Road stats shame cops

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Published: 9 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

In the past couple of days the government issued figures pertaining to the small number of advertising offences committed by some liquor outlets, the number of motorists arrested for alcohol offences and the injury/death figures for the holiday period.

I cannot see any figures for injuries and deaths of young people riding motorcycles underage, those not wearing helmets, unlicensed drivers/riders, children standing unrestrained in motor vehicles, and so on.

Perhaps these figures aren't released because they will show that the police are not doing their jobs.

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mr.meldrew
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Discussion 11 : 09 Jan 2013 at 20.3211
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jck D10: Have to disagree with you about "clueless about safety because nobody ever taught them." Common sense teaches you, that you don't join a busy main road on a motorbike with 3 kids with no helmets whilst not even looking the correct way to see if anything might be oncoming that may kill you. Common sense is not that common here.
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jck
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Discussion 10 : 09 Jan 2013 at 16.3710
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Ron1947. Of course you are correct but unfortunately those who should be responsible are the very ones who are clueless about safety because nobody ever taught them. And so the vicious circle of ignorance and incompetence goes on. Nearly all problems with road safety boil down to totally inadequate tuition and testing. And, of course, a police force who have also not been taught adequately and/or are to lazy to act on obvious violations.
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jck
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Discussion 9 : 09 Jan 2013 at 16.379
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Ron1947. Of course you are correct but unfortunately those who should be responsible are the very ones who are clueless about safety because nobody ever taught them. And so the vicious circle of ignorance and incompetence goes on. Nearly all problems with road safety boil down to totally inadequate tuition and testing. And, of course, a police force who have also not been taught adequately and/or are to lazy to act on obvious violations.
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lungstib
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Discussion 8 : 09 Jan 2013 at 14.338
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Brian, come out to the more remote areas near the Northern border and you will find whole districts with never a policeman in sight. Between Tha Ton and Mae Salong we have a huge population of hilltribe and farming villages, many of them young, and all moving about at high speed on motorbikes and in new pick-ups. Very few have a license, some have no registration and all have no road training. Its fairground dodgems. Where the money comes from to buy these vehicles is a mystery but if a few were confiscated it could stop parents letting underage kids cause carnage.
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ron1947
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Discussion 7 : 09 Jan 2013 at 10.587
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Concerning road accidents and fatalities, surely the final responsibility for young people riding motorcycles underage, those not wearing helmets, unlicensed drivers/riders, children standing unrestrained in motor vehicles lies with the people concerned and not with the lack of enforcement by the police. Taking personable responsibility is preferable to having a policeman on every corner. However, I do agree that with issues such as drunk driving etc, where an innocent third party can suffer, then by all means have strict police enforcement.
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kena
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Discussion 6 : 09 Jan 2013 at 08.246
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besides discrimination based on appearances, how about discrimination based on where you reside in Thailand. I refer to the 2 English language daily newpapapers. Both are based in Bkk, and both only offer special subscription deals for Bangkok residents. Anyone outside of Bkk, no dice.
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Victor
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Discussion 5 : 09 Jan 2013 at 08.185
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Road safety, like all public safety in this country, has never been a real issue for any government, including this one that came to power through its populist policy.
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jck
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Discussion 4 : 09 Jan 2013 at 08.034
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The “dangerous days” at every Thai holiday is merely a pathetic police PR ploy that serves no purpose. On Thai roads there are 365 dangerous days with 1 more every fourth year.
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Renaissance
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Discussion 3 : 09 Jan 2013 at 06.523
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Corrupt politicians needs at 4 things to survive. 1) A corrupt police force, which is in their pockets. 2) An education system that does not encourage people to think, and which keeps the population open to the "guidance" of politicians and their network of kamnans, etc. 3) An atmosphere of fear with a self-censorship culture. 4) TV and radio channels, which broadcast the "correct" news. So, we should not expect the politicians to show any interest in education. People have to be kept uneducated so that they are impressed by populist policies and can't see through them or the words of the politicians.
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oldairman
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Discussion 2 : 09 Jan 2013 at 06.372
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The last time I travelled on the BTS in July last year I asked to get the senior citizen rate, showed my Thai driving licence and got it straight away with a smile.
As for being guests though we are we are also classed as aliens aand such are subject to the immigration laws. Keep withinnnnn them and there is no problem and it is not that hard to do so.
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Road stats shame cops | Bangkok Post: opinion