Risky Roads
Recently, the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Center announced a campaign to ban children from riding motorcycles in order to save the lives of the youth of today. Mind you, it’s illegal for anyone younger than 15 years old to ride a motorcycle in the first place, but we’re talking Thailand — The Land of Mai Pen Rai and Spotty Law Enforcement — after all.
This got me thinking about other behaviours which should be strongly discouraged in order to make the roads safer for all of us. Here are five things that should be banned on Thai roads.
IRRESPONSIBLE CAB HAILING.
I know you feel as if you’ve won the lottery when you come across a taxi with the “available” sign turned on. And you may want to signal at it like you’re trying to dry your hand in order to catch the driver’s attention. But, you should first be aware of your surroundings and be responsible for the sake of others. It isn’t safe to hail a taxi near the corner of a busy street, as the driver has to slow down while other vehicles are speeding behind him. This could get really dangerous, obvs. Also, if the cab isn’t on the lane next to the footpath you’re standing on, maybe you should let it drive on because you don’t want the driver to cut through a lane or two just to pick you up.
MIXED MESSAGING WITH HAZARD LIGHTS.
Some think ‘hazard’ means stopping at the roadside to quickly buy something. Maybe it’s true to them because they’re about to go berserk without that cup of coffee they sorely need. A more dangerous misuse of these lights is when someone at an intersection wants to signal to the vehicles on their left or right that they would go straight. It sends a mixed and dangerous message to fellow motorists as they can only see one side of your car. The cars on your left may think you want to turn left and may not stop their cars and then... boom!
DANGEROUSLY LOADED TRUCKS.
If you’ve lived in Bangkok long enough, you probably have experienced the misfortune of being stuck behind a truck carrying metal rods that are longer than the truck’s length. Although they appear secure, you can’t help but feel bad about it. What if the truck abruptly breaks and one of the rods slides out and heads straight your way. It’s just a Final Destination kind of situation waiting to happen.
THE MISUSE OF HIGH-BEAM HEADLIGHTS.
You shouldn’t turn on high-beam headlights at night just because you’re scared of the dark. Use them with caution, especially when driving in Bangkok, as you can hurt the other drivers’ eyes. Apparently, there has been a debate over different uses of high-beam headlights among Thai drivers, ranging from asking the passing cars to let you into their lane, telling the other car to go first or telling the other car not to go into your lane etc. Maybe we should use them only when driving on a dark road and change them into a lower light when another car is coming from the opposite direction... like many experts have suggested.
PETS ON MOTORCYCLES.
I’m surprised by how some seem to be oblivious to something obviously dangerous. Some probably think they’re being kind by letting their pets accompany them on their motorcycle rides. And I’m not talking about a toy dog being put in a motorcycle’s front basket or a sidecar. I’m talking about a dog “sitting” behind its owner on the same seat apparently without any kind of protective gears or something to secure it from, you know, falling down to its death. Of course, dogs riding a motorcycle with its owner is a cute sight to see but, Buddha forbids, what if it sees something shiny and jumps off the seat to run after it. The driver behind you may swerve to avoid turning your dog into roadkill and end up crashing into other cars instead. Also why would you put your best friend in such a precarious situation in the first place. Doesn’t this seem like a mild form of animal cruelty to you?