Thais and Common Sense Safety

[gobbledonk]

Guys,

 

I'm not breaking any new ground here, but we've all seen examples of things that make you wonder if the average Thai has an over-abundance of what we call 'common' sense. Welding in thongs, transporting a family of 5 on a 125cc motorcycle (complete with plastic helmets ..) : I'm sure that you can think of many other examples of pretty ordinary safety practices.

 

Why do I raise this ? I was watching a doco on the plight of Thailand's elephants last night (you guessed it - they're fucked), and they showed footage of an English tourist being fatally gored by a bull elephant who surged forward into the crowd to retrieve bananas. Rule Number One at wildlife parks is 'Never get too close to the animals', but it took this fatality for them to erect a fence between elephants and people : surely a 'commonsense' precaution ? Steve Irwin's baby may have been placed in harms way, but no-one in the crowd was in any danger from the croc - his insurance company would have apoplexy if they were.

 

Taking your entire family for a spin down the freeway on the family scooter may be a matter of economic necessity for many Thais, but it would be great to see them become a little less cavalier with both their lives and others. At least find the baht for a helmet that doesnt look like it came from Toyworld, or take the bus.

 

Am I, as a 'financially secure' (hah !) Farang, being too hard on people in a developing country ? I dont believe so - what price do they put on their lives and those around them ?

[ThaiHome]

This disregard for personal safety and the safety of others is, of course, not limited to Thailand, or even worse in Thailand then other developing countries.

But I have never figured out exactly why. You have hit on the financial necessity, which certainly contributes to it. If your family vehicle is a 125cc cycle, then that is what the family has to ride.

Don't think that explains the driving habits though. Thais are not near the worse, I think the most reckless are the Malaysians and the least law abiding have to be the Mainland Chinese.

I think there is a sense of invulnerability that everyone has as a child, but in the west, we seem to grow out of it, but that doesn't seem to happen in Thailand. There is also the factor that life is cheap in a developing country, even your own.

TH

[buddha]

Even though I saw some astoundingly stupid things like a newborn perched over the handlebars of a motorbike, I for one am completely against mandating stupidity.

 

In the US things are becoming quite redicuous. I imagine that my grandson will have to wear a helmet in the shower in case he slips.

[sfinkz]

"I for one am completely against mandating stupidity."

________________________________________________

 

Here, here. Only leads to a lack of personal responsibility and a downward spiral of litigators and underwriters. Noticed it wasn't a Thai who was gored by the bull elephant.

[Guest lazyphil]

And why oh why do they not turn off the engine when pumping petrol/gasoline at a station--I've noticed this many times in taxis when they pull over to fill up--seems very stupid to me and lazy

[gawguy]

buddha said:

 

In the US things are becoming quite redicuous. I imagine that my grandson will have to wear a helmet in the shower in case he slips.

 

IMO the absolute worst thing about living in my part of farangland (if you have ANY assets) is that we are a society dominated by bloodsucking, lowlife, ambulance-chasing "evil-doers" who hide behind the moniker "Attorney" and participate in what is called "the legal system." What a f--king joke that is! They enrich themselves by taking away everything they can steal (legally) from the average terrorized homeowner, stock market investor, business person, teacher or municipal government. They have no source of wealth except other people?s money and they are out to get all of it they can. They have a bullshit rationale about representing the injured and damaged. What a f--king joke! There is one firm in Los Angeles that was reported on ?60 Minutes? that sues businesses that have been sited for code violations by the city. The firm doesn?t even represent clients, just the general population. The program showed a hard-working old couple who they successfully sued for (as I recall) $10,000 on top of the other trouble and fines they suffered from the city when their restaurant was sited by the health department. I forget where the settlements go, except we know who gets their huge bloodsucking ?share.? Legislation was in process to prevent these types of actions. Attorney groups opposed it.

 

This cancer is so deep in our culture that, like violence, we are fascinated by it to the point that it has become entertainment. It's just like people who live in such violent areas that they are afraid to go outside. Locked inside they enjoy program after program about the scourge is ruining their lives.

 

The legal entertainment started with ?Perry Mason? and progressed through John Grishom. Now there must be 15 reality type court programs like "The Peoples Court" on every day, along with the dedicated channel called "Court TV.?

 

Of course the weasels continue to pour into the law schools. My latest telephone directory comes in two volumes - White Pages (personal listings) and Yellow Pages (business listings.) On the front of the White Pages book there is a 5X7 pull-off card for an ambulance chaser: "ACCIDENT? Call the Accident Attorneys. No Up-Front Charges." Just below this card is an add across the bottom of the cover for another one, who sells ?aggressive representation? for "Slip and Fall."

 

The business listings have 70 pages of bright orange pages for attorneys, but just 60 pages for all things automotive. There is one heavy paper tab sticking out of the middle of one of the books. Space on this tab must be expensive! ?M. Hercules Harris, Personal Injury Attorney.? (Not the real name, but similarly heroic sounding.)

 

Even if we squeak through life without having one of these lowlifes take our money directly, we are always paying them. Look at the crisis that doctors face in malpractice insurance costs and look at my $288 a month Kaiser HMO premium. Look at all of the ambulance chaser ads and look at your auto insurance premium. We are hostages. Well maybe more like sheep who love their pen.

 

Some doctors have made small stands against this outrage by having work stoppages, but mostly they just quietly take down their shingles and go out of private practice. The guy I love is the man who took a stand by filling his attorney with bullets on national TV a few months ago. ?Because he took my money.? But basically the cancer is so deep in our system that we have been overwhelmed and, after all, it?s legal. Of course the madness will spread beyond our farang borders, but I don?t think it will take over in Thailand in my lifetime. I breathe much more freely in LOS where, when there?s an accident the parties just run away, or walk away, or hand over a sum of money, but nothing disastrous. Farangs pay more of course. Mai pen rai.

 

BUT, because your grandchild will be wearing a helmet in the shower and because cars stop when pedestrians give any sign that they might be thinking about crossing a street, we have a surfeit of public safety. We probably won?t disappear into a hole in the street or drive into an unmarked trench in a road work area, but the price we pay in money and freedom is almost incalculable.

 

Oh...by the way Mr. buddha, I have contacted my attorney regarding your abuse of the word ?ridiculous.? I told him it hurt when I saw it and he was very sympathetic. He's a really nice guy. He is thinking of a $25,000 dollar action on my behalf but will consider a settlement. Or would you rather go to court? He?ll be coming after legal fees, you know.

 

How does a thousand sound?

 

GG

[pattaya127]

There is also the factor that life is cheap in a developing country

-------------------

Somehow, that rings totally true. I also witnessed and felt that they do not pay too much attention to the possible consequences of their actions, not just driving. definitely in the "not think too mutt" category this driving thing.....

[Sukhumvit]

I was at the Snake Institute in BKK one day. Show time. The snake wranglers get three Siamese cobras out of the pit and put them on the tiled floor. The 3 cobras are pretty agitated and upset. They're surrounded by maybe 15 plus people standing on the tiles with no safety barriers. There were also maybe another 30 so people sat on rows of elevated benches. I was taking photos. Already I was perhaps seven or eight feet away from the snakes. One of the wranglers kept inviting me to go closer. Yeah, right.

 

Shortly after they got the nocturnal Kraits out. Yes, they were asleep as it was the middle of the day so the snake wranglers just held them as if they were holding a few lenghts of rope. Not holding onto the mouths or trying to restrain them should they awaken from their slumber.

 

Next a guy brushed past me and went into the middle of the crowd. Oh, he was carrying a King Cobra. No warning that he was coming and again after they'd played around with that they casually stroll through the crowd with it.

 

Course if I'd been bitten the last thing I'd want is an attorney. However, it would have been perhaps useful if recourse to legal action were possible say on the off chance that ifsomebody was bitten and severely hospitalised, incapacitated and had to pay for expensive hospital stays and flights home then they wouldn't be screwed financially. Or should every private individual have insurance to cover every eventuality?

[Pescator]

Hi Artiew,

 

I have certainly more than once thought that the expression frequently used about thai people - happy go lucky - isn`t too far fetched. Also in terms of personal safety.

Concerning the example you provide with an entire family consisting of 5 persons on on 125cc motorbike, I have often wondered, how come acc. to the law only the driver need to wear a helmet? :: And why don`t people driving a 3 wheeled motorbike/samlor have to wear a helmet?

 

I don`t want to think about what will happen if one of those pickup trucks with 10 persons or so in the back has an accident. There will be debris in the shape of people flying all over.

Also their scaffoldings seem to be able to crash if one should lean towards it.

 

Lives do indeed come cheap around here.

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

[buddha]

'I have contacted my attorney regarding your abuse of the word ?ridiculous.?'

 

I want to settle. Only because I had it spelled correctly and I conciously changed it because it looked funny. I am certainly guilty, quite ashamed, and deserve to suffer the same fate that 'unnamed' fast food chain suffered because some falang twat decided to wedge a scalding hot cup of coffee between her over-balasted, spider vein covered thighs as she pulled out of the drive-in.

 

How about the 'natural gas motorcycle delivery guys' who have up to four large canisters of pressurized gas perched precariously atop their 1960 vespa as they speed down Sukhumvit.

 

It's no joke. We are tampering with natural selection here in America. Proof positive is our commander in chief who still cannot pronounce the word nuclear, even though he says it everyday.