Sharp increase in the number of killed tourists in Thailand
At least 2015 foreign tourists died in Thailand in 83. That is an increase of 54% compared to 2014 and therefore cause for concern for the Ministry of Tourism.
The figures were released by the Bureau of Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud.
Most tourists die from traffic accidents (34), drowning (9), illnesses (6) and suicide (4). Thirty tourists died of other causes.
According to a report by the agency, the most dangerous areas for diving are Tawan Beach (Koh Larn, Pattaya), Chaweng Beach (Koh Samui), Mu Koh Similan (Phangnga) and Koh Hae (Phuket). The report also lists the most dangerous roads: Chiang Mai-Pai, Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai, two highways in Phetchabun and a highway to Mount Karon in Phuket.
On the World Economic Forum's 2015 Travel Tourism Competitiveness Index, Thailand ranks 132nd out of a list of 141 countries for 'safety and security', the lowest of all ASEAN countries.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Tourism met with other ministries, the TAT, AoT and Tourist Police Division on the matter. "From now on, we are going to deal with the issue and work on it seriously," said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism. Investigative committees chaired by the governors will look into the water accidents in Krabi and traffic accidents in Chiang Mai. The results are expected within three months.
Source: Bangkok Post
Next year's statistics will likely include elderly bridge-playing tourists.
This is also a dangerous activity in Thailand.
The advantage of the 132nd place is that it really couldn't get any worse. In addition to the tourist, the Thai also runs a great risk of dying an unnatural death. So basically everyone suffers from it.
It is not only dangerous to drive from CM to Pai or to Changrai .
It is equally dangerous to ride a bike anywhere in Thailand or anywhere in the world.
You're riding on two wheels, and your crumple zones are your own body parts.
What annoys me most is that I see many farangs riding on mopeds and bikes, even without a helmet.
And drive like idiots in heavy traffic , as if they can handle anything .
Until it finally goes wrong.
Yesterday I read a story on Thaivisa about an English young lady who went on holiday in Thailand for a few months.
Also rented a moped with a major accident afterwards and she said she had forgotten to take out travel insurance.
The hospital costs were skyrocketing , and her family at home could not afford them either .
But you are young and you want something , nothing will happen to me , they think .
And Pai is also a place not far from CM for young backpackers, living by the day and having fun.
Many have never ridden a bike or moped in their own country, and think that things are not going so fast in Thailand.
We have studied and what the Thais can do, we Westerners can do much better. My daily experience is that the average Thai can ride a better bike than the Farang here in Thailand thinks he can.
Many of them already drive here independently on a Honda Dream or Wave before their 10th year of life.
And not for luxury , father and mother want their children to be mobile quickly .
This includes being able to go to school and help with daily family concerns.
Biker Jan Beute.
janbeute is right. It is also true that a Thai is almost born on a motorcycle. I took my son from the time he could walk and was still in diapers with me everywhere on the motorcycle with the result that he can read and write with such a contraption. I did teach him some traffic rules and traffic signs. I have even seen Thais sleeping on the back of a moving motor cycle and playing games on their iPad while sitting on the back of the motor cycle.
I do believe that the Thai 'control' their vehicle. But things like turning into the road without looking or changing lanes without looking over your shoulder are even more dangerous. And that is something typically Thai.
In that respect, there is still a lot to do with the driving style here.
In Asian countries it is generally the case that you have an eye for the traffic in front of you and what is happening on the left or right. The same applies to the following traffic. And the rules are no different for the following traffic. Sigh.....it's that simple.
How do I rate my riding style (by bike) in Thailand? “Slightly different” But that doesn't bother me. It is important that you are seen, but I have no problem with that either. I have not yet encountered real bastard behavior in Thailand. Even when I drive against traffic, on the sidewalk or across the market, I don't get an angry word. 🙂
Numbers are numbers, but how you interpret them is another matter. That Thailand records more traffic casualties among tourists is normal somewhere. If you make a comparison with the number of tourists who visit Thailand annually compared to other Asian countries, you must conclude that there are many more. So somewhere normal that there are more victims. Then take a look at where and under what circumstances these victims fall. If I, as the only foreign resident, were to die here in Thai traffic, this area would score 100% foreign casualties in the area. If there are 10 foreign victims in traffic in Pattaya, they score 0,…. %
The number of casualties is also high because many tourists do not realize that they are “vulnerable road users”. If you see how many rent a motorbike, then often have never driven a motorbike in advance and then maintain a driving style, just as if they were world champions in motorcycle racing …… And yes, the Thai has a different driving behavior than the Westerner, that's right and there are huge number of Thai casualties on the road. So: always drive carefully and at an appropriate speed is the message.
It would also be interesting to compare the number of deaths among motorcyclists in Belgium and the Netherlands with those in Thailand, knowing that there are several thousand motorcyclists in both countries and in Thailand many hundreds of thousands, possibly several million.