There isn't any – that's a good place to start. Honestly, that could be the whole story. People just kind of do whatever they want and there are very few instances of there being any sort of repercussions.
That lack of law is another story though and to be honest there are instances where I actually appreciate the fact that the police aren't looking to give you a $200 ticket because you didn't know your tail light was burned out.
it's schoolkids on this thing... what happens if we hit the brakes?
There are many different ways of looking at the stats but if you look at really any tally of road fatalities you will see Thailand in the top 10, every year. Most recently one survey had us at number 1 in the world (at least we are the best at something!)
This is all quite harrowing indeed but the thing that I find so disturbing is that the people that live here, Thai and the expat community are VERY AWARE of this fact yet actively choose to not use the basic safety mechanisms that are provided and are required (at least in theory.)
If we were to sit on really any city street outside of Bangkok (which is the only city I can see that actually enforces the nationwide helmet law) and count how many people are wearing helmets, I would be extremely surprised if even 50% of the people were actually doing so. Even the people that do wear helmets have a 3 dollar helmet that doesn't stand much chance of helping you in a crash.
where i live, only the driver of the bike needs to be wearing a helmet
What you most commonly see is that people have their helmet on their head but the chin strap isn't attached so as soon as you have an accident it is going to fly off your head. Many people simply keep the helmet sitting in the basket on the front of the bike to put on in the event that there is a police checkpoint. In the locals facebook page, police checkpoints for helmet checks are announced so that the local community can be sure to bring their helmet that day.
I just don't get it: This one pieces of equipment that isn't even expensive can be the difference between you having some road rash and being dead. Your body can take a tremendous amount of damage, your head can take almost none.
My own head met the pavement in a motorcycle crash where I was knocked unconscious through the helmet. I broke my leg, if I didn't have my helmet on, my brains would have been on the street.
4 people that I personally know have died because of a crash where if they had just worn a helmet, they would still be alive. Another friend of mine had a $3 helmet on and was thrown from the bike. She has brain damage now and it seems unlikely she is ever going to be the same as she was before. She already was wearing a helmet but the type that people know is not going to protect you in a crash.
I guess i just don't understand the thinking behind the average person on a bike over here. We are very aware of the fact that it is extremely dangerous on the roads in this country yet most people don't exercise any caution.
am i just not understanding the culture? How is this not child abuse?
I went to a restaurant opening tonight in the town where i live in Krabi and I counted the oncoming motorbikes during my (quite short) journey there. It was 97 motorbikes that i encountered and 7 (7!!!) that had people wearing helmets. I saw no police at all during my drive. I was one of the 7 by the way.... because i enjoy having a head.
Do you live in a country where people can't seem to be convinced to look out for their own well-being? I would love to hear about it. I just can't understand why this country can KNOW they are number 1 (or in the top 5, whatever) in road deaths and not give a crap.
As always I welcome your comments / criticism and will award an additional upvote for anyone that spots problems with my spelling and grammar.