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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Thai-Died Travel
Err Travel · May 18, 1999

Thailand, the second-most popular destination for Britons on holiday, is numero uno in taking the lives of the Queen's subjects.

Instead of driving either on the right side or -- as we Yanks say -- on the wrong side of the roadway, as the British might expect, the Thais drive on both sides of the street.

Indeed, Thailand's roads are the most lethal in Asia.

The Evening Standard noted that of the 80 or so Britons who die in Thailand each year while on holiday, 40 percent are killed in road accidents. This should be no surprise when one considers that two people die in Thailand every hour as results of traffic accidents -- a rate that is increasing at a staggering 33 percent a year.

It gets even more dangerous for travelers to Thailand over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. According to Thai government statistics, during this period, 30 percent of all motorists and 60 percent of all motorcyclists drive drunk. That raises the death toll to six traffic-related fatalities an hour.

Extrapolating from these data, come New Year's 2000, motorists and pedestrians who dare to take to the roads may be getting wiped out at the rate of ten an hour. And this doesn't even factor in the travel dangers associated with the so called "millennium bug."

This New Year's eve, I plan to be sipping champagne in front of a warm fire in my own home. But if you've got the urge to be on the road somewhere come the stroke of midnight on December 31st, consider three things:

(1) According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, "annual deaths and serious injuries from road traffic accidents in developing countries are between 20 to 70 times as high as equivalent rates in developed countries."

(2) Sweden has nice roads. Sure there's snow, but the accident rate is low, and it's the home of the safety-promoted Volvo.

(3) Maybe it's time to make an appointment with a mental health professional.

Dr. Terry Riley is a psychologist and travel security authority. Visit his site at http://www.appliedpsychology.com or e-mail him at riley@appliedpsychology.com.