Safer roads, anyone?

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Safer roads, anyone?

According to the United Nations, road accidents kill 1.3 million people in the world each year and this could rise to 1.8 million by 2020 unless we all unite and act on the problem

Published: 5/07/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Brunch

To put the UN figures in perspective, 1.3 million people is the latest official population figure for the whole of Chon Buri province. Put another way, one person is killed on the roads every 24 seconds, or 150 every hour.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road accidents kill more people in developing countries than malaria and cost their economies an equivalent of 3.6 trillion baht per year. It is also noted that nine out 10 road fatalities in the world occurr in developing countries.

Road accidents are also now the leading global cause of death for young people aged between 10 and 24, and are projected to become the No1 cause of premature death and disability in children between five and 14 by 2015.

Worldwide, road accidents kill about 260,000 children a year and injure another 10 million. Even with these horrific statistics, most of the world seems oblivious to the problem.

So, the First Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow this November will try to address the growing global impact of road accidents, in particular in low and middle-income countries.

One of the non-governmental organisations actively campaigning to raise awareness of road safety in developing countries is the FIA Foundation.

Yes, it's related to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) that governs many of the world's top motor sports - including Formula One. It is a charity funded by the FIA.

What the FIA Foundation is trying to do is to call on governments and the UN to commit to a "Decade of Action for Road Safety", which calls for a fund of more than 10 billion baht to be set up to help improve road safety in developing countries from 2010. One target that is hoped to be achieved by this long-term action plan is to reduce global road fatalities to less than one million by 2020.

Thailand is not a particularly poor country, and I do not wish to see our transport minister begging for a slice of this pie to improve the situation in Thailand, but I hope that in the run-up to the conference the Thai media can play a part in shedding light on the subject of road safety in this country.

The latest Thai figures date to 2007, and number 12,492 deaths and 79,029 injured, from 101,752 reported road accidents, which puts us in the Top 20 most dangerous countries in the world for road accidents.

Thailand has to act to curb this gruesome statistic, and not by covering things up. I shall write regularly on this subject, not only in the weeks to come, but for however long it takes for this country to raise its road safety record to match its economic status.

More than a dozen government organisations are responsible for our high death toll, including the ministries of transport, the interior, public health, education, culture, communications, tourism and sport, social development, justice and the police department.

I cannot do this alone, and will need your support - yes, you the reader - to spread the word.

Relate Search: Chon Buri province, WHO, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile

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TestDriver

Discussion 4 : 11/07/2009 at 03:12 PM4
Driving in Thailand is identical to snow skiing.

Think about it..

Those up the slope (behind) must find their own way past those in front, and should always expect those in front to do something foolish, erratic, or plain suicidal. Of course those up front are totally unaware of your presence nor the predicament they're creating for you.

I routinely remind myself of this simple fact everytime I drive here!

If you haven't been skiing before, I wholeheartedly recommend it as a brilliant precursor to driving in Thailand :)
Robert

Discussion 3 : 09/07/2009 at 08:14 PM3
This is not just a safety issue, but also a quality of life issue. I love Thailand and choose to live here, but when friends from home ask me what I like least, the selfishness and foolishness that passes for driving here is on the top of my list. Most Thais don't know anything else, since they've never driven in another country, but it is much more enjoyable as well as safer to drive somewhere like the USA or England, where the vast majority of drivers do so in a reasonable manner.
Red Capitalist

Discussion 2 : 09/07/2009 at 12:38 PM2
I would like to believe that the 'official' Thai figure of 12,492 deaths (2007) is correct.

However, I have reasons to believe it is inaccurate. I have heard that the 'official' figures only include those who died 'on the spot' and not those who died in the ambulance, 'rescue' truck or hospital.

Based on information from the largest provincial hospital, I believe a number in the order of 30,000 fatalities may be more much closer to dark reality.

The number of injured mentioned here must be a typo. Aforementioned hospital alone admits more than 15,000 people injured in traffic accidents per year.

In my eyes, the main cause for the unsafety is also one of Thailand's charms: the 'no fear' mentality. Where other cultures are paralysed by fear and the desperation for safety, Thai generally live their life with less restraint.
Lertsiri Boonmee

Discussion 1 : 07/07/2009 at 05:55 PM1
Lets start with some basic steps:
1) Merges into traffic should be done in an orderly and calm way with regards to the "Alternating entrance method" where one car from the main road goes by, then one from the merging lane enters, then back to the right of way lane, and then back to the merging lane, and so on and so on.

2) RED means STOP, Yellow means YIELD or prepare to stop, and Green means not to sleep at the wheel while 50 other cars in the back are waiting for you to shift into first gear and press the gas pedal.

3) Try to keep a safe distance depending on speed of travel between your car and the one in front of you. RULE OF THUMB is at least 2 cars lengths for moderate driving and one car length in city traffic. If you are keeping 4 cars length that probably means you are also speeding...Gotcha

4) Its not a safe bet to just look at the guy in front of you as his brake lights could be out, he could be drunk, asleep at the wheel or watching his DVD movie on the slick TV screen in his car (what is he thinking). Better to also look ahead of him and watch out what goes on to the left and right if you possibly can. Plus its good hand eye coordination exercise and sharpens your senses if you do it every time like me. I also like to keep my eye on what is behind me as well in the case I have to swerve out of harms way and not hit anyone to my left, right or behind who wants to pass me.

5) When applying the brakes, not only do you stomp on the brakes anytime you like, but have some consideration for the person behind you in traffic. (Assume that there is someone following you in traffic unless you have been practicing step 4 rigorously.

6) Blind spots is what mostly get us in the end. Blind spots cause us to turn into a lane and causes some poor driver to stomp on his brakes as well as swerve. Sure, while we get away knowingly or unknowingly, the person that almost hit us is probably now in a ditch with 4 other dead passengers sitting in the back.

7) However sitting in the back with seat belts is a different story, as most Thai passenger have a stupid myth that you are totally safe in the back seat without a safety belt. Heck, some even say that they are superman and don't even think that belts are a good thing to begin with because it is uncomfortable to wear and makes them conform to police officers! But the truth is, with belts on, you have a much better chance to come home to see your family member even if you were part of a car wreck. UNLESS you happen to have SUPERMAN REFLEXES and can put the belt on within a millisecond of the time it takes for your car to hit the car or pole in front of you.

8) Talking about belts, most people in a car flip over accident and do wear their belts survive the crash UNTIL they depress the safety belt and land on their heads dying from a broken neck. THINK before you act is the motto here. In an overturned accident where you are in the seat strapped to the seat in a belt, and the car is totally upside down, you must think that if you release the belt without your hands SUPPORTING the weight of your body, then your NECK or head receives the injury.

9) Drinking and driving, that goes without saying.
10) Cell phone and driving..
11) Texting a SMS message while driving.
12) Doing your hair or mascara while driving.
13) Thinking about other things while driving. (this one seems childish to put in, but actually its what causes most of the accidents as our hand eye coordination is working in sync with what we usually think. Think about that for a while!
14) SPEEDING or excessive slow driving is bad both ways.
15) blocking lanes when you know that its your car that can make a difference by either going a bit faster or slower or get into the slow lane to at least have a clear lane for emergency vehicles, faster cars, or a speeding maniac.
16) Get lots of sleep before driving. This is one of the most notorious killers of the road. Falling asleep at the wheel is no different than drinking and driving. If drowsy, get a designated driver or just park it and snooze. Sometimes a brief nap really helps you to at least drive carefully until you can reach a proper rest station or a police station, gas station, shopping mall.

17) Know your car's limit. By knowing your car's length width, performance capabilities, brake performances, you become a better driver automatically in situations that need you to not think of the situation on how to react, how much to steer clear of situations or pot holes, or brake distance at certain speeds without locking up the wheels. Know your car. How to do that is simple. Take it to a track day event. The only think you can possibly hit there are orange cones and burn some rubber on the tarmac.

18) Check your car for regular stuff like air in tires, tire treads and wear, brake fluids, motor oil fluids, power steering fluids, transmission fluids. For deeper inspections, be wary of creaks and squeaks while you drive and pay attention to suspension and how your car rides. If it starts to not go straight when braking hard or accelerating, something is not right. suspension bushing and ball joints can cause cars to flip over if they happen to break at 120 kph and grind one wheel to a full halt under the weight of the car. Its a scary situation but not if you check it if it has enough lubrication from time to time.

Lots more if you are a car nut like me. But those are the basics I usually tell the ones I LOVE. Owning a car is a big responsibility and maybe 18 pointers is a bit too much. Until of course the day you get into an accident and then think maybe 18 points to check yourself on when owning a car is not as painful to do.

If in doubt and you have no idea what I have just blabbed about, try taking a driving lesson even though you already have a driver's license. A refresher course is probably what you need. Actually BANGKOK should provide those refresher courses if asked.

Also some gas stations and places like auto repair places do provide you quick check ups for your car if you ask for it and tell them you want to travel long distance in the near future. Most don't cost anything if there is nothing wrong. But if there is, be prepared to just pay for the damages. A leaky brake line for example is something you should pay for right there and then. If in doubt if they are trying to rip you off, ask them to see the part and try not to leave the car when they show you the damage. That way you know that they didn't actually puncture the parts or make a false claim to try to get you to pay for parts.

Hope that helps.

Last but not least, USE COMMON SENSE.

Safer roads, anyone?