อ่านแล้วเจ็บแต่จริง !! บทความจากนิวยอร์คไทมส์ ระบุว่า ประเทศไทยดินแดนแห่งความเหลื่อมล้ำมากสุดแห่งหนึ่งของโลก ถ้าคุณยิ่งเป็นคนจน คุณจะมีโอกาสตายบนถนนแบบไร้ค่า มากกว่าคนที่มีเงิน มีคอนเน็คชั่น https://t.co/dyzL4vE93V— Teerat Ratanasevi (@teeratr) August 19, 2019
Inequality in Life, and Death
Thailand, named the most unequal country of the 40 major economies surveyed last year by Credit Suisse, has what might be the world’s most toxic combination for traffic safety.
Unlike poorer countries, its roads are well-paved and made for speed, and the cars driven by the rich and its growing middle-class tend to be new and fast.
But many Thai families can only afford a single scooter or motorcycle, and high-quality helmets are a luxury for many, whatever the law says about them being mandatory to wear.
In accidents on the country’s crowded roads, it’s a devastating mismatch when an air-conditioned SUV collides with a two-wheeler, scattering the detritus of death across the asphalt. And the aftermath of such accidents are a common, macabre sight on Thai thoroughfares: a shredded tire, a mangled frame of steel, a bloodyplastic flip-flop.
Motorcycle accidents can involve multiple fatalities. Because public transportation is limited outside the big cities, it’s not uncommon to see a couple of adults — and even a child or two crammed between them — balanced on a single bike.
Only 12 percent of Thailand’s road traffic deaths involved occupants of cars or other light vehicles, according to the 2018 W.H.O. Global Status Report on Road Safety. Most of the dead were motorcyclists — or pedestrians.
In many Thai towns, there are few wide, easily usable sidewalks because, critics say, they are not a priority for the rich and influential, who prefer not to walk in Thailand’s oppressive heat. When there are wide footpaths, they often overflow with street stalls and even motorcycle traffic, pushing people into the roads.
The country’s economic disparity is not the only reason Thailand’s road deaths are not distributed equally. Justice, too, is handed out unevenly.
For the superrich, or those in positions of authority, the rules of the road may not apply at all. They know they can speed with impunity and drink heavily before getting behind the wheel, with little fear of the consequences.
In 2012, a young man in a Ferrari — the heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune — plowed into a policeman, dragging him to his death. The driver, Vorayuth Yoovidhaya, was intoxicated, according to a test. Seven years later, he has never been prosecuted.
“What is clear in Thailand is that the roads are not safe for all users,” said Evelyn Murphy, who specializes in unintentional injury prevention at the W.H.O. “Whether it’s cars or motorcycles or pedestrians, the safety of all users of roads must be considered, regardless of income level.”
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