Travelling from downtown Bangkok to Nichada Thani is often not the easiest of rides given that the bustling city with its large population awakens bright and early and turns in quite late. Traffic is unavoidable. Cutting across lanes is common and frequent. Driving on the wrong side of the road is less usual, but also known to occur. The overcrowded streets almost encourage drivers to break laws.
The different methods of transport that are available are long and endless, but how often do we consider our personal safety when we enter these vehicles? Paired up with the chaos that often spills out on the streets, travelling in Bangkok streets becomes difficult and unsafe.
More often then not, we hop into a car excitedly anticipating our destinations, but with the high volume of traffic it becomes almost impossible to move more than just a few kilometers even when the distance is very short. Life is also made difficult as many of the roads in Bangkok change directions at some point during the day, and drivers are forced to share roads and expressways, clogging up the streets. The thought of wearing a seatbelt seems unnecessary as the chances of an accident appears to be very slim on a road with almost no moving vehicles.
In Thailand, drivers of public transport vehicles are bound by law to require their passengers to put on their seatbelts. However, most passengers tend to disregard or overlook this rule due to the lack of enforcement, despite the threat of being fined an overwhelming amount of 5000 THB. This fee may come off as harsh, but the fact that the punishment for ignoring laws is often paid off so simply seems to lessen the seriousness of the situation.
According to Kimberly Remijan (12), “seatbelts aren’t available in many taxis and most buses so it’s to difficult to follow the law when it’s not being monitored regularly.” On the other hand, the buses the BTS and MRT have other equipment like handrails, which must be held on to tightly for the duration of a journey. They may not guarantee your safety, they are a form of protection that should be utilized. The idea is to be as aware of our own safety as possible, although we must question the measures being taken by Thai law to assure protection.
While many of us are from countries where seatbelt laws are strictly implemented, claim that they “always wear their seatbelts,” for those of us from countries like Bangladesh, the idea of wearing a seatbelt seems almost unreasonable and often bizarre.
Yet, what we do not realize is that these laws were created inherently to protect us. Seatbelts aren’t meant to make us feel trapped or enclose us within the walls of a car, but in fact, to keep us secure from flying forward in case of a serious collision or crash. Seatbelts do not guarantee a free pass from bruises and bumps, but more often than not, those who wear seatbelts tend to walk away with more minor injuries. Finlay Mowat (11) shared that “seatbelts are necessary in cars. My sister had to be in the hospital for a few weeks because she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt.”
On the other hand, Siri Asdathorn (11) commented that he does not feel the need to wear his seatbelt unless he is “asleep.” Otherwise, he feels he can use his “arms to block any injuries.” Although Siri’s reasoning is accurate and it is possible to stop ourselves from lurching forward, we are not always conscious or in control of our movements, especially during sudden incidents.
According to reports in 2013, Thailand ranked 6th highest in the number of deaths relating to motor vehicle accidents in the world, with about 26,000 fatalities every year. This frightening rank calls to attention the need to educate about the power and responsibility that comes with owning a vehicle, but also the precautions that can be taken to avoid such casualties.
Drunk driving and failure to wear seatbelts and helmets are the leading causes of these accidents. Laws have been passed against driving under the influence and to enforce helmets and safety belts, but still people fail to realize that they exist for a reason. It is vital to take precautions before anything serious really occurs.
Nonetheless, we ourselves cannot always predict when drunk driving occur, but instead of waiting to learn a lesson, we must be cautious and understand that no matter how safely our drivers and we drive, what happens in our surroundings is beyond our control. So when there is an opportunity to be as safe as possible, remember to buckle up.
Arya Bhai
