Thais and Common Sense Safety

[iono]

[FIGJAM]

flyonzewall said:

>>>Ohh.. I almost forgot to add that after 17:00 the type of police force dedicated to traffic offences and the like goes off duty so it's belts and helmets free feast for everyone (and no more worries about having all the proper documents in order)... <<<

 

so, who then mans the roadblocks who go on until early morning, checking everything?

Those nighttime roadblocks are a complete different matter from what we were talking about.

I have never had any problem going through those checks without a helmet 'cos they are not there to fine those without a helmet at 4:00 AM...

They are part of the various crackdowns/new social order/drug wars and are becoming increasingly common nowadays.

 

You can be stopped and asked for everything while they assess you, if they are not convinced they search you for drugs/arms/whatever possession. Especially if you are a young male this is how those checks usually end.

 

And, anyway, you have probably misread what I wrote. I haven't said that after 17:00 the entire police corps goes off duty, I said "the type of police force dedicated to traffic offences and the like".

 

FIGJAM

[FIGJAM]

khunsanuk said:So, I take you do not have any insurance and have never paid any tax? As otherwise P127 would be right.

No, no... I have insurances, pay taxes and am happy to cover the expenses for the health care of housewifes fallen cleaning the bathroom as well as hobbyists parachutists with a broken leg.

 

The one who demands to choose whom his taxes should pay for the health care of is pattaya127, not me.

 

He seems to think that certain hobbies and passions are worth to be granted public hearth care, others should be simply prohibited in order to avoid the expenses following the possible accidents related to them.

 

The discriminating factor is his liking, I guess...

 

 

Ciao, FIGJAM.

[FIGJAM]

pattaya127 said:for the record i said stupidity.

Yes, you are right. Sorry.

 

And how wearing a helmet or not defines freedom. We do live in a society, and i quite admit i can be stubborn doing something that i want that can be detrimental to me or others, but recklessness does not equal to freedom, though yes, it' s fun to bypass laws sometimes, and feel rebellious, "free" if you want.

I do not contest this, just that society at large if caring for its own welfare (that's all of us) can't abide by what one or another individual intends to behave like.

You seem to think that it's either helmets for everybody or helmets for no one. The society isn't a single entity.

Wearing helmets concerns *personal* safety.

 

Did following the helmet rule impede your freedom that much then?

Yes, a lot since I do like very much riding a motorbike without helmets.

I had to had my passion spoilt by some idiots who let me risk my life and personal safety in thousands of legal ways *except* riding a motorbike without a helmet.

 

Quite true. but we are not talking hobbie or passions, just millions of people driving/riding to work or about as a means of transportation.

Haven't you never heard of those tens of millions people around the world who are crazy for cars and/or motorbikes? Formula 1, Rally, Moto GP etc. don't say anything to you?

I have been a professional motorbike driver for a couple of racing seasons in the Italian Sport Production Championship 250cc class (that was that which gave me the money to afford 2.5+ years in LOS). My passions in life are motorbikes, parachuting, go-karts, girls and, sometimes, booze and .

The fact that you like collecting stamps or whatever doesn't mean that somebody else can't like motorbikes and cars NOT ONLY as means of transportations...

 

is it so? Are these activities forbidden really?

Who said so? I said that's where we will end up thoroughly applying your logic.

I have already given you an example (which you ignored) which shows how we should impose to wear helmets also in the cars. That's perfectly logic and coherent with the logic behind the helmets on bikes law.

 

On top of it, you cite examples where instructors and sport clubs are extremely attentive that you understand that with these sports come very precise rules of enjoying them, which includes equipment to wear. None will accept a member who does not understand that practicing them requires discipline and following certain rules.

I couldn't care less what sport clubs think I should do or don't "to enjoy better" what I like to do. You forget again that the individual comes first, I don't need to be part of a biker club to enjoy riding a motor bike.

Besides that, apart from the mandatory PC side of the medal, for the media and the "public relations", you should know what really "instructors", top sportmen and hadcore hobbyists are up to...

 

It's a good point you did not mean to make, but all these sports are starting with education, and create a community of spirit for their practitioneers.

this sense of ethics behind these sports is naturally lacking in normal commuting.

I bet you that the people with such passions for the sports you name would be the first to say that with some common sense and following simple rules as they do in their hobbies/passions, a lot less people would be either dead or maimed.

We are not talking just about risky sports, we are talking about personal safety and well being in general. I gave you the example of smoking.

Are you willing to pay for cancer health care for those who contracted it by smoking, just for their own pleasure, in spite of the fact that they were fully aware of the risks of it?

You haven't answered that.

Should they be denied public health care? Should we prohibit to smoke from tomorrow?

 

Pattaya127, what do you live for?

 

FIGJAM

[Guest lazyphil]

<<Pattaya127, what do you live for?>>

 

I know--Issan ::

[FIGJAM]

naiv said:Can you give any examples?

One I have just given you, i.e. helmets and safety belts.

To stay on the same area, in Europe there have been proposals to impose *wearing technical gears* whenever riding a motorbike! Studies financed by the EU Commission have been conducted also regarding the application of airbags on motorbikes and proposals have been advanced to impose the adoption of ABS braking system on all the motorbikes.

Furthermore, max power limitations are already applied locally (not at EU level) and they are studying an EU common level of limitation of the max power of the motorbikes.

And what they have been studying in Switzerland beats everything. They are studying the possibility to limit the use of the motorbikes only on certain ways!

 

Depends how the distribution of weapons is controlled. But in the USA guns do more damage than good.

(I am living in a country where there is virtually in every house one assault riffle. But accidents by mishandling or the murder rate are much lower.)

Mishandling of cars kills in the West a HUGE number of people...

What about to make getting a driving license something like getting a pilot's license?

Anyway, i notice that in the West the "bad guys" never lack guns...

 

Another approach to accidents and death

Ok this statement is true if I compare Switzerland with the USA.

???

 

Maybe the rules in the USA are better than in Thailand,

*MAYBE*?? So, tell me the Thai laws and regulations more effective than the American equivalent ones in saving lifes/avoiding injuries.

 

I am just saying that other countries have other rules and while you can discuss a certain rule, you shouldn't make statements like "thais have less common sense".

I have never talked about common sense here, I replied to other aspects of the question raised in this thread.

Anyway, I think Thais' values, culture and education make them less intelligent than us in many many ways. At least in the sense *we* give to the word intelligence.

The acronym TIT very often just covers what to us is just plain stupidity or illogic behaviour.

 

And I don't say that the rules in Switzerland are better than the ones in the USA, I just say that we swiss can't understand many rules in the USA and that you can upset us easily by trying to apply american rules in our own country. (Which is more and more often the case.)

If you really find all that difference between US and Swiss approaches I wonder how can you even begin to compare one of them to the Thai one...

 

 

Ciao, FIGJAM.

[FIGJAM]

I know--Issan ::

His board name suggests otherwise...

 

 

Ciao, FIGJAM.