Study: Thailand 2nd in the world for road accident deaths

[buksida]

MORTALITY FROM ROAD CRASHES IN 193 COUNTRIES: A COMPARISON WITH OTHER LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream ... 102989.pdf
The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

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Anyone surprised?

[hhfarang]

Not much of a shock to someone who has lived here 10 years. I'm only surprised that it isn't number 1!

[richard]

AND if you follow any of the threads about travelling in Viet Nam you will note that although their driving seems chaotic and dangerous they do not figure in the top 25. Doubt whether their driving tests are any better than Thailand so I guess it's down to attitude

[buksida]

I'd say that accident rates in neighbouring countries with more chaotic traffic are lower for the following reasons:

1) Vehicles are older and slower - in Thailand every Joe has a brand new car.
2) Roads are in worse condition - well apart from that one between HH and PKN.
3) Attitude - there is less of the "me first, screw you" attitude outside of Thailand.

[dtaai-maai]

While I'd fully expect to see it in the top 10 or 20, having driven in many undeveloped and developing countries (including France... ) over the last 30 years, I am quite surprised that Thailand is as high as no.2.

Not having thought about it before, I think that Buksi's points 1 and 2 above are very relevant. The chaos Richard refers to in Vietnam is mostly in urban areas and not at dangerous speeds. There may even be more accidents than here, just not fatal ones.

I'd add alcohol to the list and the inability to adapt to sudden downpours in the rainy season. (I'll bet the bypass is littered with overturned vehicles right now).

[Nereus]

What surprises me is that Namibia is number 1. A few years since I have been there, but I do not recall the traffic, or the population, being bad enough to warrant that.

[STEVE G]

I can imagine the reason that the death rate in Thailand is so high is mainly a combination of alcohol and motorbikes. The countries I've driven in with seemingly worst drivers have been largely in the Muslim world where people either don't drink as much or can afford not to ride death-traps.

[Spitfire]

Blimey, such an illustrious and distinguished top 25.

Quite an achievement to come in with the silver medal.

Alcohol, contempt for other drivers, apethy of the law and glaring lack of personal responsibility probably covers most of it.

I also disapprove of the irresponsible way cars and bikes are advertized on TV and elsewhere here.....basically some jerk Thai guys racing whatever it is whilst being chased by something terrible or in a bid to get inside some girl's knickers plus appearing to possess special knowledge of mechanized transport and posing/smirking provocately or smugly.

[Big Boy]

One of the things I noticed during my recent Vietnamese trip is that everybody wore crash helmets driving a motorcycle. Fall of a motorcycle without a helmet, and serious injury/death is highly likely. Wear a helmet, and the chance of your head staying in tact increases dramatically.

[Dannie Boy]

One of the things I noticed during my recent Vietnamese trip is that everybody wore crash helmets driving a motorcycle. Fall of a motorcycle without a helmet, and serious injury/death is highly likely. Wear a helmet, and the chance of your head staying in tact increases dramatically.

It's the same in Malaysia, everybody wears a helmet, so the only reason must be that here you can either get away with flouting the law, or at worst you will have to pay 200 baht to a BIB - but have an accident and you could well be paying with your life.