Most people still don't wear crash helmets

[Bristolian]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/34 ... ar-helmets

Most people still don't wear crash helmets
Only 43% of Thais bother to wear a crash helmet when riding on a motorcycle, despite the government's campaign for 100% helmet compliance since 2011, according to an extensive nationwide survey by two road safety groups

Danai Ruangsorn, chairman of the Thai Roads Foundation, said the study, conducted in partnership with the Road Safety Watch group, observed motorcycle users at 3,200 locations in 77 provinces.

Besides observational data, they also conducted interviews and took photographs and videos which were used in analysing the data.

The survey of helmet wearing in 2012 concluded that overall only 43% of people on motorbikes in Thailand wear crash helmets - 52% of drivers and 20% of passengers.

Based on age groups, 49% of adults wear a helmet, and only 28% of teenagers. Only 7% of children wear helmets when travelling on a motorcycle.

Motorcycle users in the central region are the most safety conscious, with 54% donning a helmet, but only 37% in the North and 39% in the South wear a helmet.

Provinces with the highest percentage of helmet wearers are Bangkok, at over 80%, followed by Phuket, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani. Provinces with less than 20% of helmet protection are Bung Kan, Lamphun, Chaiyaphum, Narathiwat and Nakhon Phanom.

The study also found a big gap between motorcycle users in major commercial centres of the central provinces, where 74% wear a helmet, and in rural areas, where only 28% abide by the law.
There were around 1.5 million motorcycle users in Thailand in 2012.

Accident statistics show over 100,000 people died on the from road accidents over the past 10 years, or around 30 a day on average. He said 70 to 80% of fatal accidents involved motorcycle users and the main cause of death was head injury due to not wearing a helmet.

The helmet requirement under the Land Traffic Act has been effective since 1996.

Witthaya Chartbanchachai, head of an accident-prevention centre working in co-operation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), said the situation in Thailand is considered to be at the severe level.
The WHO was concerned that 23% of road accidents were caused by motorcycles and the age of the victims was around 15 to 44 years.

He said Thailand earned only six out of 10 in the scoring on enforcement of the helmet law, which was lower than other Asean countries. Singapore and Vietnam, for example, scored nine, and Indonesia and Laos an eight.

The WHO reported that road accidents killed 1.24 million people globally in 2010 and injured as many as 50 million people. Road accidents were the eighth biggest cause of death in the world, and it could rise to fifth if there is no improvement on enforcement of the law to protect road users by 2030, the report said.

[usual suspect]

I sat at the traffic lights at the Chomsin/Petkasem junction & counted 8 people on motorcycles..ALL wearing crash helmets..only ONE had the strap fastened!
It would seem the wearing off the helmet is purely to save a police fine.

[Big Boy]

[richard]

Watched from my balcony yesterday afternoon a police stop off point outside the BK hospital. Many stopped and 99% were Thai nearly all without helmets. Becoming a regular now on both sides of the road. Ideal police hiding places behind the Condo park and the BK hospital taxi place. One was stopped with a helmet on but not fastened.

[Dannie Boy]

What gets me are the number of motorcyclists who have a helmet in the carrier or strapped to the handlebar so that they can try to put it on if they see a police checkpoint ahead - they don't have a thought about the accident ahead

[MrPlum]

They do seem to be making headway here, don't you think?

Have you seen the helmets the motosi taxis and bike rentals hand out? Grubby and virtually useless. I can understand why no-one would wish to wear them.

Having been saved by a helmet after being knocked off a big bike many years ago I recognize their value but most helmets here offer little protection. A full-face helmet, properly secured is necessary but it's too hot and the vain do not want 'helmet hair' spoiling their brylcreamed bonces.

Aircon helmets would fly off the shelves. This little number slips under the seat...

[Bristolian]

What annoys, frustrates and saddens me most is when you see the whole family on the motorbike, with the parents wearing helmets and the children not. How can they be so careless about their children’s lives? They would never be so careless with their truly valued possessions so why do they treat their children with so little regard

Often the helmets that are worn, are little more than flexible cheap plastic bowls, usually with the straps neatly tucked inside. These things offer little or no protection whatsoever. Their only value is that the police will accept them and they are cheap.

Not wearing a helmet is stupidity in the extreme and the stupidity seems to be catching on with many of the foreigners living here or visiting tourists many of who you can see daily, in many of the smaller Sois and often on the main roads.

I guess that it’s Darwin’s theory in practice and that natural selection will always weed out the weaker of the species! Sadly the children are often hurt by their parents stupidity.

[crazy88]

Mr P is starting to think along the right lines and "helmet hair" is certainly a factor with the teenagers.

Imagine you were the government mister given the job of improving the situation

Make them a "must have fashion accessory. Approach a combination of popular designers and manufacturers and get them to work together on a range of safe fashionable helmets. Then get the TV icons and pop stars wearing them in the soaps etc. backed up with advertising campaigns (Heavy on the keeping your skin white angle) so it becomes as much of an "in" thing as having the latest phone or pair of trainers.

They would need to have hands free for talking on the mobile. They would need to be affordable.

Make it law that when a bike is sold it comes with 2 helmets included in the price.

Impound the bike for 7 days and charge accordingly. Most will get off with spot fines but the BIB will have to impound a certain amount to keep up quotas and the lads at the station will want their cut of the impound fees. Sometimes the bike is the only transport a family has so give them a choice of the impound or community service.

Just some ideas. All with holes in. They probably will still put them on when they see a roadblock

Maybe put plain clothes officers outside nightclubs and internet cafes? Doubt the wealthy owners would like that though.

Crazy 88

[Nereus]

What annoys, frustrates and saddens me most is when you see the whole family on the motorbike, with the parents wearing helmets and the children not.

You beat me to it with this, Bristolian! It makes my blood boil when I see this. Some innocent little kid blindly trusting their imbecile parent. I guarantee that the parent has at least one mobile phone, and very often is also using it at the same time, so it is not the cost of a helmet. And before all the grateful guests of Thailand pop out of the woodwork claiming economic excuses, please explain to me why this practice is no different than allowing a kid to play with a loaded gun? Both have the potential of leading to the same end, and yet if it was a gun, then EVERYBODY would be jumping up and down and putting a stop to it.

[jingjoe]

i bought a car and won't let my toddler on a motorbike under any circumstances,i know a lot of thais can't afford a car and a motorbike is their only form of transport.
Does anyone know what age a child can safely wear a motorbike helmet without it harming the neck,do they make motorbike helmets for very young kids? i guess a young child could wear a bicycle helmet.

[Gregjam]

So far a lot of negative comments. As a motorcycist both here and in the UK I must confess to having ridden here for many years without a helmet and the main reason I wear one is to avoid being stopped. My own view is that on a trip out of town a helmet is a must but in town there are certain benefits to not wearing one or wearing the minimal protection type worn by most to satisfy the law. I am aware of the hazards and as already pointed out the majority of helmets worn here offer little protection should you need it. There are however certain benefits to not wearing a helmet on the majority of step thru type motorcycles in use around town. As a motorcyclist you are always going to come off worse in any accident so the more aware you are of your surrounding the safer you can ride. My Shoei back in the UK would be useless around town as it muffles sound very effectively and restricts vision. Here you need to be able to hear what is going on around you and the more visibility the better. The majority of motorcyclists (I realise not all) around town travel at similar speeds to a fast pedal cyclist speed for some and I don't see them wearing helmets offering motorcycle type protection.
Out of town speeds increase and a helmet will also stop bugs getting into your eyes so making the ride safer. Around town, the reality here is that if the police did not set up their traps very few would wear helmets. It is a personal choice and I know of a few people in the UK who, if given the choice would not be wearing helmets.

[m_right]

I can't believe how many non Thais don't wear them either. And many are skin heads so it can't be to keep hair straight.
I had one save my life so I refuse to ride without one. If it is not convient then I use alternate forms of transportation

[usual suspect]

I've also just made a diary-note to buy another decent helmet while I'm in the UK this Autumn..I don't trust the compound of the shell after it has spent many-a-day sat on the bike's mirror in the baking sun.

[Bristolian]

So far a lot of negative comments. As a motorcycist both here and in the UK I must confess to having ridden here for many years without a helmet and the main reason I wear one is to avoid being stopped. My own view is that on a trip out of town a helmet is a must but in town there are certain benefits to not wearing one or wearing the minimal protection type worn by most to satisfy the law. I am aware of the hazards and as already pointed out the majority of helmets worn here offer little protection should you need it. There are however certain benefits to not wearing a helmet on the majority of step thru type motorcycles in use around town. As a motorcyclist you are always going to come off worse in any accident so the more aware you are of your surrounding the safer you can ride. My Shoei back in the UK would be useless around town as it muffles sound very effectively and restricts vision. Here you need to be able to hear what is going on around you and the more visibility the better. The majority of motorcyclists (I realise not all) around town travel at similar speeds to a fast pedal cyclist speed for some and I don't see them wearing helmets offering motorcycle type protection.
Out of town speeds increase and a helmet will also stop bugs getting into your eyes so making the ride safer. Around town, the reality here is that if the police did not set up their traps very few would wear helmets. It is a personal choice and I know of a few people in the UK who, if given the choice would not be wearing helmets.

I waited for a while to see if some of our two wheeled friends would respond. I suspect that your post was intended to gain a reaction and therefore;

I must confess to having ridden here for many years without a helmet

This is clearly against both the law, common sense and the odds of survival. I hope that you do not apply the same rules to your pillion passengers who have no additional need for spacial awareness.

There are however certain benefits to not wearing a helmet on the majority of step thru type motorcycles in use around town.

I have also ridden motorcycles all of my life and cannot for the life of me see the difference between a step through motorcycle and any other. The general rules dictate that you will be most likely involved in an accident when you are close to home and familiar (or over familiar) with your surroundings and road and conditions.

As a motorcyclist you are always going to come off worse in any accident so the more aware you are of your surrounding the safer you can ride.

Of course you are correct. This being aware of your surroundings and thereby avoid accidents is a rule of life and not restricted to motorcycles.

My Shoei back in the UK would be useless around town as it muffles sound very effectively and restricts vision. Here you need to be able to hear what is going on around you and the more visibility the better.

Generally again you are correct but the same conditions apply in the UK. If your Shoei helmet restricts you vision I would suggest that you get a better visor, better helmet or are prepared to look occasionally over your shoulder. This is something that a Thai seldom does. As to you point about restricting your hearing, I have one friend who is hearing impaired and one who is totally deaf but both seem to be able to ride motorcycles without too much effort or compromising their safety, even when they are wearing helmets.

The majority of motorcyclists (I realise not all) around town travel at similar speeds to a fast pedal cyclist speed for some and I don't see them wearing helmets offering motorcycle type protection.

The choice of helmet type and protection value is clearly yours. I see these same motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic sometimes with very little regard for their own lives. These motorcycles are often riding almost at the limit of the performance of their bike. A 20km collision with a hard and stationary object is more than enough for them to meet their maker.

As a more frequent car driver I am rightfully concerned that one day I will seriously hurt or kill one of these motorcyclists because they made the wrong manoeuvre and were not wearing a helmet.

Around town, the reality here is that if the police did not set up their traps very few would wear helmets. It is a personal choice and I know of a few people in the UK who, if given the choice would not be wearing helmets.

It does not matter if there is a police trap or not. Every responsible person knows that wearing a helmet is likely to save your life, in the event of an accident.

Like I say, today I am mostly on 4 wheels and I do not think twice about wearing a seatbelt. Wearing a seatbelt and ensuring that my passengers do the same is now automatic, I don’t think about it. It is as natural and automatic as putting on my shoes before I leave for work in the morning. Allowing my family to ride in the car with me without seatbelts is unthinkable. Why should wearing a helmet be any different?

Clearly we all make choices in our lives for what is safe and if we want to abide by the laws that are in place to protect us. You, choose not to wear a helmet. This is of course your choice but in my opinion not a sensible one.

Please ride safely

[zeitgeist]

I had an accident today with a motorcycle. He hit the side/front (right on the headlight area) going pretty fast alongside the central reservation on the wrong side of the road, I was turning right at a break in the central reservation. He was was thrown quite some distance. Hua Hin Hospital ambulance arrived quickly after my call (as did police and insurance agent, my 2nd and 3rd calls) luckily just a small cut to his head (4 stitches), no concussion etc., which was surprising given the amount of blood.
He had a helmet on so the damage was minimal, if he had it fastened he probably wouldn't have needed any treatment.