Sabpisal 1

Persuasive Essay English

Structure

Intro
SE1- Lack of Standards and Traffic Law Enforcement.
SE2- Driver Education/Driver Ethics:
SE3 - Poor Road Planning
SE4 - Public Transportation
Conclusion
 Sabpisal 2

Ohm Passavudh S.

Mr. Koop

English 10

21 February 2017

Road Safety in Thailand

Driving in Bangkok is not easy. It can be dangerous, irresponsible, and even illegal, because of these

reasons police should be more strict about driving laws. These factors help fuel and develop a major road

problems in Thailand. It has numerous road accidents every year in every province. Thailand ranks the

second deadliest road in the world. More potential life are lost due to road casualties than other causes.

Many factors contribute to this. There are just too many vehicles which is one of the factors that leads to

congestions on the road. Other hindrances include poor road conditions and heavy rain. But another

significant problem that worsens traffic is bad driving habits. Its a shame that Thailand traffic is like this.

Instead of fixing the problem, some drivers just make the problem worse. It is important to make the

improvement as soon as possible before it becomes catastrophic.

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Thailand has been known for second-deadliest road in the world because people dont follow the

rules and the police arent being strict about it. Police should start enforcing and becoming more strict on

laws. This indicates that police and drivers arent working together to help create a safer road. According to

the Department of Land Transport, 57% of the vehicles on the roads are privately owned cars and 37% are

motorcycle. The others are TukTuk, Bus, Truck, Taxi, and others. As of 2013, there were 8,158,910 vehicles

in Bangkok. In 2012-2013 there were 328,825 tickets given out due to people illegally parking, running red

lights, using non licensed drivers, speeding, lane abuse, not wearing a helmet, and unroadworthy cars. Police

have been trying to get strict on these matters to reduce accidents on the road as much as possible because

these accident can cause damage to the safety of the roads and ruining the reputation of Thailand. Some

people bribe the police which is not a good thing to do, this is corruption to the law system. You cant just

bribe to get a away. If police are asking for money this might show that Thai traffic police are not getting
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paid well. Also one of the reason why Thailand have such as bad standards is the police do not enforce any

safety rule. If you get a ticket you can easily get away with it and the consequences in Thailand are not

severe enough. Thailand is also infamous for corrupted police however nowadays police are getting paid

better and are now more equipped with proper gear and better educated. Mobile usage in cars is also

becoming a problem not only in Thailand but also in other countries. Not only they dont wear their

seatbelts, they also use their phone in the car. This creates habit of using phones in the car. Once they get

used to it they will use their phone more and more and this is an issue that can create traffic congestions and

accidents. For example, if you use your phone to watch Youtube, and LINE in the car which may seem like

an idea out of ones mind but unfortunately many people do it in Thailand, Ive seen it in Taxi cabs and also

in private cars. In Thailand, prohibiting all mobile phone use is not new. The Land Traffic Act modified in

2008 prohibits drivers from using mobile phone while driving except if using a supplemental accessory such

as a Bluetooth earpiece. Years ago when the Thai authorities first started to get serious with the use seat

belts while driving rule, Thai drivers developed a strong commitment to obey. Today, less than 40% fasten

their seat belts and 43% consider them unnecessary when travelling short distances, according to the Thai

Roads Foundation. Obviously, traffic laws in the US are stricter than in Thailand. But that does not mean

that the law has never been broken. When tackling careless driving, the law is only part of the equation.

The key to enforcing it is public awareness regarding the importance of safe driving (Arusa Pisuthipan

Bangkok Post). Tougher directives with harsher punishment can be good weapons against irresponsible

driving. But for long-term solutions, these laws might be useless if people have no interest in obeying the

law. Without enforcing traffic rules many people can get into danger. If you're not driving properly and not

following the laws, you would end up getting fined, or maybe end up in jail, then youll might even end up

losing your job, and losing your family thus you wouldn't want to cause or be the victim of any accident on

the road therefore it is important to follow the laws, drive properly, and make the roads safer. Thailand also

have lots of alcoholic drivers, however now Thailand police department are now stepping up their safety

measures and are now being more vigilant about it. Police are now encouraging citizen to use taxis or call
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someone else to pick them up as long as if they are drunk they dont drive. Thai police also launched an

anti-drink-drive campaign called Drink Dont Drive, they attempt to reduce the number of deaths caused

by accidents on the roads. Drunk driving in Thailand usually happens around 12AM-3AM. To tackle drink

and drive, police in Thailand have set up checkpoints with breathalyzer during night hours to tests alcohol

level and detect if the driver is under the influence of drugs.

Having a good education is crucial to the drivers ability to make good decisions and it can help them

make good judgements. People will know what is good to do and what is bad to do. People without good

judgement skills can get road rage easily and end up doing careless and dangerous things. People must have

education to differentiate between the good and the bad. Drivers must be able to have sympathy for other

people and the ability to think ahead to reduce any major accidents. Many Thai people are poorly educated

and did not even go to university, thus this creates a group of bad drivers with bad manners, bad ethics and

bad habits. Lots of bus and taxi drivers are egocentric and have bad ethics and bad attitude, all they care

about is money and they dont care about safety or comfort of the passengers. Some cars are really dirty and

old. Driver education in Thailand is easy and also sometimes cheated. If you live in Thailand youll see it
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everyday, holes on the roads, many cars parking in restricted areas, driving in the wrong line, and not

stopping at red lights only to clog up intersections. Sometimes public busses park illegally too, sometimes

its understandable because other cars are blocking the left lane or parking at the bus stops but this occasion

rarely happens. You see here how one little irresponsible action causes a chain reaction. One traffic problem

on one street always affects the nearby roads, and its worse at rush hour. Its all down to a lack of

responsibility and discipline from drivers.

Poor road planning also contributes to many accidents. According to the Department of Land

Transport 57% of the vehicles on the roads are privately own cars and 37% are motorcycles. The others are

TukTuk, taxi, truck, and buses. As of 2013, there were 8,158,910 vehicles in Bangkok. Due to the increasing

rate of cars on the road, there are more cars than ever before. Many roads in Bangkok are narrow and the

more cars there are the more crammed the roads becomes and this help bring about the traffic problems. The

roads in Thailand are not really planned out correctly. Many of the roads have potholes and are bumpy and

some roads have unnecessary u-turns. Some roads have certain time that it will be open or close such as

some roads are open 10AM - 8PM and some days its open 24 hours without notifying anyone. There are no

rule or standard. Even Google Maps cant detect this. Its all based on the police decision. Sometimes after

they change the road directions the problems aggravate.

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Thailand doesnt have a lot of public transportation therefore it is not sufficient for daily use.

Because Thailand doesnt have enough public transportation, this forces people to drive more cars. And the

more cars on the road, the more traffic there is, and then the more traffic there is, the more accidents there

are. Developed countries revealed that to improve road safety requires a comprehensive approach, involving

all components of an accident: human, vehicle, and road and environment. There are so many reasons why

Thailand has such as poor public transport system. For example there are not a lot of train lines in Thailand

causing people to use more cars. However another factor also contributes to this problem. In the past couple

of years there have been a number of derailments especially on the Bangkok to Chiang Mai line, it is old and

poorly maintained. Thailand uses old and poorly maintained tracks. Also rail services are notoriously late.

Delays of 3 or 4 hours are not uncommon. If you look at Japan for example, there are train stations

everywhere and it is used by hundreds and hundreds of people each day. Its just not a good way of

travelling and it is not safe at any standards. In recent years, such as in 2016, Thailand has been improving
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its transportation system and adding more trains and busses. This will allow Thai people to have a wide

variety of the transportation to choose and lower the use of cars. By doing this it will allow Thai people to

have more free choices. Buses in Thailand are also really cheap and have bad services. Due to the buses

being really really cheap it creates problems, this makes the busses services extremely low standards and it

has also have bad maintenance. The government of Thailand also offers free buses for Thai people to use by

the taxes of Thai people, which is great idea however the buses are old, it uses fan, and does not have an air

conditioner. Buses in Thailand are also disorganised, unlike European countries they do not have a specific

lane on the road and they can drive in any lane they want and this causes many traffic disturbances, although

the bus stops are always on the left. Additionally, public taxi in Thailand has a mediocre quality. Some taxis

in Thailand refuses to pick up people, some taxis in Thailand cant speak or understand English and

sometimes if they are with a foreigner they can inflate the price. Furthermore, public taxis in Thailand are

also sometimes rude and dont conform to the laws. Sometimes taxis take the longer way in order to earn

more money, it is also mainly because the taxi driver do not use a Google Maps. However more and more

taxi drivers are now switching to using Grab services and Uber to earn more money and receive more

customer. These company enforces taxi to have good service, good background check, and uses Google

Maps while commuting. GrabTaxi and Uber is safe and reliable, it is a good alternative to public busses and

taxi. However taxis services like GrabTaxi and Uber are twice the price of regular taxi. To summarise, both

companies offers good services but they arent cheap. Improving public transportation is the way to improve

the lives of people and improve the traffic problem that is ruining Bangkok for decades. Using old

transportation system is like an undeveloped country. Using public transportation is all about getting to the

destination fast but at the same time a reliable and skilled driver. Public transportation is for people who

want to get to their destination as fast as they can therefore they can not tolerate anyone that doesnt follow

the rules. Their income relies on making their route as fast as possible.
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The problem of road congestions and traffic accidents in Thailand can be reduced. It will, however, take

time, cooperation from police, disciplinary citizens, and government, and a combination of effort from many

people. The approach is enforcing stricter laws, reducing corruption, creating a well planned road,reducing

drunk driving, improving and increasing public transportation, and making citizens aware of this problem by

using advocating and advertising road safety whether by using banners, TV advertisements, or by radios, can

significantly reduce traffic congestion and make the roads safer. If these solution are implemented, it can be

very effective to help straighten out this problem then we can surely see a decrease in road accidents and

free up the traffic lanes thus making peoples lives happier.

 Sabpisal 10

Work Citation Sources:

1. PCL., Post Publishing, and SIRINYA SUKCHAI. "A Toast to Our World No.1 Traffic
Rank."Http://www.bangkokpost.com. Bangkok Post, 23 Feb. 2017. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
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Gesundheitswissenschaften. Springer-Verlag, 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
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Traffic Separation, Safety and Ethics. (2000): 1-10. Http://www.trafikdage.dk. CeSaM, Aarhus
University. Web. 5 Mar. 2017.
http://www.trafikdage.dk/td/papers/papers96/sikker/zeit/zeit.pdf
4. Sun, Robert, Christian Castellanos, and Alexa Haushalter. "Ethics." Watch The Road. Stanford
University, California., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
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http://www.ethicsdefined.org/diving-into-the-gray/driving-analogy-for-ethics/

6. Chadbunchachai, Witaya, MD, Weraphan Suphanchaimaj, MD, Anuchar Settasathien, MD, and
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1-8.Http://www.thaiscience.info. WHO, Ministry of Public Health, University, 2013. Web. 5 Mar.
2017. <http://www.thaiscience.info/journals/Article/JMAT/10971734.pdf>. * WHO Collaborating
Center for Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion,Khon Kaen Regional Hospital, Khon Kaen,
Thailand ** Khon Kaen Regional Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand *** Udornthani Regional Hospital,
Khon Kaen, Thailand **** Department of Disease control, Ministry of Public Health, Khon Kaen,
Thailand
http://www.thaiscience.info/journals/Article/JMAT/10971734.pdf

7. Suriyawongpaisal, Paibul, and Somchai Kanchanasut. "Road Traffic Injuries in Thailand: Trends,
Selected Underlying Determinants and Status of Intervention." Injury Control and Safety Promotion.
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<http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/icsp.10.1.95.14110>.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/icsp.10.1.95.14110

8. PCL., Post Publishing, and Jon Fernquest. "Thailand's Roads Second."Http://www.bangkokpost.com.

Bangkok Post, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/work/738124/thailand-roads-second-deadliest-in-world-un-a
gency-finds>.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/work/738124/thailand-roads-second-deadliest-in-world-un-agency-fi
nds
 Sabpisal 11

9. Tanaboriboon, Yordphol, Dr., and Thaned Satiennam, Student. "TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN

THAILAND." TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN THAILAND. International Association of Traffic and
Safety Sciences IATSS, 2005. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0386111214601229>.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0386111214601229

10. Nomads, World, and Phil Sylvester. "Thailand Transport Safety." World Nomads. World Nomads
Contributor, 21 June 2015. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/southeast-asia/thailand/thailand-transport-safety-here-s-everyth
ing-you-should-know

11. PCL., Post Publishing, and Arusa Pisuthipan. "Driving Us to Distraction." Bangkok Post Article.
Bangkok Post, 7 Aug. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/print/425437/

12. Panyalimpanun, Thitipol. "Bad, Bad Drivers: Who's to Blame for Bangkok's Traffic Problems?" BK
Magazine Online. Bk Magazine, 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
http://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/bad-bad-drivers-whos-to-blame-bangkok-traffic-problems

13. PCL., Post Publishing, and Jon Fernquest. "Thailand's Deadly Roads Stem from Law Enforcement
Failure." Http://www.bangkokpost.com. Bangkok Post, 8 Nov. 2015. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-news/756772/thailand-deadly-roads-stem-from-law-enforce
ment-failure

14. PCL., Post Publishing, and Sirinya Wattana Sukchai. "A Toast to Our World No.1 Traffic Rank."
Http://www.bangkokpost.com. Bangkok Post, 23 Feb. 2017. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1203333/a-toast-to-our-world-no-1-traffic-rank

15. Nation, The, Wattana Khamchu, and Jittraporn Senawong. "Traffic Deaths Soar to 478 over
Holiday." The Nation. The Nation, 06 Jan. 2017. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30303522

Reasons
Taxis service in BKK
Train service in BKK
Bus services in BKK
Poor Road Planning
Bad Altitude / Driving Ethics
Driver Education
Stop alcohol and drug usage
Mobile Usage
Consequences are not severe enough
Use Public Transportation
No seatbelts
Old cars
Underaged
Illegal drivers licence
Driving Backward
Thailand's Road Statistics
Sabpisal 12
Sources
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/w
ork/738124/thailand-roads-second-deadli
est-in-world-un-agency-finds
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl
es/PMC2967260/
http://www.ethicsdefined.org/diving-into
-the-gray/driving-analogy-for-ethics/
http://www.trafikdage.dk/td/papers/pape
rs96/sikker/zeit/zeit.pdf
https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-sa
fety/southeast-asia/thailand/thailand-tran
sport-safety-here-s-everything-you-shoul
d-know
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/w
ork/738124/thailand-roads-second-deadli
est-in-world-un-agency-finds
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar
ticle/pii/S0386111214601229