rayw

Oh dear. Come on Thailand don't be so over sensitive, get real.  What is wrong with the fact that Thailand like most other Asian countries is known for its copy Rolex watches and other goods, after all it all truly helps the economies here in Asia too.  I wonder how many of those pedantically complaining about this silly issue actually do not own any copy products themselves hmm ??  Who can blame those that do buy copies (most of us!) when many of the originals are way way rip off over priced and unaffordable to most Asians and many Westerners too.  I have had many fake Rolexes in my life and many of them have been very good too if you do not go for the ultra cheap copies, and anyway I would NEVER pay the exorbitant prices of genuine Rolex watches and know few who would even those that can afford to.  Best way for these original companies to stop copies being so popular is to lower their prices considerably and accept a fair and reasonable profit margin not the rip off get rich greedy attitude that the modern western corporate world now adopts and has paid the price for with the huge predictable global recession and financial collapse.

Personally I always buy originals if I feel they are not at rip off prices, same goes for music, software and films and clothes etc etc and happy to pay a small but reasonable amount more than the copy prices too.  If I feel they are rip off prices then if I would like the product I will follow almost everybody and buy a copy version and place the fault on the rip off originator's greed.  So yes the blame in most cases truly lies with the rip off greedy corporates who make the copy market so tenable and desirable to most folk.  Sorry if you do not agree but I feel this is the hard truth.

Finally I have lived here happily for over 9 years now and know and have many Thai friends. From my experience all the Thais I know buy copy products willingly, knowingly and FREQUENTLY so I find it hypocritical for some Thais (and westerners too) to now start this silly nonsense and unfounded over sensitivity to what is to most an almost universally accepted and beneficial practice (albeit in practice still illegal).  It surely should be up to the originators to ensure their products cannot be copied reliably and to not try to rip off their potential customers, rather than to use stupid unwanted laws designed by the elite ruling classes to protect their eternal greed.

Good luck to Lady Gaga for her concert whatever day that it is on (is it tonight?).  Not going to it myself though would like to if I was in Bangkok, but I do admire her style and quite like her music too though not my favourite genre personally preferring good Rock and Progressive music.  Hope everyone who goes really has a great evening.

Quote

Well first of all phuketjock to make it quite clear I am truly NOT being arrogant at all, as I too very much hate arrogance.  All I am doing is trying to be honest and as you saw if you read all my post I admit to being crap at many things as are most people, so I am usually far more modest than arrogant as you would know if you knew me personally.   I am not though like some here and very rude to others whose only "crime" is to  post what they believe to be, and often is, openly  truthful.  Also I clearly said that I would not use a phone if it really impaired my driving safety more than any other normal in car activity like changing a radio station for example.  Some drivers cannot even change a radio station without driving dangerously and you know this is true as the standard of driving varies tremendously amongst folk, same as my example as standards of building and DIY work.  I know many many drivers who can safely use a phone whilst driving and do so intelligently and carefully yes and some are really good sensible Thai drivers too and why should that not be the case.

I have lived here a long time and fully respect the Thai people and try to do a lot to promote road safety and stop the gross stupidity you see on the roads here, 95% of which is apparently by Thais it seems, many of whom also do not even have a driving licence let alone proper training I understand.  Sure many bad Falang drivers too but honestly just look around and you can see that they are a tiny proportion compared to untrained, unlicenced local Thai drivers and far more so many terrible motorbike riders.

You should also have noted that the crux of my post was to try to steer the priority towards policing the really dangerous driving antics of which I listed a few and which you see here in Thailand many times every day.  I truly want to see much safer driving on the Thai roads and a much needed fall in the accident, injury and death rates of many ordinary decent Thai folk. I love this country where I chose to retire and it truly saddens me immensely to see such a massive and unnecessary road death toll and dreadful life changing injuries, so yes if I have time I will stop and deliberately have a go when I see three on a bike for example and sure make them look what they are i.e. stupid, and lose face which they hate and will hit home to them, hopefully for their own benefit and other road users too.  If we all did that when we see such total stupidity, and the police took more positive action too, then soon it would become totally unacceptable socially to have 3 on a bike, no lights, wrong way down roads, jumping red lights etc etc and that WILL be a good thing surely.

If my stating all of that is what you consider arrogance then I will just have to appear arrogant in your eyes, but regretfully I consider that to be your problem not mine.  Main thing is we concentrate on stopping the intolerable level of stupidity on our roads here by actually deliberately embarrassing in ublic these crazy stupid drives and mainly motorbike riders. So please calm down phuketjock and be nice hmmm.as I am sure I would find you really are if I knew you better and personally

I REPEAT that using a mobile phone carefully and sensibly when driving and not in heavy town centre traffic is no worse than changing a radio station.  Sure use Blu Tooth type hands free kit which is much better and thoroughly recommended of course but if anyone honestly feels they cannot drive safely even using a hands free then be sensible and do not do so.  Some people I know, who are good safe drivers too, admit to not even being able to talk with passengers whilst driving so prefer total quiet, and I respect their honesty and common sense.  The point I am making is we are all different with different skills but we DO need to be honest with ourselves and admit what we cannot do well and yes indeed NOT be arrogant or have false modesty either.

Drive carefully and be happy and safe.

hellodolly, on 2012-05-11 14:15:04, said:

Oh dear same old bloody cliché.  Yes I can and have done so since mobile phones first came on the scene and driven safely for a few hundred thousand miles and yes will continue to CAREFULLY and sensibly do so.  Many folk can do this safely and I indeed I have many friends just the same who I feel perfectly happy to be with them as a passenger even when they are answering a mobile phone call.  It all depends on your ability and common sense.  Of course no driver training will teach you that as all the laws are made to fit in with the lowest common denominator of whom of course newly trained drivers indeed must by nature fit that category so we can all see the sense in that too.  All my personal driver training, yes including advanced training, were many many years ago before mobile phones were even imagined.

No I am not being arrogant but I can drive whilst talking on a mobile phone and still fully concentrate on teh road and what matters,  Whereas if you asked me to build a wall well I would then be one of the lowest common denominators as know bugger all about building and many other things too but like everyone there are some things I am reasonably good at.and I take pride in my safe (but not dangerously slow or way too fast) driving standards. Having said all that I will say that I will end a call quickly or immediately if I receive one when in busy town centre traffic or in difficult road conditions, and I rarely have videos on in the car and if so exclusively for passengers use who mostly sit in the front passenger seat.  I never give more than a cursory glance at my video screen anyway and much the same as you do looking at say the car clock or speedometer or radio dial, so please follow what I am saying.  However I NEVER EVER would use a phone whilst riding my motorbike as this is ALWAYS dangerous because of physical limitations it causes of course and anyway if you are sensible you should be wearing a crash hat which precludes the use of a phone anyway.

If you really cannot keep your main primary focus on the road and your driving when on the mobile phone then you should not even attempt to talk on a phone when driving at ANY time, just bloody common sense like my wall building example as I just would not attempt to even try to build a wall.  We all have to admit honestly what we are good at and capable of and what we are bad and useless at.  As I said I have NEVER had an accident directly as a result of using a mobile phone when driving or from glancing very briefly at a video screen, and in the hopefully unlikely event that I ever do I will hold my hands up to being responsible if it was a direct or clearly fully mitigating cause.  I have though had many painful accidents trying to carry out building works when I had no choice other than to try and do it myself.

These restrictive laws are imposed because of the bloody idiots (the lowest common denominators).  The other day for example I truthfully saw a motorbike in teh centre of a busy town centre traffic lighted junction. He was wearing no crash helmet and was stopped there chatting on his mobile phone !!!!!!!!!!  Even seen a driver obviously SMS texting whilst driving, now that is impossible for anyone to do and primarily focus on the road so nobody should even attempt to do that. These and many other examples are the type of  gross stupidity that makes such use of mobile phone laws become a necessity unfortunately, but as long as I personally feel capable of safely using a phone in my car whilst driving then I will continue to do so.  Sure of course I also fully advocate the use of Blutooth devices too for hand free use when they are available at the time, but some people would still not allow there mental focus to stay on the road even when phone chatting hands free so still dangerous in such idiots' hands (free or not!).

Semper, on 2012-05-11 08:14:33, said:

What crap!!!!!!!!!.  GPS's actually enhance road safety by ensuring the driver gets in the correct lane early and does not faff around on a busy road not knowing where to go, bloody best invention ever as long as set up properly.  So total utterly misguided crap Semper; no offence intended though.

Yes you should be able to mount you in car DVD TV screen in the front for use by the passenger.  Sure it should be illegal and negligent to watch TV whilst driving and if caught doing so you should be prosecuted but that should never apply for your front passenger's use.  Main way is to try to educate the Thai drivers about road safety by using Government sponsored TV, newspaper and hoarding adverts getting the point across in a catchy memorable way (Like the old "Clunk Click Every Trip" or "Wear Something Bright At Night" campaigns back in the UK many years ago which all Brits still remember well)

Want to stop most road traffic accidents then start policing road users more and better by say stopping 3 and more on a motorbikes, no lights at night, jumping red traffic lights, driving down the wrong side of the road, wrong way around roundabouts, dangerous and stupid wrong lane use at junctions  and driving without a driving licence so without any proper training or ability competence testing.. Really clamp down on those offenders first is the priority.  The law should not forbid mobile phone or video use when driving but make it a very serious high penalty offence if in so doing you cause an accident.  Many of us, like David above, CAN drive safely and keep our primary focus on the driving whilst talking on a phone or clanging at a video screen briefly but knowing the risks of high penalty prosecution IF we caused an accident whilst doing so.  I am seriously very confident that using a mobile phone whilst dreiving would NOT cause me to have an accident as my driving is very much my #1 priority and focus at all times.  Actually I personally find it harder and more distracting changing a music CD in the car when driving than using a mobile phone to be honest, and this is not illegal anywhere in the world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though to be honest I often stop the car safely somewhere to change such a music CD rather than fumble about finding a CD I want and then changing it in the car player.

Most accidents here in Thailand are caused quite clearly by total crass and unnecessary stupidity from my 9 years of experience here.  Lack of driver training and poor inadequate wrongly focussed policing are the primary reasons for the high road traffic Accident rate here IMHO.  Put that right first if you are really serious about saving lives through better APPLIED road safety measures.  Please note that most of the logical and sensible world wide road safely laws are in force here too and have been for a long time, but just not adhered to or enforced adequately which is so very irresponsible and stupid.

Well a good thing if it reduces accidents caused by drink driving but this should be enforced by the traffic police NOT by more silly and ill advised prohibition (never works anyway!) which affects the millions of folk who do not drive or have no intention of driving under the influence, so why punish innocent folk for the crimes of the few?.

If they want to saves lives the police should become more concerned with arresting and prosecuting those that really cause most of the accidents. i.e.vehicles going the WRONG WAY down dual carriageways or on the wrong side of the road, 3 or more passengers on a motorbike, jumping traffic lights and not waiting for the green light before moving forward, going the WRONG WAY around roundabouts, no lights or no rear light at night, cutting across other vehicles from the WRONG LANE at road junctions and many more misdemeanours that we all see every day and we all clearly know about.  Yet every day I see the police turn a complete blind eye towards these dangerous offences, totally crazy and stupid IMHO !!!

All these serious road crimes listed above are ALMOST exclusively committed by Thais and rarely falangs (though to be fair falangs are often guilty of drink driving), so the police seem not to bother to take action as just maybe these mainly Thai offenders cannot provide any tea money,  just a thought hmmm ???  I do not say that to be in ANY WAY racist, as I am most definitely and always have been anti-racist, but just trying to be factual which we need to be if the Government REALLY want to see the road deaths and injuries reduced significantly.  So back to topic, it really is NOT JUST drink driving that causes the problems though of course it is a significant cause and does need policing well.  However, IMHO recently introduced breathalyser acceptable legal blood alcohol levels are way too low and should be raised from 50mg/L to 100 mg/L, though in all fairness ANY such level should be a contributory factor in apportioning blame in any road accidents.

I remember back in the 1950's and 1960's in the UK when driving standards were poor as many folks were getting used to motor vehicles for the first time and were not street wise as to driving, mush like here over 50 years on.  What the Government then did very sensibly was to take advertising space on TV and newspapers, and road side signs too, that gave much needed driving tips for road safety.  A memorable one was Clunk Click Every Trip to promote using seat belts before it became law, and many TV adverts with animated films showing how to properly manoeuvre at a road junction, how to handle roundabouts and to wear something bright at night and to protect your head with a crash helmet, and finally of course Don;t Drink And Drive.  These had a major influence on most drivers particularly new drivers trying to become good drivers.  I firmly believe that doing so here would maybe make a big difference to hammer home some bloody common sense into the Thai people, and a much more positive step than trying for silly localised prohibition which will do next to nothing to improve road safety IMHO.

Finally I must say I DO NOT approve of crash helmet and seat belt laws making them compulsory.  Why do I say this???  Well because although I strongly recommend everyone wearing them it is surely down to each individual as it does not directly affect other road users or cause injury to others.  It is all about personal freedom like to take whatever drug you want as it is only your body that is being harmed.   One thing though is that free national health service (or here the 30 Baht whatever scheme for Thais) should not apply when injury has been caused directly by NOT wearing a seat belt or crash helmet.  Then it would be your choice as to wearing them or not, or as the Thais say "Up to you", but rightly not for others to have to pay for your stupidity by not easily and sensibly protecting yourself.  Only exceptions is minors say under 15 must be made to wear seat belts and helmets with their parents/guardians responsible for this.  Get rid of this unneeded law and free up more police time to catch the real dangerous culprits like three on a bike, wrong way down roads etc as outlined above and stop worrying about bloody tea money being the primary motive for stopping motorists and riders.  Sure with stupidly low levels of police pay I hear, then fairly taken tea money is understandable (and for minor offences then to me preferable than expensively going to court with licence endorsements etc) or else better still is to raise police pay scales here with strict codes of ethics as say in the UK, won't happen though I am sure.