Drivers’ inability to see outside a danger on roads
Re: “Obscured car windows pose public-safety threat”, Letters, November 18.
Arild Johnsen asks why Thai authorities allow tinted or “mirrored” car windows, especially for windscreens and the windows in the front doors of cars since it must really be dangerous if one is unable to see the driver. But that is only a minor part of the problem. The major challenge is that the drivers themselves are unable to see out the windows! And, it is not only the tinting that reduces the driver’s ability to see outside. Stickers and other opaque materials attached to the glass area also increase the risk. Many motorists in Thailand are driving blind and most people don’t understand the enormous risk this creates.
I have read of a case where a young Thai executive who had hung one of those “Baby on board” signs in the rear window of his car ran over his grandfather while he was backing out of the driveway of his home. That cute little sign blocked his vision.
Bus windows are routinely blocked by advertising materials. In fact, whole buses are wrapped in advertising. Personal cars and taxis have advertising and stickers with slogans blocking the driver’s vision. I have seen several taxis that had half the front windscreen covered by an advertisement for a local hospital. (This might be convenient knowledge for any cyclist the taxi hits.)
Truck drivers continue to paint the upper and lower portion of their windscreens, side windows and mirrors. Authorities demand that vehicle registration, third-party insurance, first class insurance and other stickers be glued to the windscreen. Private clubs, housing estates, parking lots, hotels, etc have a variety of stickers that are placed all over the windscreen. I have seen buses that carry school children with football advertising totally obscuring the front windscreen and buses that carry factory workers with cartoons painted on the entire front windscreen. Window tinting, which seriously reduces visibility during day and night driving, continues because many foolish drivers think it is fashionable. Little consideration is given to the enormously increased risk to the driver and anything outside his vision.
Arild is quite correct that there is no visual communication between drivers of cars that have their windows obscured and people outside, which increases the risk to both parties. Arild says that he was nearly hit by a car with tinted glass. Not only could he not see the driver, but the car driver probably could not see him since his line of vision may have been blocked by a sticker or that stuff hanging from the rear-view mirror.
The sad thing is that I have personally discussed this problem with many people in the field of road safety in Thailand and they laugh it off by saying “Yes, that’s the way we do it in Thailand”. Most do not consider obscured driver vision a problem. I remember discussing this with a group of “road-safety experts” several years ago and they just chuckled and said that if I really thought blind driving was a problem I should undertake a study to prove that.
I seriously doubt that anyone in authority will do anything about tinted glass just to be able to see inside a vehicle, when no one seems to be concerned about the driver’s ability to see out.
Incidentally, the Land Transport Law does prohibit adding anything to block the driver’s vision. The rule is just not followed.
Richard Stampfle
President, Safe Driver Education Company
Bangkok
To: The Nation
Subject: Letters to the Editor
Re: Drivers’ inability to see outside a danger on roads, Letters, November 19.
While I agree with Richard Stampfle main points regarding tinted windows his exceptionally long letter is simple a rehash of the letters he has been writing for years. In most developed countries heavily tinted windows are prohibited for safety and security reasons and there is no questions these laws save lives and countless injuries while preventing accidents. All of the studies have been done, published and available to anyone with an interest in traffic safety.
Mr. Stampfle, as President of the Safe Driver Education Company, a local driving school, should develop a vision, master plan, funding source and Thai support if he actually wants to effect change in the Kingdom. It is obvious to most drivers and pedestrians that eliminating excessively dark tinted windows and other vision obscuring material from windows would make it safer for all of us. Rather than using this space to promote a driving school lets see an action plan.
David Barkdull
« RE: Bangkok Post | Distress rising over negative letters, Letters, October 28th. | Home | Patriotism bill ‘goes too far’ | The Nation | Thailand »
Related posts:
- Place related post plugin php here...