Is jaywalking a Crime? Thursday, August 27, 2009 12:00 AM         Oftentimes, life in a big city can be pretty similar to life in a jungle. It basically comes down to the survival of the fittest or the rule of the jungle where the biggest and most vicious predators survive, while the smaller and weaker animals are forced to 'make way' for and cower in the sight of these predators. Instead of abiding by the civilized set of laws and codes of conduct, humans can, more often than you think, revert back to our basic nature (called 'San-darn' in Thai) when we sit behind the steering wheel on a Thai street. The reason I brought up the rule of the jungle issue was because it was an interesting theory put forward by a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, one of Thailand's most prestigious universities. Assoc. Professor Chaiyan Chaiyaporn drew a fascinating comparison between vehicles and animals. He said a large vehicle can be compared to a large predator, while smaller cars could be compared to a smaller predator while pedestrians are seen as prey. In the jungle (street), the larger predator (buses, ten-wheeler trucks), would be considered as the kings of the jungle. They get 'their way'. Similarly, on Thai streets, larger vehicles tend to get their way, literally and figuratively speaking, due to their sheer size. Ask any motorist who drives a normal sized sedan, they'd never risk not giving way or cutting in front of a ten-wheeler truck. Pedestrians (prey) are, needless to say, terrified of these 'predators'. But Bangkok pedestrians are faster and more agile than pedestrians from most other places around the world. Why? Mainly because of the practice we get from crossing the streets and navigating through some of the narrowest pedestrian sidewalks in the world. If that's not enough, Bangkok pedestrians need to have heightened senses. They need to be able to hear and see from the back of their heads even when they walk on a sidewalk because motorcycles, bless their small-size, often help themselves to sidewalks when the streets are too crowded during rush hour. Bangkok pedestrians are a brave lot. They know they are at the bottom of the food chain on the streets yet they refuse to seek the safest path, pedestrian crossing. This phenomenon just baffles me, seriously. Thai streets are one of the most dangerous in the world, motorcycles racing along the sidewalks, u-turn where it's most convenient, motorists would drive under the influence, and yellow lights mean 'hurry up, red light is coming'. Why wouldn't everyone cross the street at a pedestrian or zebra crossing? It all boils down to Thais and our 'chill chill' attitude; both about the law against jaywalking and the intrinsic laziness of all Thais. We'd rather cross the street NOW, than walk 50 meters to a zebra crossing. The traffic police and Bangkok authorities has launched a campaign to encourage pedestrians to only cross the road at a zebra crossing. Violators or jaywalkers can face up to A WHOLE 200 BAHT FINE if they cross the road elsewhere. Motorists will also be discouraged from scaring the daylight out of pedestrians who do cross the road at a zebra crossing. Those who fail to stop at a zebra crossing could be fined up to 1,000 baht. That, in my opinion, will not be enough to enforce the law against jaywalking, nor stop motorists from honking their horns to stop anyone who dares step onto the zebra crossing when the light is green. We have to look at both sides of the equation though. Put yourself in the motorist's shoes, you know how bad Bangkok's traffic is, do not cross the road when the light is green. That's dangerous and selfish. Now, motorists, put yourself in a pedestrian's shoes. Do not speed up when you see a person trying to cross the street at a zebra crossing, especially when the light is red anyway. That's wasteful, and oil prices are not becoming cheaper. I once saw this street sign at a busy intersection in Bangkok that says “Your Driving Reflects the Nation's Disciplines”. How true, I thought to myself. In a way, Thais' relative disregard for traffic laws (and other laws), is the cause of the country's most chronic problem, corruption. If we can all learn to live by the rules, corruption will not be such a monumental problem for Thailand. So, for a corruption free future, easy! Start by crossing the street at a zebra crossing. Story by: Mrs. Smith From http://tannetwork.tv/toc/ViewData.aspx?DataID=1016264 Wednesday, September 08, 2010 1:43 AM http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/