Four major routes chosen for higher speed limit trials

[stretch]

I love Thailand driving here takes practice and experience. But yesterday I saw a incident that how never left 2dead tourists was a miracle and all the tourist fault. May your God be with you.

[Nereus]

Highways Dept takes aim at slow drivers

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... s#cxrecs_s

Slow driving in designated fast lanes is becoming a major cause of road accidents in Thailand, according to the Highways Department.

Sarawut Songsivilai, the department's director-general, said 30% of car accidents on highways are caused by motorists driving too slowly in the far-right lane, which has been designated for fast-moving vehicles.

That made it the No.2 cause of accidents, following cars veering off roads which account for 45% of accidents.

"If a motorist in an outer lane is driving slowly the driver behind will try to pass on the inside lane where his view of traffic in front will be obscured, which often leads to cars colliding," he said.

"Proposed new speed limits for outer lanes will be clearly marked and are designed to lower the chances of sideswiping or rear-ending," he added.

Mr Sarawut said this is in line with the Transport Ministry's plan to cut car accidents.

The ministry is reportedly looking at raising the speed limit for the outer lane on major roads and highways to at least 90kph. The new speed limit reportedly will be introduced on roads with four lanes or more.

Currently, the speed limit on such roads, mostly in cities, is 80kph. Once new limits are in place, slow drivers will face legal penalties on par with speeding offenders.

[buksida]

Utter waste of time. The 'motorists' they're referring to are mostly siplors and busses.

Without a police force that actually patrols, there will be no way to enforce any new legislation.

More politicians trying to justify their jobs as usual.

[Big Boy]

If they can't control the speed limit of drivers going too fast, how will they do it for drivers going too slow? I read somewhere yesterday that the proposal was to fine anybody doing less than 90kph in the right hand lane.

[Dannie Boy]

As has been said, both too fast and too slow are dangerous, but unless and until the BIB get off their rses and practice proactive policing, it’s all futile!!


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[stretch]

Just had another drive to bkk no matter what speed limit is set for what lane will make no differance to thais. Weaving from slow lane to fast lane to gain 2 metets will never change.

[HHTel]

the far-right lane, which has been designated for fast-moving vehicles.

I thought that the outer lane was designated as an overtaking lane as in the UK. The Thai driving code certainly backs that up.
I doubt the authorities know what they're talking about. They should be targeting vehicles using it when lanes to the left are empty.

[Big Boy]

Problem is, 'They' only exist under shady trees or bridges. Trolls spring to mind

[B6PTW]

In UK news yesterday a vehicle driver charged whilst doing 45mph in middle lane when inner lane empty.
Also all to rare in the UK.

[Dannie Boy]

In UK news yesterday a vehicle driver charged whilst doing 45mph in middle lane when inner lane empty.
Also all to rare in the UK.

But in the UK they have thousands of cameras monitoring speeds especially on main highways/motorways so the chances of being caught are that much greater - here there is virtually nothing!!

[handdrummer]

When Michigan raised it's speed limit from 65 to 70 MPH., accidents increased by 17%. The same is true, to a more or lessor degrees, in other states that raised their speed limits. But, as we are constantly reminded, Thailand is different. Cough, cough.

[buksida]

Thailand has no functioning traffic police force (lazing around at roadblocks and under trees doesn't count) so there is no incentive for anyone to obey the law which is why they drive like utter ****s.

Would be an interesting psychological experiment to see if this was just a Thai thing or other nationalities behaved like that on the roads when law enforcement was taken out of the picture.

[sateeb]

From what i've read about my home town in the UK driving standards have dropped noticeably due to a lack of road policing. Probably nowhere near the levels here but the rot may have started, the me me me first attitude.

[HHTel]

When Michigan raised it's speed limit from 65 to 70 MPH., accidents increased by 17%. The same is true, to a more or lessor degrees, in other states that raised their speed limits. But, as we are constantly reminded, Thailand is different. Cough, cough.

The autobahn fatality rate of 1.6 deaths per billion travel-kilometres compared favorably with the 4.6 rate on urban streets and 6.5 rate on rural roads.

Although about 30% of autobahns have a speed limit, the rest, as I understand, don't. It does pose the question that is speed a major factor in road deaths.

However, I've driven on the autobahns and the quality of road cannot be compared with that here.

[buksida]

I think the point here is that an overloaded smoke belching durian truck with bald tyres and an axle that is about to snap shouldn't be in the outside lane of a highway doing 45 kph as it forces other motorists to make a dangerous undertaking manoeuvre with limited visibility ahead.

That sort of crap doesn't happen on western roads regardless of what the speed limits are. The speed isn't the problem, its the 'me first' attitude that is the danger as motorists here have no regard whatsoever for the safety of other road users because they view themselves as being 'more important' than everyone else. The same attitude is evident when you observe their parking antics.