Most people still don't wear crash helmets

[Frank Hovis]

In countries like the UK, where if you are involved in an accident you can be sure of life long medical care and financial assistance should you end up disabled or in a vegetative state, then I do firmly believe that the government has a right to ensure that you take as much care as possible to avoid injury to prevent you being a net recipient of government funds and a drain on the contributors.

Here, where you get minimal health care, no financial state help and no insurance payout unless you have taken out your own insurance then I believe you should have the right to die or be severely, permanently injured in an accident that you could probably walk away from if you wore a helmet. Not wearing a helmet actually makes you even less of a danger to other road users as you have a much softer 'tip' to your projectile. The same goes for safety belts; they only protect those that choose to wear them, they offer no protection to third parties.

The government should give up on helmet wearing laws and concentrate on making the roads safer for everyone by cracking down on DUI, unlicensed, un-taxed, uninsured, un-roadworthy, wrong side of the road etc etc etc. These things affect all road users not just individuals who have a choice to wear or not wear a helmet. No-one has much choice to be ploughed into by a drunk driver at an intersection or a truck with bald tires on a wet road or a minibus doing 160km/h while the driver watches the latest soap and texts on his mobile. Everyday we put our trust in people not to do something so stupid that we can't avoid having a collision with them and yet everyday we see that drivers here** (bikes, cars and trucks) are more than capable of doing something extremely stupid, not wearing a helmet or safety belt probably helps to cut down the number of times they can survive doing something stupid to simply repeat it again.

If it were a choice and not the law, I would still wear my safety belt every time I'm in the car as would all my passengers as it wouldn't be a choice for them; they could walk of course, and I would still wear my helmet every time I'm on my motor bike as would the pillion (or walk). But for other people, wearing or not wearing a safety belt or helmet makes no difference to my safety, so why shouldn't it be a choice?

**OK, yes, sorry, before I get called a Thai basher, I do recognise that people everywhere have the ability to do extremely stupid things and quite a number of drivers here are not Thai.

[MrPlum]

No-one has much choice to be ploughed into by a drunk driver at an intersection or a truck with bald tires on a wet road or a minibus doing 160km/h while the driver watches the latest soap and texts on his mobile.

A very nice Thai I know was ploughed into by a hit-and-run truck driver 2 nights ago. A father of 5, now dead. Very sad.

[Bristolian]

Not wearing a helmet actually makes you even less of a danger to other road users as you have a much softer 'tip' to your projectile. The same goes for safety belts; they only protect those that choose to wear them, they offer no protection to third parties

I think that you are really on to something with this concept. I like the idea of softer tipped projectiles.

In certain African countries it is also the law to wear helmets BUT the exception is for women, who have just left a hair salon, they are permitted to wear a supermarket carrier bag over their head to protect their new hairstyle. This could work here equally well, but let’s not restrict it to only women leaving the hairstylist; it should be generally permitted for all those who don’t see the point of wearing a helmet.

We all see some superb examples of ingenuity in Thailand, especially when it is raining, the use of umbrellas on motorbikes, the use of banana leaves to substitute for a mud flaps and the supermarket carrier bag as to keep the motorcyclist’s hair dry. The added benefit of the carrier bag is that, should there be an accident, all of the gory stuff would all be in one convenient carrier. The savings in cleaning up and collecting all of the pieces from the accident scene would be eliminated.

[Gregjam]

Good to see a mixed reaction and responses. In offering an alternative point of view I realise that my points were open to questioning and accept others opinions. One of the luxuries of being able to make ones own decisions. Thailand has a lot of laws like most countries and I have a somewhat jaded opinion of them here particularly those regarding motorcycling having had a bad experience in the past with young motorcyclists. A law is only as good as it's enforcement. Before addressing motorcycle helmets perhaps we all would be better served if those unlawfully on the road were removed from them. Needless to say my own views are that the roads would be a lot safer if laws were enforced rather than used to make a quick buck. Catching the kids riding bikes would be as easy as catching people not wearing helmets but obvioiusly not as profitable. Perhaps if the bikes could be confiscated and sold off with the local police benefitting if fines were not paid then the roads might become slightly safer.

[Gregjam]

I can only thank Bristolian for some very sensible responses to my post. Some of the comments raised are my fault as I tried to keep the post to a reasonable size and others give room for thought. My own view is that if a discussion on safety regardless about bike/work/car etc causes one person to think about their own personal safety and that of others it is worth it so I am pleased to see a reaction. In direct response to some of the comments:
I first came to Hua Hin in 1990 so until the helmet law came into force I was not actually breaking the law. After that I have worn a helmet both through choice and through compulsion (risk of a fine).
When I mention step-thru bikes it was as a comparison between a commuter type limited capacity bike and larger, faster, bigger engine bikes more suitable for longer distance travelling (I know people have ridden around the world on step-thru but am offering a generalisation). Step thru’s and scooters are far easier to throw around and the way they are manouvered in traffic is in general more frantic than that of someone on a larger bike.
The reference to my Shoei was only as an example of a well respected helmet I have personal experience of. Any full face helmet restricts vision more than an open face helmet while offering more safety due to the fixed chin bar and I agree that looking around is something any rider should do regardless of what helmet you are wearing. Those who are hard of hearing or deaf are usually very aware of how this presents additional danger and naturally apply extra caution taking this into account. My reference to the sound insulation is more aimed at those who might not be aware of how much they are missing.
Wearing a helmet will improve your chances of survival in an accident. So will wearing proper boots, protective armoured clothing, gloves, back protectors, hi viz gear etc. I do feel that discussing helmets in isolation is only looking at the tip of the iceberg but as mentioned is better than nothing. It is not the car/lorry/bike that kills you, it is the hand or foot that is behind the controls.

[MrPlum]

In the UK I wore all the gear and it saved me from serious injury. Here though, it is just too damn hot. I doubt if more than a few of those used to a European climate, would carry on riding if forced to wear all that would properly protect them.

The cost of CE-approved clothing and helmets is also too high for the Thai budget. My Arai and Shoei helmets cost 300+ pounds. That was 15 years ago. Buy one of those and see how long it takes before someone steals it.

There are full-face helmets but how many can tolerate their head cooking, stuck at traffic lights? I think at lower speeds, for short trips, a compromise helmet is about the best you will get away with. You might lose half your jaw, as you scrape along the ground but your brain should be protected from most light to medium falls.

Another huge risk is those on big bikes, wearing flip-flops. I wince when I see them.

[richard]

The MIB are out in force again outside Condo Chain. At this point in time a dozen motorbikes are parked and all but one are Thais and collecting tickets. No body or bike search so not looking for drugs. ALL were not wearing a skidlid

[Frank Hovis]

that discussing helmets in isolation is only looking at the tip of the iceberg

I agree with that, however, it may be a good indicator of the consideration of overall safety taken by road users; if one feels no need to attempt to preserve one's own life with such a simple thing as a helmet, safety belt or operational tail lights it leads me to wonder what trifling concern they must have for the lives of other road users.

When I see Malay and Thai bikers, on 500cc upwards bikes, doing 160km/h or more along the bypass they are invariably wearing full face helmets, boots, gloves and leathers and have headlights on and use their indicators. While they may appear to be reckless due to their speed the fact that they are attempting to be safer at that speed indicates an understanding of the dangers involved. I am not condoning their speeding.

On seeing a motorbike driven at 30km/h round town by a portly, sunburned, gent in a pair of swim shorts, no top, no helmet and flip-flops for footwear or four young girls in school uniform all on one Scoopy-i, I see a total disregard, not just for the dangers around them, but for their own safety and, I assume, the safety of others is lower down the list than self-preservation.

It is not an issue of education, nearly everyone knew someone who has died in a motorcycle accident, everyone knows helmets can save their lives but they simply choose not to wear them for whatever reason. Perhaps some of the people on this forum who do ride without a helmet, and there surely are some, can tell us why an individual with a full understanding of the dangers of riding without one would choose not to wear a helmet.

[richard]

Many Thais will say it is Buddhas will

[oakdale160]

SURPRISE---95+% of mb riders are wearing helmets in BKK--big crackdown, big fines--it can be done

[usual suspect]

Over the last week or so we've all seen the videos & photos of both m/cycle accidents & the smashed cars (that ALWAYS
seem to find a tree to smash into..?)
In many of these incidents riders with no helmet(s), and occupants of cars not having seat belt on/fastened.

Please be aware of when folk get in the backseats of your car/pick-up that they too buckle-up...in the event of a smash
it may well be their body flying thru' to the front space that kills you!!

[Dannie Boy]

SURPRISE---95+% of mb riders are wearing helmets in BKK--big crackdown, big fines--it can be done

That's what's needed, enforcement and a fine that's a deterrent- even for a Thai, 200 baht is not going to have sufficient impact (and definitely not for a farang), whereas 1000+ probably would.

[Homer]

A deterrent fine, would for some, be a motivation to evade. Do the roads here need more stupid & invincible Moto riders doing whatever was needed to save 1000 thb?

[Dannie Boy]

A deterrent fine, would for some, be a motivation to evade. Do the roads here need more stupid & invincible Moto riders doing whatever was needed to save 1000 thb?

Oakdale says that it's working in BKK, so why wouldn't it work in HH, providing the BIB do their job properly - easier said than done I know.

[PeteC]

Is it really going to make a difference? Helmets are not normally certified but any cheap thing they can find, as well as yellow hard hats. Given the way many of them drive with the "buddha will protect me" mentality, they could have a cast iron bathtub on their heads and they would still be killed with their reckless and irresponsible operation of a motorbike. Look at the many, many videos of bikes cutting across multiple lanes of traffic without looking, or coming out of side streets without looking. Suicidal practices are not going to be solved by a helmet.

If it saves one little kid, then fine it's worth it, but it is only a very small part of the answer to what is happening here. Pete