers to watch out for life-threatening situations on the road such as:
- Bad road conditions.
- Appalling driving skills of the Thai.
- The bad law enforcement on the road.
Almost every week, several people are killed and injured in traffic disasters involving buses and trains.
Thai reporters asked Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Surapong Tovichakchaikul, what he will do about this situation. Especially now that more and more countries are warning their citizens about the unsafe situation on the road.
Surapong said that more attention should be paid to the safety of foreign visitors. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the relevant authorities to come up with new measures to improve the safety of tourists, and to come up with more warnings that motorists must drive safely.
“We need to look at this seriously because Thailand is happy with the 20 million tourists who visit us. Tourists deserve our good care," he said. "This is not only about road safety, but also about robberies on tourists."
He called on motorists to be careful while driving. He also thought it was important that warning triangles be used for stationary vehicles on the roads. “I think traffic police and other government agencies should have these kinds of tools standard in all cars,” said Mr. Surapong.
He also thought it desirable that the railways regularly inspect the rails and other safety components.
A day earlier, the Thai police released a report showing that crimes such as murder, assault, rape, theft and robbery in Bangkok have risen sharply in the past six months.
Editor's note: In the past four years, 7 British nationals have been murdered in Thailand (Source: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/safety-and-security).
Strangely enough, when reading the above message, I do not immediately get the feeling that it will become much safer in Thailand in the short term. But that could just be me…
As long as there is corruption , road user safety can not be guaranteed .
Mister agent is not really concerned with guaranteeing safety, more important is filling the bags
On the other hand, there should be campaigns to promote safer driving, by which I mean punishing children on mopeds very severely (the parents) for driving against traffic because the next u-turn is 500 meters away. After 6 o'clock in the evening it is wild west everywhere on the road because the police are nowhere to be seen.
Jet ski scams, motorbike scams, robberies in tourist places, it's all deeply ingrained because too much is condoned and corruption is rampant, it will take years and years before this can be eradicated even a little.
Let's heed Mr. Surapong's call and drive carefully and everything will be fine again.
Yes, road safety here in Thailand is a complete disaster
I own a Thai driver's license and a car.
I am always happy to return home in one piece after a trip
And then I sigh OEF back home without any lumps.
And you don't see the police much or at all, oh yes, you usually see them to stop the Falang who tour around on a moped and wear a crash helmet, which I can't say at all about the Thais.
Completely pointless, such a call.
Only enforcement and decent driver training can help, but we will have a long wait for both, I'm afraid.
I like to ride a motorcycle and have a big chopper , and do almost everything with it when possible .
My Mitsubishi pick - up truck only leaves the garage if it has to be .
Motorcycling in Thailand, I am 60 years old, is a great adventure, every time.
Being able to anticipate well , pay attention and look a lot in the rear view mirror is a prerequisite for survival .
Never drive too fast , let those schoolboys tear past you on a moped .
Don't race with them to show what you can do.
Use your common sense ,
In my municipality there are also many traffic deaths every year. Usually there is a situation behind you that gets you into trouble.
But I always tell my acquaintances it keeps you sharp and young.
Driving in Thailand is dangerous.
Maybe it's my turn tomorrow, don't pay attention for a moment and it's Jantje from Holland bye.
But dying in a retirement home in Holland isn't everything either.
Mvg Jantje from Pasang.
If you now look at the photo of that bus that crashed, then that bus has broken / snapped / fallen apart on all body parts.
In my opinion, this bus is absolutely not one of the 467 that have been inspected and already participated in traffic as a wreck.
Louise
I have also traveled through Thailand with various bus companies and I seem to remember that the majority of those buses were of the Mercedes brand.
Cars built in Thailand for the Asian market of the well-known brands meet almost no European safety standards.
Those tough pick-ups apparently score the worst of all. An Isuzu D Max only scores 3 stars in an ncap crash test.